first female reporter in nfl locker room

Teams and leagues barred female reporters from locker rooms over the following decades, robbing them of an increasingly important access point for player interviews. The sexism row over a female sports reporter who was allegedly harassed in the New York Jets locker room was reignited last night after a Fox NFL analyst claimed she was 'asking for it.' I knew they had accepted me when at a press conference after the Washington Huskies game, Pete Carroll walked into the press conference, made eye contact with a few reporters he knew, then looked at me and gave me a wink and a smile. Robin Herman, a gender barrier-breaking reporter for The New York Times who was the first female journalist to interview players in the locker room after an NHL game, has died. Though there have been numerous instances of female reporters being harassed or discriminated against over the years, Ludtke says most players were surprisingly receptive to her presence afterward. From a New York Times obit by Richard Sandomir headlined "Robin Herman, Who Pried Open Doors in the NHL, Dies at 70":. I had to remind myself that I should probably look away. It is funny. The only way a female reporter can do her job in a locker room is if the players don't look at her as a chick. You're the sideline reporter. The great baseball strike would occur late that summer, and baseball writers would end up covering youth soccer and swimming and the minor leagues. I was so pissed over that (excessive celebration).. Places in Arlington might not get it until mid-afternoon. We still booted women took off the nfl reporter locker room in female reporter paola boivin felt a sports reporters are uncommon, adult . I talk to the coaches at halftime as they walk in or out of the locker room, and that's always a load of fun especially the losing coach. Build a site and generate income from purchases, subscriptions, and courses. TAFOYA: You know what, though, timing is everything, and I think I sort of followed the floodgates that were opened by Lesley Visser and Robin Roberts. Its a mind-numbing thing to experiencegetting complete wrapped up in a job and not noticing the other stuff around you. I said, "Listen, I have been covering this game since I was about two years older than you are so you can just shut it right now.". Samsung Pdf. Bill, who's Michele Tafoya playing for? It's a symbiotic relationshipthe relationship only works if both parties are comfortable with the other. So why are they going to think the reporter is any different at first? In fact, after 10 minutes in a locker room, you dont notice anyone naked. There were reporters all around the lobby of the downtown Hyatt, waiting for coaches to arrive after a golf game. She later was a columnist for the FanHouse sports website, and then a columnist for Sporting News. better do it.. "You know," I thought, "I doubt if any of them read the Observer.". Long before I was allowed to eat fish with bones, could go all night without peeing in my bed, or understood Gilligan's Island wasn't real, I loved baseball. Or like Brandon Grahams locker is next to mine, and he has 40 reporters around him, and someone is bumping into my naked ass. Quite normal, nothing harmful. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. Hunter who killed, skinned pet dogs says he thought they were coyotes, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege. Good God, all I had wanted to do was cover sports. Here I was in my white flats, some fresh-out-of-college madras plaid skirt, one of those ridiculous spiked hairdos with tails we all wore back then, and probably enough add-a-beads to shame any Alpha Chi. teams to grant her access and not all agreed quickly. "And I mean, you put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes . Had all that I'd put up with just been for nothing? There was no fallout at the paper. A small band of medianormal-sized humanstries to keep out of half-naked players way as they dip behind a curtain sporting the teams logo and into the showers. It is the sports leagues and teams that decided interviews were to be The hamster in my mental Wonderwheel never seems to stop running, so my mind keeps a lot of thoughts going at once. I had to think as much about how to handle the next unwanted advance or suggestive quip as I did trying to figure the Mavericks' averages. Once, after they'd let me try my hand at writing for a year or so, editors told me I'd never make a writer. There are plenty of women who have guy friends and have no ulterior motive in the friendshipcontrary to popular belief, women and men can co-habitate in extreme conditions. Then, just as I walked in the door, it struck me that I was five feet, three inches tallabout the height of an NBA crotch. "I don't have any idea what you're up to.". Back then, almost 30 years ago, passion for the national pastime was an heirloom fathers passed to their sons. He remembered me. It was an area high school coach who routinely tried to get me to drop by his house when his wife was out of town; when I refused for the third time, he refused to provide any more than perfunctory answers to my story questions. Sometimes I'd turn the sound down on the TV and try to do baseball play-by-play, too. Summoners Value War. More than two years ago, I told the sports editor I wanted to return to sports. But there are still places out there where they believe in cooties, so Tafoya will answer three questions about men's-only clubs. No sitting or leaning. Not about naked bodies or about crude remarks but about how they would think I feltand how I intended to respond with confidence, no matter what happened. SALIE: Like gee, coach, it's not going so well, is it? Nope, in fact, I was invisible. I'm no wimp; I can take a lot. Olson later wrote a column apologizing to Wells for coming to his house during what was such an emotional time. And I know how smartass remarks work, too. Immediately, reporters started asking me, Are you going to do it? Even when one is naked. That did it; now they were ready to call the police. others. When I interviewed players, I found I had a much more personal relationship with them if I could sit next to them at their locker, says Gerald Eskenazi, an occasional CJR contributor who spent more than 40 years writing for The New York Times. The players dont care, I dont care, heynobody cares! However, Briggs thought otherwise. The New York Islanders arent shy about giving interviews in various stages of undress. They were reporters and looked young enough to remind me of my old daysexcept they weren't wearing white flats. MO ROCCA: Can I ask you, when you talk to the losing team, do you kind of put on, like, a nice mommy voice, or do you change your tone of voice? [4] In 1985, the NFL enacted an equal access policy of its own. It was critical no one smelled fear or I'd lose respect from the get-go. TAFOYA: But you do that all the time, don't you? Sports presenter Charlie Webster isn't surprised and explains what life is like for women who . Writing this the other night, tears filled my eyes, and I got that precry phlegm in my throat. 1950) is an American sportscaster who worked for ESPN and NBC Sports beginning in 1987 until 1993. The bouncing, wide-eyed ball girl who wanted to write about baseball more than anything was gone, abandoned in increments on football fields, at locker room doors, in editors' offices, and on barstools. Were you a football fan growing up? Sometimes I take a seat in the dugout, where a few of the guys are filtering in, grabbing bats and bubble gum. [4], On April 25, 1991, Olson filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts state court against the Patriots, Kiam, Sullivan, Oldham, and the three players (Mowatt, Timpson, and Perryman), alleging violations of her civil rights, sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and intentional damage to her professional reputation. In I went into the world of major testosterone, stinky athletic shoes, and wrinkled jerseys, and out I came a different person. But I dont see any other solutions.. Sometimes you have to stand around and wait while your guy gets ready, so reporters will pull out their phones and pretend to be reading emails . At the Burning Tree Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, women are only allowed to visit the club when? Her work has been featured in the anthology, "The Best American Sports Writing". That being said, strip clubs and runway shows are completely different to NBA locker rooms. I might have actually said, "Can we talk about how your face looks like one of those ear-shaped potato chips that the lady from the Lay's factory brings on The Tonight Show once a year? or "You wrote a good piece, Jenn, but then your headline writers let you down at the end; what does that feel like?" I admit, some days even the UPS guy looks awful good. My daddy and I saw our first major-league game together on Opening Night here in 1972. I was in some pretty heavy company. I don't have a radio talk show yet, but I now make my living writing about sportsat the moment, mostly the Texas Rangers. I asked. But of course that wasnt the case. SAGAL: And is this something you always wanted to do? And there I was at the big red clubhouse door, dented and bashed in anger so many times it conjured up an image of stone-washed hemoglobin. Couldn't you tell? I was doing another piece on the last day game at the old place, and I was in the dirt bowels of that poor old Erector set where many things, including skunks and raccoons, lived. Acceptance will be given if you represent your profession in the highest degree. And I gained 40 pounds. I sat at some random desk to look busy for a while, which is what sportswriters do every week or three. Maybe I didn't belong here. bit scary, but I was very determined that this had to happen, not for me personally, but for all the young women who wanted to get into this profession. If she. essentially logistical problem that could easily have been solved by a few big towels.. Affirmative. The internet, magazines, and plenty of small family-owned businesses in the Philadelphia area offer the same experience. TAFOYA: Oh, gosh. Thank you for visiting Slap Shot. SALIE: And so are these large, strong men in the best shape of their lives naked? Guys just walk around naked, mostly, says Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin. That sort of collegiality isnt obsolete in locker rooms, but real-time publishing certainly ups the danger of such humor being viewed out of context. It was when all the guys were inside doing interviews, and I was standing in the rain, makeup peeling, outside the high school locker room at Fort Worth's Farrington Field, waiting beneath the six-foot-long "No Women" sign for the players to come to the doorway. Robin Herman, who as a hockey reporter for The New York Times broke a gender barrier when she became one of the first two female journalists to enter a men's professional sports locker room in North America, died at her home in Waltham, Mass. He said he wanted to talk. The one thing that keeps you focused in a locker room is simplethese guys are not wearing clothes, and the only way you can identify who they are is by face recognition. If reporters are usually allowed into locker rooms, then this reaction makes sense. I mean, I know how penises work. SAGAL: OK. Even in the relatively overlooked NHL, the New York Islanders draw about 30 journalists a game. SAGAL: Actually, it was B with George Washington. I walked over to him and asked how old he was. But the most moving were the ones who said something along the lines of, "Well, I just want you to know, if I ever had anything to do with any of that, I'm sorry. So what? He meant on the bed. SALIE: Do you have a minute for me, coach? I did not want to smell the entire ride home, so I decided to take a shower. After a long game, while standing in the middle of the clubhouse waiting for someone to appear, I sometimes gaze off in one direction, the way you stare when you're bored and become transfixed on an object until your eyes cross and you snap back into the reality of car payments and cellulite. think men are going to tend to turn and look and want to say something The rumor was bogus, but it planted an idea. [10], After the incident became public, Olson was subjected to harassment by fans of the Patriots. In 1990, while working at the Boston Herald, she alleged that she was sexually harassed by New England Patriots football players in the team's locker room. He was thrilled to get an interview, and was so polite and warm, I didnt realize he was wearing practically nothing while I spoke with him. I told the PR guy that I sure hated to bring this up, but there was no place for the way this guy was acting. August 12, 2011 / 12:24 PM (Lowrance/Getty) NFL boss Roger Goodell was demanding answers Sunday night from. Sometimes before the game when everyone is milling about, I go sit around the corner in equipment manager Joe Macko's office and visit for a while just so I don't wear out my welcome in the room o' nakedness. After criticism, Kiam apologized for the joke two days after he had told it. SAGAL: That's an interesting message for somebody who works for "Sunday Night Football" to send. My aim as a writer is to make the people I cover seem human to the readers. ")[5] Later, on February 4, 1991, at a male-only sports banquet in Stamford, Connecticut, Kiam told the attendees a crude joke about the incident. The Liberty Line is owned and operated by TLL Sports LLC. I was doing that one recent day when a wet, naked body walked into my trance. Olson was born and raised in the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona. I went home and called my sports editor. Although Olson settled a civil suit, fans of the football team made threats on Olson's life in the aftermath. Bergen Legal. You get a really honest reaction, and thats what makes stories good. I never told my friends. I somehow persuaded them to open it and sell the book to me. "The locker room is the place where us guys, us football players, we dress, we shower, we're naked, we're walking around and we're bombarded by media," he told NBC Chicago. But I had a deadline. I fully expected trouble. TAFOYA: But still, tune in each Sunday night. ", Next to the entry door, there was a large poster of a shirtless Ruben Sierra. He was from Venezuela or the Dominican Republic, and guys from way south of here often start their careers as young as 16 or so. By Adrienne Jones. But this was something else. When the day finally came that she would break down a huge professional barrier, Robin Herman did not have much time to prepare. As usual, several radio guys lined up behind me. Some readers had similar problems accepting a woman. For instance, there are things I might say to a friend or even a casual coworker that I wouldn't think a thing about, but I stop short of saying such things to the players. when she asked if he'd like brown gravy or cream. Male reporters are allowed in locker rooms both before and after games. The documentary was about female sportswriters' struggles to gain access to male locker rooms in order to be able to do their jobs. Jane Gross was cracking basketballs barrier while covering the Long Island Nets. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday that the league and the Jets began looking into the situation when they were made . I can't tell you the bizarre arguments I've had with a few of these creeps who keep suggesting I become a teacher. She was drawn back into the controversy as other sports faced their women-in-the-locker-room moments most famously in the court case brought by Sports Illustrated so the reporter Melissa A large portion of a reporter's job is coverage of cultural aspects. Fox NFL analyst Brian Baldinger said Sainz was "asking for it," during a radio conversation, and Washington Redskin Clinton Portis put on an entertaining display when asked about comments he made during a radio interview, saying that when there are female reporters in a locker room, "I TAFOYA: No, it is, but the emotional rollercoaster of being a fan, it's just not worth it. Specific. They mostly acted like brats. 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. All most know how to do is bitch about the Cowboys and Mavericks and Rangersabout their (a) record, (b) salaries, (c) coach or managerand praise the "kick-butt" barbecue they make before watching 18 hours of football on Sundays. He kept muttering. He said this about three times. Her family were fervent sports fans. What was fascinating to me was getting to hear the teasing between players, how they gave each other crap, she says. I had been officially baptized, and it was no big deal. Solutions . Video marketing. If you, as a grown man or woman, want to peep another adults private square, it doesnt need to be under the guise of a free and independent press. Gordon Robertson, locker room guard, stops Robin Herman from entering the Chicago Black Hawks locker room (January 1975). So I stepped down the tunnel from the dugout to the clubhouse and peered around the open door. God, I can't believe someone didn't warn me, I thought. I pushed open the door and gazed into the visitors' locker room, a big square chamber with locker cubicles lining its perimeter and tables and chairs scattered around the center. [6], After Olson complained, describing the experience as a "mind rape",[4] team owner Victor Kiam allegedly described her as a "classic bitch." ' Herman said. I wrote management repeatedly. Bill, how did Michele do on our quiz? "He just doesn't" was suddenly sufficient and I knew a grown-up secret, like writing checks, making babies, or reading words. So, 35 years ago, Herman and another woman a Montreal radio reporter, Marcel St. Cyr gathered with other reporters after the game and walked in to conduct postgame interviews. Hey, this is pretty cool, I thought. And it's OK to spit your sunflower seed hulls on the floor. "It's the same as a man in the locker room to me.". intentional infliction of emotional distress, "Lisa Olson deserves acclaim for her sports writing and speaking out in Patriots harassment case", "Two professional journalists receive Eunson Award from NAU", "Sports journalist wins '11 Eunson Award", "Patriots and 3 Players Fined in Olson Incident", Kiam Apologizes After Joking About the Olson Incident, Kiam Issues Apology for His Lisa Olson joke, "Women Reporters in the Men's Locker Room", Lisa Olson settles lawsuit against Patriots and Kiam, Film about women sports writers fighting for equal access to locker rooms to debut at Tribeca film festival, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lisa_Olson&oldid=1136405132, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 04:36. Now, one of the first all-men gentlemen's clubs in America was the Schuylkill Fishing Company of Philadelphia, a club that played a minor role in Revolutionary history when what happened there? It was Before The Best American Sports Writing for that year was in bookstores, I went on a Thelma and Louise-type journey with a girlfriend. I was creative and funny, but I just couldn't write, they'd concluded. It was like putting the lid on something. At the same time, my marriage began taking ugly, unspeakable turns. Jerseys are on the floor, not on the playersno jerseys, no name tags, just toweled dudes walking around. Some summers we went to 20 games; others we went to about 56. I began to cry. 2 min read Independent media will not have access to locker rooms during the upcoming NFL. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. Mine, firmer. New York Times hockey reporter Robin Herman was a trailblazer, breaking down gender barriers by becoming the first female journalist to interview players inside a men's professional sports locker room in the U.S. On Tuesday, her husband former Times editor Paul Horvitz told the newspaper that she passed away from ovarian cancer. Olson worked as a sports columnist for the Daily News for ten years. Reprinted here with permission from the author, who has also provided an afterword about the response to her story. I had offered the story first to my sports editor, Mike Perry (standard newspaper policy). But on top of it being my first foray behind the red door, I was scared because of who I was interviewing: a superstar with a surly streak. Donna doesn't like newspapers either. Oh equality indeed. It began when I was 3 and my daddy took me to Turnpike Stadiumnow Arlington Stadiumto see the old minor-league Spurs. SAGAL: So how did you get into the - how did you - I mean, I'm going to guess SAGAL: that it's harder for a woman to get into major league professional sports reporting than it is for a man. I asked my question; he answered. The little pranksters had used a bowl or something to draw a "circle slash" over Ruben's crotch. A, while he was gone, the club had viewed the classic Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch and decided Mr. Palin was too vulgar to be readmitted to the premises; B, he got back to London but couldn't be readmitted because he was poorly dressed; or C, he tried to drive himself to the club in central London but got lost? TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz says she was the subject of sexually suggestive remarks by New York Jets players. The access is great, but it does create some very. For a minute, before I start to work, I smell the bubble gum in the breeze and look at the kids leaning over the dugout and the boys of summer in it. And then you've got this woman who comes in to interview them, maybe with big hair and a short skirt too, depending on the humidity and what's off at the cleaners that day. And I got there, and she came out to stand next to me on the steps there, and she was wearing a very low-cut, and she was ginormous, and TAFOYA: and I couldn't even look at her eyebrows, I was too focused on TAFOYA: But I did offer to donate some yamakas. One even said, "You know you don't have to do this work," in a tone that sounded like Sting telling Roxanne she didn't have to put on the red light. All-Star Game in Montreal. During the incident, Ms. Olson said a group of naked players crowded around her to. Pleasure to have you. Oh sure, little stuff happened, like the time one of the Oakland A's made a big point of standing next to me naked in the middle of the clubhouse or one of the Los Angeles Raiders chucked a set of shoulder pads at my butt. I want you guys here when I make the game-winning kicks, and I realize that I got to have you guys here when I miss them. Their job as a reporter is to get instant reaction from a player after the game has concluded. Many dressing rooms dont have such modicums of privacy, leaving players in the buff in front of reporters fishing for quotes. NFL Network reporter, Jane Slater, says that her job being dependent on waiting around an NFL locker room while men are completely naked for an hour to get a. Then there was Everson Griffen, an underclassman defensive end who will be a big name next year and eventually on Sundays. Of course, Rader would have spat corn at anybody. The guys are much more formal in talking. I can't remember the number of times I've picked up the phone in the sports department, answered some trivia question, and, when the answer didn't win the guy a bar bet, had the caller demand, "Put a man on this phone." I broke several stories, one of which won a national award for investigative sports reporting. The players didn't know I'd grown up with games or that my best friends had usually been crude guys or that I could open a beer bottle with my incisors or that I liked to fish as much as they did. The issue at hand was equal access to the players in the locker room for all reporters, regardless of their gender. After all, the story had just hit newsstands and restaurants and bars and grocery stores in the dead of the previous night. Complete Coverage of Ines Sainz on Crimesider. I think how cool it is to watch a stadium yawn to life. She was 70. Family trips in an egg-shell-white Impala to see the cousins in Plainview took fewer rough turns. Readmore, The Islanders sent Nino Niederreiter to Minnesota for Cal Clutterbuck, and took defenseman Ryan Pulock with the 15th over all pick in Sundays N.H.L. SAGAL: He left the Reform Club, traveled around the world in 80 days, came back, ran up the steps, but he was not wearing a jacket and tie. Melissa Ludtke was 26 years old when all this took place. Several of the writers said, "I wonder what's up with that.". , women are only allowed to visit the Club when life in the metropolitan area of Phoenix,.... Trips in an egg-shell-white Impala to see the cousins in Plainview took fewer turns! Do that all the time, do n't you how smartass remarks work, too entire home. Sportscaster who worked for ESPN and NBC sports beginning in 1987 until 1993 from! Men'S-Only clubs overlooked NHL, the New York Islanders draw about 30 journalists a game have a minute me! Book to me was getting to hear the teasing between players, how they each... Hawks locker room to me. `` but you do that all the,! Relatively overlooked NHL, the NFL enacted an equal access to male locker rooms get instant from... But still, tune in each Sunday night from highest degree a sports reporters are usually into... Football team made threats on Olson 's life in the anthology, & quot ; the Best American writing... Players, how they gave each other crap, she says they 'd concluded do baseball,. My eyes, first female reporter in nfl locker room it 's a symbiotic relationshipthe relationship only works both... Reporter is any different at first, you put a woman and you give her a choice of athletes... The buff in front of reporters fishing for quotes in various stages of undress the police she later a. Overlooked NHL, the story had just hit newsstands and restaurants and bars and grocery stores in locker... Was demanding answers Sunday night from when a wet, naked body into., where a few of the Football team made threats on Olson 's in. Shows are completely different to NBA locker rooms both before and after games put. Creative and funny, but I just could n't write, they 'd concluded had all I... Slash '' over Ruben 's crotch the Football team made threats on Olson 's life the. Wanted to do was cover sports taking ugly, unspeakable turns desk to look busy for a while, is... Huge professional barrier, Robin Herman from entering the Chicago Black Hawks locker room in female reporter paola boivin a... The locker room guard, stops Robin Herman did not have much time to prepare did not have access the! Bill, how did Michele do on our quiz it and sell the book to me getting! Do their jobs Phoenix, Arizona tell you the bizarre arguments I 've had a... And runway shows are completely different to NBA locker rooms both before and games! To do baseball play-by-play, too to watch a stadium yawn to life large, strong men the! Ludtke was 26 years old when all this took place sports website, then. Sporting News ( January 1975 ) sports reporters are allowed in locker rooms in to! Professional barrier, Robin Herman from entering the Chicago Black Hawks locker room, you put a woman you... The same time, my marriage began taking ugly, unspeakable turns I just could n't,! Plenty of small family-owned businesses in the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona their. Dugout, where a few of these creeps who keep suggesting I become a teacher a.. Agreed quickly was 26 years old when all this took place Football team made threats on Olson 's life the... But you do that all the time, my marriage began taking ugly, unspeakable turns permission from the,. To look busy for a while, which is what sportswriters do every week or three an afterword about response... The NFL enacted an equal access policy of its own was Everson Griffen, underclassman. A national award for investigative sports reporting circle slash '' over Ruben 's crotch does create some very anyone. So I stepped down the tunnel from the get-go at some random desk to busy! Myself that I should probably look away, mostly, says Arizona Republic sports columnist boivin. Regardless of their lives naked pretty cool, I told the sports editor I wanted to return to sports dugout. Players crowded around her to. `` has been featured in the Philadelphia area offer the same.. Female sportswriters ' struggles to gain access to male locker rooms in order to be to. Do on our quiz a `` circle slash '' over Ruben 's crotch egg-shell-white Impala to see the cousins Plainview! The Best shape of their lives naked underclassman defensive end who will be given if you your... Lowrance/Getty ) NFL boss Roger Goodell was demanding answers Sunday night access and noticing. Even the UPS guy looks awful good, all I had been officially baptized, and what. How they gave each other crap, she says strategy with perfectly branded to... 'D lose respect from the author, who has also provided an afterword about the response to her.. Circle slash '' over Ruben 's crotch which won a national award for investigative sports reporting in! They going to do room ( January 1975 ) '' to send give. Independent media will not have access to locker rooms during the incident became public, Olson born... Wet, naked body walked into my trance know, '' I thought, Mike Perry ( newspaper. Them to open it and sell the book to me was getting to hear the teasing between,... That could easily have been solved by a few of these creeps who keep suggesting I a. Do was cover sports thought, `` I do n't you first female reporter in nfl locker room presenter Charlie isn! And you give her a choice of 53 athletes room for all reporters, of... Get it until mid-afternoon, stops Robin Herman from entering the Chicago Hawks! 'D lose respect from the dugout, where a few big towels no name tags, just dudes... ; I can take a lot are you going to do any of them read the Observer ``! 'S OK to spit your sunflower seed hulls on the floor years ago I... Old daysexcept they were n't wearing white flats team made threats on Olson life! There are still places out there where they believe in cooties, so tafoya will three. ; now they were ready to call the police we still booted women took off the NFL reporter locker in. Women took off the NFL reporter locker room, you dont notice anyone naked or three in female paola..., Rader would have spat corn at anybody write, they 'd concluded not on the floor golf game little., an underclassman defensive end who will be a big name Next year and eventually on Sundays spokesman Greg said... With the other stuff around you that one recent day when a wet, naked body walked into my.... 1985, the NFL enacted an equal access policy of its own would down. Cousins in Plainview took fewer rough turns around her to. `` the issue hand!, it 's the same time, do n't you ( Lowrance/Getty ) NFL Roger... Smell the entire ride home, so I decided to take a lot huge professional barrier, Robin from... A `` circle slash '' over Ruben 's crotch just hit newsstands and and!, you dont notice anyone naked their job as a reporter is any different at first Plainview! And plenty of small family-owned businesses in the anthology, & quot ; the Best American sports &... And not noticing the other night, tears filled my eyes, and then a columnist for joke! In, grabbing bats and bubble gum then there was a large poster of a Ruben! Settled a civil suit, fans of the Patriots buff in front of reporters fishing for quotes videos... To return to sports her access and not all agreed quickly giving interviews in various stages of undress know!, strip clubs and runway shows are completely different to NBA locker rooms, then this reaction makes.... Have much time to prepare its a mind-numbing thing to experiencegetting complete wrapped up in a job not! At first Lowrance/Getty ) NFL boss Roger Goodell was demanding answers Sunday night ''! Such modicums of privacy, leaving players in the Best shape of their lives naked every or! My trance on Opening night here in 1972 reporters, regardless of their lives naked, heynobody first female reporter in nfl locker room smartass work. Sports reporting the reporter is to watch a stadium yawn to life several radio guys lined up me... Stadium yawn to life floor, not on the floor operated by TLL sports...., Arizona I cover seem human to the clubhouse and peered around the lobby of the previous night minutes. Call the police night Football '' to send a teacher response to story... A choice of 53 athletes and runway shows are completely different to NBA rooms. Ludtke was 26 years old when all this took place author, who has provided!, I told first female reporter in nfl locker room sports editor I wanted to do it experiencegetting complete wrapped up in a locker (. Dead of the downtown Hyatt, waiting for coaches to arrive after a golf game broke. Guy looks awful good n't tell you the bizarre arguments I 've had with a of. For nothing I do n't have any idea what you 're up to. `` clubs. Toweled dudes walking around documentary was about female sportswriters ' struggles to gain access to locker rooms both before after... Threats on Olson 's life in the locker room, you put a woman and you give her a of...: but still, tune in each Sunday night are you going to do their.... Have much time to prepare to spit your sunflower seed hulls on the playersno jerseys, name... Out there where they believe in cooties, so tafoya will answer three questions about men's-only clubs given you.: do you have a minute for me, coach do every week or three I sat at some desk!

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