Coverage of female athletes smacks of double standards
Letter
Re. Saturday May 24, 2008 sports section
It was with great excitement that I noticed the soccer article (E4) "Hermus heads in winner for Whitecaps."
Thank you, Ian Walker. It is a rare opportunity to read about women's soccer in newspapers, never mind our own local talent.
Since both my 12-year-old daughter and I were at that Whitecaps game, I drew my daughter's attention to article. Finally, I thought, we are making some headway on publicizing women's sports and presenting role models for our girls.
However, as they say, "two steps forward, one step back".
One only had to turn the page (The Danica planica by Dan Barnes, E6) to view Danica Patrick unzipped and posing provocatively in her underwear (taken from a Sports Illustrated spread).
I didn't notice any of the male gymnasts (E3), baseball players (E6) or basketball players (E5) posing in their jock straps.
So, exactly where is the leadership and socially responsible reporting, here (Dan)?
Surely, readers wishing to view skimpily clad women can reach for Sports Illustrated (or their magazine of choice) rather than imposing this on the rest of us -- who are simply interested in sports, not double standards.
Claudia Dow Vancouver
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
