In the wake of former Minnesota Athletic Director Norwood Teague's unceremonious exit from the university after allegations of sexual assault surfaced, including Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Amelia Rayno's first-hand account of Teague's misconduct, more reports of sexual harassment between male athletes, coaches, members of front offices and athletic departments towards female sports reporters have emerged. Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated spoke with a number of unnamed female reporters and gathered story after story of this alleged harassment and these inappropriate sexual advances - advances which the reporters Deitsch spoke with claim are in no way out of the ordinary.
-One unnamed female television sports reporter, who Deitsch says has worked at the network level, recounted tales of an MLB player attempting to show her his penis in the locker room - an act which is, per Deitsch, quite common. The same reporter told Deitsch of an NHL player who pulled her aside to confide that one of his teammates was bragging that he had slept with her.
"There was no paper trail, just my word against his, and since I was fighting an unknown enemy, I couldn't even defend myself," she said, via Deitsch.
-Another female sports anchor talked of "subtle touching" by "grabbers"; another tactic Deitsch's sources claim is all-too-common.
"It doesn't happen often, but I have had my breasts and butt squeezed, the old 'hand at the small my back' that slides down and/or across, a stolen kiss on the cheek, etc.," the reporter told Deitsch. "While it all seems innocent enough, it can be really uncomfortable, particularly the subtle touching. It makes you feel like you are not even human but instead an object for someone else to ogle or fondle."
-A reporter who works for a "major east coast outlet," told Deitsch of an MLB team employee who asked for her number, which he said was for another media outlet to contact her. Instead, she began receiving messages from a starter on the team. The player called, texted and asked her to send photos, despite her attempt to set boundaries.
-One reporter indicated that social media has become something of an originating point for much of the harassment she faces.
"Lots of the time it all starts on Twitter," she said, via Deitsch. "I follow athletes for information, they follow me back, they message me, continue to message me, etc. I've had a lot of good interactions on Twitter with athletes, professional relationships, but lots take them too far. They call at 5 a.m. They Snapchat inappropriate things. On the road, I make sure to not even make eye contact with players or even really talk to them unless I'm doing an interview. You block everything out or else you become a 'whistle blower' and no one wants to have you around."
-Yet another east coast-based reporter, who has worked for both print and digital publications, said, via Deitsch, that she had been invited to hotel rooms while on the road, "more times than I can count."
"One agent was fixated on me giving him a number of how many penises I had seen in locker rooms through the years and how they compared. I eventually stopped calling him, which meant that sometimes I was unable to get information I needed. I also recall trying to build a relationship with a team executive who I was pretty sure was a source for other reporters. We were supposed to meet up for a drink during a big work event, but he kept changing the subject away from work to my personal life and whether or not I was dating anyone. When he put his hand on my back, that was my cue to leave. I stopped trying to communicate with him, which was a professional disadvantage since he was most likely helping my competitors."
The stories in Deitsch's piece go on. The scariest aspect of the entire issue for these women though, beyond the immediate physical danger, may very well be their lack of recourse. Challenging their harassers or filing suit against them often amounts to career suicide.
"The problem with any of those suits, and I once considered one, is that proving it is so difficult and the repercussions in the business could be fatal," a prominent reporter told Deitsch. "Who is going to hire a reporter who sues her employer or a team?"
While sexual harassment seems to be rampant in many areas of sport based on Deitsch report and the stories of reporters like Rayno, there does seem to be something of a light at the end of the tunnel for these women - their ability to rely on one another and, hopefully together, work to change a system that has been stacked against them from the start.
"I have noticed that female reporters will often share stories of inappropriate behavior with other female reporters as a sort of warning-be careful of this guy, try this line if you're in a similar situation, etc." Nicole Auerbach, USA Today college sports reporter said last week, via SportingNews.com. "Having other women in the industry to rely on and reach out to about various experiences is vital."
