All the sadness and outrage over the Erin Andrews video could conceivably make one think that such a thing will never happen again.
But even if the crime against Andrews is never repeated, the continued objectification of female sports journalists will no doubt continue. Andrews will likely never attract the same attention she used to once she returns to the air. But that may have less to do with any sensitivity from the media, and more to do with the fact that many of the people lusting after her have already seen what they wanted to see.
The question now is, who replaces Andrews? Who is the next female sports reporter to become famous for something other than her reporting, get attention by the mainstream media and the blogosphere, and then eventually become a topic of deep introspection after someone inevitably crosses the line?
Perhaps it will be reporter Molly Sullivan, who Sports Illustrated‘s Arash Markasi recently said will be “next year’s winner for Playboy’s Sexiest Sportscaster.” Or maybe it will be NBA TV’s Melanie Collins, whose status as a “former bikini model” probably qualifies her to be a reporter more than that irrelevant communications degree from Penn State.
There’s Charissa Thompson, who was once supposed to be “the next Erin Andrews”, but “has fallen off the radar.” Back in January, Thompson was just one of “a bevy of gorgeous dames” selected as a finalist for the aforementioned Playboy’s Sexiest Sportscaster award. As the Chicago Sun-Times noted, Thompson and the other finalists “truly exemplify what Joe Six Pack wants to see.”
Versus reporter Lindsay Soto‘s accidental, momentary exposure of cleavage during an NHL playoff game became a story in the blogosphere. Rivals.com’s Ashley Russell has attracted attention for anchoring the site’s “Top Heavy College Football Coverage.” And if you think that wording was an accident, read the URL of that article: “ashley-russell-huge-boobs-have-us-visiting-rivals-dot-com.”
There are countless other female reporters who could replace Andrews as America’s next “sideline princess.” A Google search of “the next Erin Andrews” brings back over 60,000 results. (By contrast, “the next Andrea Kremer” brought back 0 results, “the next Suzy Kolber” brought back 7, and “the next Pam Oliver” brought back 114.)
That search returned names such as Ohio University’s Allie LaForce, Liberty University’s Samantha Steele, Arizona’s Taryne Mowatt, a USC song girl named “Keli,” former West Virginia hoops player Meg Bulger, and even Colt McCoy‘s girlfriend.
While these women may be talented reporters, reading the articles about them leaves little doubt that their skill is not what attracted attention.
For these reporters, Andrews’ reality — reportedly being “shaken and kind of paranoid,” having “problems sleeping,” and “[fearing] being alone” — could very well be theirs one day. And even if it never goes that far, they will have to deal with the fact that most judge them only for looks, instead of talent.
While she may be the first to have her privacy so blatantly violated, Erin Andrews is by no means the first female sports journalist to be turned into a sex object. This trend only figures to continue, until the next time one of these reporters is the victim of a crime. And then, the media will reflect once more, before going back to business as usual.
