The fallout from the harassment allegations surrounding Mexican tv reporter Ines Sainz has certainly reached a fever pitch and opened up many topics of debate. In many cases, making one check the calender to see if we hadn't taken a huge step back in time with archaic perspectives and caveman mentalities.
For anyone just crawling out of those caves, Ines Sainz is the female Mexican sports reporter, who was covering practice for the New York Jets, seeking an interview with quarterback Mark Sanchez. As she waited on the sidelines, balls were tossed in her direction by one of the Jets coaches and the schoolboy mentality followed her into the locker room as well. While none of the catcalls she got were overtly rude, Sainz herself said "I wasn't offended", they were certainly inappropriate and unprofessional and another journalist complained on her behalf. The Jets owner apologized for his team's behavior after the incident but the debate didn't end there. Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins weighed in with his commentary on a radio show saying among other things " And I mean, you put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her." For the record, Sainz is a married mother of 3 with a Masters degree and has as much right as any other reporter to simply do her job in that locker room.
Sainz has been blasted for dressing too sexy for this job. But if her employer does not have issue with the appropriateness of her outfits, then who is to judge? It may be the difference in cultures between Mexican and American tv but since when does her dressing for attention or attractiveness give permission for her to be harassed? Are we really still stuck back in the boys club mentality that doesn't allow females to be treated with the same respect as their male counterparts. It is like blaming a sexual assault victim for enticing someone with their outfit. No matter what the circumstances, there is never an acceptable excuse for harassment. While the locker room is an uncomfortable interview venue regardless if you are the player or reporter, male or female, it is part of the game and should be conducted in a professional manner. For females in the sports business, attractiveness is sort of an unspoken requirement, yet is the first weapon used against them when needed. While reporters like Sainz and Erin Andrews will continue to be judged on the tightness of their sweaters or jeans, they should not have to continue to sit idly by and accept any discrimination or harassment that accompanies that.
Many corporations nowadays require their employees to attend sensitivity seminars to teach them how to deal with appropriate workplace behavior to avoid these very harassment issues brought up here. Perhaps the NFL and other professional sports leagues should take heed. Women have been doing locker room interviews since 1979 and while it may be deemed the players "home turf", for that hour that interviews are conducted, is it really too much to ask that these men conduct themselves in a mature and professional way. We really need to stop pointing all the fingers at the women for "teasing or seducing" the man, with her looks, dress or tone of voice and each take responsibility for our own actions. That includes the male voices in media as well. Iam looking at you Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olbermann. While you may never walk a mile in Ines Sainz's high heeled shoes or approve her latest blouse, you can at least treat her with common courtesy and respect as a fellow journalist. Sexism is a long unending battle with two steps forward and three steps back many days. If nothing else, stories like this bring attention to how far we have come and how many long yards we have yet to go.
