Sexism In Sports Talk Radio

What’s wrong with Sports Talk Radio? The radio reaches over 70% of the world's population (“Statistics on Radio”). A portion of those who listen to the radio listen to sports talk radio such as ESPN and Fox Sports One. Those stations and shows are a great way for fans to stay up-to-date with their favorite teams as well as headlining stories and even to express their opinions on the air. The biggest player in the sports talk radio game is ESPN, whose product is bogged down by its strict company policies that prevent the on air hosts from being critical of most sensitive topics. The radio genre suffers further with a lack of influence of female hosts. Women treatment in sports talk radio is also bringing down the potential of the business …show more content…
That skin-creeping talk isn’t just accepted as how the world is,” said Stephanie Stradley an avid sports fan and blogger from Texas who gives a perspective into the second side of sexism in sports radio and that is from a female fan. Stradley discusses her own personal twitter exchange with a Texas sports radio host who regularly uses “forced” sexist remarks to create his persona. Her last statement echoes through that stopping the issue in sports talk radio on the sexism is quite simple, “It is weird to be a female consumer of sports media sometimes. Look, I’m not a prude. I’m a grown up person, who can change the station, read what I want. I read a ton of sports blogs, have written a sports blog a long time, there’s nothing that surprises me about dude think, what some dudes say because casual sexism is pretty common in the sports field. So, yeah, I have choices what to read, watch, listen to, but I’d like to influence those choices to be better, to do better, because if you like sports, you have to get your information from people who may have better access than you do.”(Stradley) Creating a divide between listeners using gender can cause an issue that is never necessary. Hosts being able to make female listeners uncomfortable by using sexist remarks does not belong in sport talk radio …show more content…
Levin who is in the media business expresses how it seems a non-issue piled onto real issues can cause on company to part with an accomplished and popular employee.
Sports talk radio has a long road in front of it to work through its many issues such as, hosts of shows using sexist remarks against fans, athletes, coaches, and even coworkers. Getting through those issues women are still not featured as heavily on the national level of sports radio. These are surprising issues for ESPN to deal with as they are striving to be non-critical and family friendly, giving a watered down product and even throwing employees in the proverbial wood chipper for harmless remarks. These reasons are what makes sports talk radio not reach its full potential and be the best it can