The report says their complaints were centered around:– A culture where men in leadership promoted the women they believed were most attractive.–  Excluding women from FaceOff.–  Rating women based on attractiveness and “bangability.”–  A group text among only male student sports employees to discuss women as “sexual objects.”– “ Foul, vile and egregious” sexual talk that women found so uncomfortable they chose to avoid the newsroom or “not to participate in sports journalism.” 

There’s always been the pervading question of, “Why don’t we see more women in sports journalism?”  Can you blame the women for wanting to get out if their male peers don’t see them as equals, and instead as objects to be graded and/or degraded?  I just talked to a reporter not too long ago who left her outlet because she said it was one of the most hostile environments she ever worked in.  And she’s barely a year out of college. 

And women wonder how these attitudes are cultivated, as well. 

Look at your newsroom: Are there women in authority roles?  Sports editor, managing editor, lead football or men’s basketball writer.  How do you treat them?  How are they treated professionally and personally?  What kind of boundaries do you have with them? 

This instance comes down to respect – teaching people professional respect and personal boundaries.  And that someone’s “hotness” shouldn’t be the prism through which they’re judged, hired or promoted. 

This reminds me of an instance in high school, when my male classmates passed around a list where they voted who the hottest girls in our English class were.  I wasn’t on the list – and I’m sort of glad I wasn’t. 

I have this argument all the time with male coworkers – in fact, I told a male coworker, “you were pissed that I wasn’t a hot 26-year-old.” 

Unfortunately, that’s still the measuring stick.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been approached by a male colleague in a press box who has asked me, “who was that girl you were just talking to?  She’s cute/fine/hot.”