Blog: Sexists Fired, While Sex Continues to Sell

It's not an easy time to be a woman in the sports world. Male sportscasters are heaping on the sexual misconduct behind the scenes and scorn on the screen, male-dominated corporations are pulling their support of women's sporting events, and even sportswomen are having trouble coming up with the names of women's sports' biggest stars.

The year began with ESPN - no stranger to sexist misbehavior - firing announcer Ron Franklin after he told Fiesta Bowl sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards, "Why don't you leave this to the boys, sweet baby?" and responded to her objections with an expletive. In the latest example of male boorishness, the UK's Sky Sports suspended Andy Gray and Richard Keys, two of Britain's leading soccer commentators, on Monday for making sexist remarks about two female game officials and a team executive when they thought their microphones were turned off. On Tuesday, Gray was fired from his $2.7-million-a-year job when earlier incidents surfaced. (Even Americans mystified by Gray's thick Scottish brogue during World Cup telecasts and EA Sports' FIFA soccer videogames will be able to recognize his past sexist behavior from videos that are suddenly swirling around the Internet.)

Log in to view the full article
Page 1 of 58
Next Page
Buyer's Guide
Information on more than 3,000 companies, sorted by category. Listings are updated daily.
Learn More
Buyer's Guide
AB Show 2025 in San Diego
AB Show is a solution-focused event for athletics, fitness, recreation and military professionals.
Nov. 5-8, 2025
Learn More
AB Show 2025