Sporting Sexism

Right, well this is all pretty exciting that I can't stop typing...!!!

Have to say there have been lots of things going on in the Media this week to reassure me that what I'm doing here is both timely and worthwhile...

For those outside of the UK, we have been in the grip of quite a sexism scandal which lead to a very warranted fallout for Sky (can't say I'm crying a river!) Two of their presenters rightfully resigned following some totally unfounded remarks about a female referee. Their overtly sexually discriminatory comments quickly lead to further sports sexism stories emerging ...revealing just how deep and widespread the problem still is, not just in football, but in the world of sport in general.

It's sadly no surprise to me that sexism is still rife in sport ... in particular the bravado and machoism that football sometimes sparks among groups of men can easily degenerate further into not even thinly veiled derogatory stereo-typing. I've heard lines like "women don't understand the game" passed off as 'jokey banter' which got me pretty irritated - I can tell you!

I used to play football and I still get shot incredulous looks when I mention that I did. Come on ... why is sport still seen as a male domain when so many women engage in it now - the outdated and shameful comments made by these presenters have on the up side brought to light the now urgent need for a serious readjustment in attitudes towards sporting women. Moreover, I believe the sporting industry has a big responsibility now to be seen to do more to perpetuate positive attitudes towards women.