RE: Channel 38

[Kim Malo <kmalo19@idt.net>]

At 04:29 PM 2/26/98 -0500, "Sampath, Venkatesh"
<Venkatesh.Sampath@microcell.ca> wrote:

>I'm surprised to see this comment coming from you, though obviously you
>have good reasons for doing so. There are good women commentators and
>bad ones (Gawd, how paternalistic can one sound?),

<confused look> Why is that paternalistic? 
All it is is a truism. 

> just as there are
>with the male of the species.

But it's NOT the same.
Look at the male and female broadcasters, each as a group. What's the
apparent common link among the women? Sports knowledge? Don't think so.
Although admittedly some are knowledgeable. Then again, how can you tell if
they understand the game when they're relegated to sideline work. The
impression given is that they understand chatting with a player's family or
discussing rumors better (corollary 'not good enough' to do a real live game
broadcast). Anyways, common denomonator is looks. Nope, not saying they're
all 'babes', but all more than presentable. So what, you ask. And rightly
so. It's TV and all that. Well, take a look at the men. Convince me that
looks was a common denominator in hiring people ranging from Tommy Heinsohn
(who may have been reasonably good looking in his younger days, but not for
a long time) to Marv Albert. Common denominators with the men? Celebrity
(ex-jocks) and/or knowledge of the game. Now, which criteria is more apt to
produce competence or at least  give an impression of competence?

> I find that Hannah Storm does a good job -
>though I feel that Bob Costas was better. Don't understand why he's
>stopped the co-ordination bit. I preferred Storm as an on-the-field
>reporter, but that's a personal opinion, it's got nothing to do with her
>belonging to the distaff side. 

That's fine, but she's an exception, who actually has a connectino with the
sport to go with looking presentable. Cheryl Miller the same. But they are
very much exceptions, not just in basketball, but in any broadcast using
women. You'd be amazed the number of people who don't know Miller was one of
the greatest women's players ever, and knows more about the game itself than
they ever will. And look, I'll go a step further and say that things have
improved from the days of Phyllis George, hired for the broadcast because
she was Miss America. Just not far enough for the time lapsed since then.

Sorry about the tirade. As someone who has to listen to too many genuinely
patronizing remarks <g> from guys who buy into sterotypes about women and
sports (among my leaast favorites: gee, I've never seen a girl watch a game
so intently -you must think one of the guys is really cute, right?) I get a
bit hyper over anything that seems to perpetuate them.

-Kim
Kim Malo
kmalo19@idt.net