Andrea Kremer Is Not Happy About The Sideline Reporter "Firings" At ESPN
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Some people might find this story annoying but I actually find it kind of refreshing that people from other networks would stick up for one another. It's a tough road for women in Sports and one sideline reporter is sticking up for her counterparts. NBC's Andrea Kremer is none to happy about the way ESPN handled the news of Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya's reduced role and she has something to tell the network....
Says Kremer, who worked at ESPN for 17 years before joining NBC: "They were doing the role that ESPN asked them to do — more feature-ish stuff — and they were fired for it? If you don't like them in that role, change their role. Don't humiliate them like that. The way (ESPN) handled it was terrible, just disrespectful. … They treated two professionals in a completely non-professional way."No matter how you feel about Joe Theismann, Suzy Kolber, and Michele Tafoya they way they learned about their firings/"reduced roles" was pretty crappy. There's really no other way to describe it but unprofessional and I think Kremer is pretty dead on with her assessment of ESPN.
But Kremer suggests she's "offended" by ESPN's move because "it sets back women." Referring to herself, Kolber, Tafoya and Fox sideline reporter Pam Oliver, she says "no one accused the four of us for being on television for our looks or figures. … This isn't five years ago, with eye candy on the sidelines. We established ourselves as reporters, professionals. Now, you've completely minimized that. These women don't have to prove themselves anymore."
It's unfortunate when anyone gets fired but it has to be even more unfortunate when you find out through the media.
Bias seen in silencing 'MNF' sideline reporters (USA Today)
9 Comments:
"non-professional"
Me fail English thats unpossible.
there is a bigger issue here and it's women in sports, period. as progressive as i like to think things have become I don't know that women aren't looked at as 'eye candy' anymore. Um, erin andrews?
i have no problem with women reporting on sports, some do, but there are times i actually prefer the way the women in this story actually let the interviewee talk instead of shouting nonsense and trying to make names for themselves by coining retarded catch phrases.
Is Kremer worried they'll be coming for her job?? In all seriousness, do we, a) know for sure that they're gone, and b) do we know they aren't being replaced with other women, like Erin Andrews, Bonnie Bernstein, or Holly Rowe? Now if they replace the women with someone of the talent of Michael Smith, then it's time to call for some heads. He's horrible.
I don't blame Kremer one bit for her reaction. ESPN has had a habit of treating some of its female employees as second class citizens, and if you don't believe that, you've got your head in the sand. How often do you see a Candy Crowley or Jeannie Moos "type" doing sideline reporting? Unfortunately, it is all about the eye candy. If they can actually do the job, well, that's just a bonus.
If I read the Ombudswoman article right, it sounded as if they were actually going to focus on the game (what a concept). Use the reporters to update injuries, playing conditions, reduce the non-game stories.
Is there a good way to fire people?
Seems odd to me that no complaining from Andrea that there was no complaining from her when CBS dropped Armen Ketayien and Bonnie Bernstein from the sidelines. Sounds like she has an agenda here against ESPN.
yeah.... pam oliver doesn't have to prove herself? asking mike singletary if he called his "mentor" bill walsh for advice wasn't several levels of FAIL? not knowing singletary played for the bears his whole career and not knowing that walsh was DEAD and therefore couldn't take any phone calls...
women don't belong in sportscasting unless they can demonstrate an equal amount of sports knowledge as their male counterparts. unless they're willing to report naked. then i'd be ok w/ that.
Were they actually fired???
Nice investigating work Kremer. Sets back women???
Sniff, maybe she can cry a little more. How many times has she cried for the treatment given Rush Limbaugh?
Spare me the caterwauling. Seems that Kremer was actually HELPED by the eye candy being pushed out there, it led to more women and less John Dockerys and ED Dickersons...
This reminds me of the Larry Summers (ex. Pres. of Harvard) debacle where a female professor said she felt like crying when he remarked that females are not cut out for hard science because they are too emotional.
Booo hooo...