Constant Vigilance

If I was ever asked to compile a list of helpful advice for young female sportswriters, I might start with “Don’t read the comments.” The terrible ad hominems and violent remarks can be jarring. I might also add “Don’t read articles whose titles sound sexist, because if they are not satire they will depress you.”

Alas, I failed to follow my own advice recently. I plunged into a shallow pool of vacuous insights from a woman offering advice to women on sports – with the primary objective of getting a man. The Girls’ Guide to Faking an Interest in Sports: a guide for women that would like to look beyond the usual waves of hipster men for, well, another type of man.

According to the writer, Alyssa Dyksterhouse, the ability to “fake it until you make it” is essential. Women do not have the ability to comprehend the complexity of teams, plays and everything else involved in sporty things. Thus the fairer sex is required to exaggerate their knowledge. Because why would women be interested in sports for any other reason than to attract a man? Dyksterhouse offers pearls of wisdom such as “Knowing sports gives you cred as a cool chick with a large percentage of men.”

There are so many reasons why this piece is problematic. Like many tired articles that used tired sexist stereotypes to garner a few clicks, it both ignores the fact that women’s sports have had a tremendous year and reduces women’s interest in sport as a dating tool. The piece is likely directed to white, middle-class, straight women.

Just for a moment, let’s put aside that the piece is unfunny, strident in its dangerous heteronormatives, and not for people who don’t use sports as a crutch to get a a few drinks and appetizers from men at the bar. Dyksterhouse looks away from real athletes and genuine fans. Those people who fight against sexist tropes every single day. Those who often become advocates, activists and socio-political commentators by choice, sometimes unknowingly. Female athletes push themselves physically in sports while engaging in the dismantling of sexist policies and exclusionary rules, all while representing their respective club or country. And even when the world cheers for women in sports, there is so much work to be done.

Dyksterhouse forgets all of these women with her piece. She forgets the blood, sweat and tears that these women have put in. And while the article neglects athletes, it also ruffled feathers with another rightly unimpressed faction of individuals: the intrepid and dedicated women who are brilliant sportswriters. I caught wind of it when it appeared on my Twitter timeline with thoughtful criticisms from women I look up to. One friend caught it through Seattlish’s hilarious takedown. Which, in turn, prompted others to read it.

Baseball guru Stacey May Fowles told me over email that she wasn’t surprised to see this type of story come out. “It’s part and parcel of a broader atmosphere of disdain, a belief that women can’t possibly be interested in the game without some nefarious motives,” she wrote. “For me the reaction was more sadness and disappointment than anger–sad that we still have to continuously battle these misconceptions and stereotypes, and disappointed that a woman working in the media would endorse them.”

Women writers delve deep into issues like sexism, sexualized violence, racism, misogyny, homophobia and gender issues in sports. Women’s work in drawing awareness to issues in society, by using sports, is important. Sportswriting is not just about stats and the athletic achievements. It is often used as a vehicle to draw attention to political issues and topics like violence against women. This is not an easy feat.

Women sportswriters are courageous and often endure unbelievable amounts of online harassment. The field of sportswriting in the United States and Canada have a small sphere of women, and we routinely support each other. But when pieces like this undercut the work we do, it’s more upsetting.

Dyksterhouse might argue that her piece is “tongue-in-cheek” but I find it a blatant disregard to my career and my work. Sports journalist and fellow FanSided contributor Jessica Luther, tells me that it’s always disappointing as a woman when another woman, using sexism, makes your job a little bit harder. “Sports media is famously a bastion of white men, even compared to other kinds media. Any time you give people are reason to doubt that women like sports, or know anything about it, that makes it harder for female writers and journalists to assert themselves in sports media and speak with authority. And those criticizing her are ‘sexist’.”

I am a woman of color who writes about topics like misogyny and racism in sports. Meanwhile a white woman is inferring that my knowledge and experiences as a writer, fan and soccer player are disingenuous. That sucks.

No one is perfect. We are all learning as professionals and will make mistakes. I have been called out on using ableist language and have been corrected in my approach to amplifying and supporting black writers. Perhaps the gravest of Dyksterhouse’s missteps was to repeatedly ignore honest questions and defend her piece in a reductive manner. She asserted that because of ISIS and mass shootings, people should not critique her piece. It makes absolutely no sense. Writers need to be held accountable. You can’t deflect legitimate criticism by using human tragedies as a shield. If it was important enough for you to write about it, then you should be prepared to discuss the effects of it- terrorism and gun violence notwithstanding.

Writers need to stand behind their work and engage in really important conversations, not trolls. Dyksterhouse has no obligation to engage in online squabbles with people who are attacking her maliciously. And that happened on Twitter. And there is no class of women know more about trolls than female sportswriters. Julie DiCaro, sportswriter at The Cauldron and radio host, says pieces like the one from Dyksterhouse perpetuate the stereotype that women don’t really understand sports, and that makes it harder for all women in the industry to get ahead.

DiCaro has a five hour shift but spends at least another five hours a day ignoring horrible tweets and blocking people on Twitter. It can affect one’s job and definitely one’s personal safety feels compromised. Fowles agrees, “I’ve heard from so many women that rather than burning up their energy talking and writing about systemic sexism in sports culture, and worrying about protecting themselves, they’d rather just be writing about the game they love, and I totally identify with that sentiment.”

Dyksterhouse was peppered with serious queries from women about her intentions and whether she realized what her writing had done. A man sent her piece to me via my website and declared that I should just quit writing. “Even a woman doesn’t think women know shit about sports. So you need to shut up and go away.” This man had previously contacted me because he was infuriated regarding a piece I had written about misogyny in sports journalism. Thanks, Alyssa.

Dyksterhouse expressed that those who questioned her motives her were unfeminist. I tweeted her with sincere questions about her piece. She did not reply.

Women do not have to agree with each other. We are certainly not a monolith. But disrespecting each other is not acceptable. Particularly if we want to exude an air of fairness and professionalism. Fowles tells me that this constant cycle of discussion of sexism in writing gives the impression that little is changing. I tend to agree with her.

But DiCaro says there is always some silver lining around this cloud. “At least when things like this come out, and see tons of awesome women call it out, and then we all get together and talk about how awful it is, and it does sort of foster a sense of sisterhood. And today I really really needed the sisterhood. So there’s that. At least we can band together against a common enemy.”

If anything perhaps all the criticism stemming from comments online might deter outlets from publishing this type of material- irrespective of how desperate they are for attention. Luther thinks so. “I want editors to be weary of this kind of sexist/homophobic writing. Even if they don’t get why we don’t like it, maybe they’ll at least pause and reconsider because they don’t want to deal with the critical response. One can hope, I guess.”

Writers must be vigilant about using sexist tropes in their writing. Not because of some type of sorority but because if there is no integrity in one’s writing, it is useless. Here is to hoping that Dyksterhouse and other writers might hear me out on these thoughts and stop short of typing damaging words on their keyboards. In the meantime I am grateful for the women who speak up and who continue to write despite constant setbacks.