I am sure you have heard of the Ines Sainz in the Jets Locker room saga. Sports news has traditionally been a male dominion. The recent influx of female sports presenters is caused by not so much as their Sports IQ, rather by their ability to attract male audiences. I am not contending that female reporters lack sports acumen or they should not present sports. Rather, I am saying that these reporters are being objectified, being used for their bodies more than their brains, Check out these blogs here and here, which clearly show how chauvinist and misogynist our attitudes towards female reporters are. Do you think this is appropriate? Is there something wrong with female reporters earning money due to their attractiveness? Should jokes and references about their appearance be tolerated/accepted? Here are some pictures of some newscasters.
Ines Sainz in a Bikini
Erin Andrews with a hairbrush
Jill Arrington Posing
I do not think that there is anything wrong with female sportscasters; it is great to see women having prominent positions in the sports industry. However, I agree with you that most of these women are objectified and hired mostly for their attractiveness. That said, that shouldn't mean that having attractive women on the screen is bad or degrading, it is when they are shown in photographs like the first and third shown above that the line is crossed. Women as sportscasters could be seen as taking one step forward, but when they are photographed and objectified like this, its like taking two steps back.