I was settling in to watch the footy on TV last week and the unfamiliarity of the voice draws my attention away from the game itself, momentarily.
My first thought is..."female commentator. not heard that before. how cool".
Why has this not happened before (or has it?) ? Female spectators are every bit as passionate about the game as men.
Fuller reportage here. As the writer points out: Tim Lane, Stephen Quartermain... never played AFL.
I'd also point out Lane's daughter is a football journalist and football talk show presenter. (though on the down side... she barracks for Carlton)
I don't pretend to understand that game (or even some of the terms you used in this post) but your new announcer is a total Betty, quietmagpie.
ReplyDeleteI had to look up what "Betty" means, JBW, so consider us even. Rest assured if anyone does an Erin Andrews on her, I will not be linking to it or running a series of posts about it.
ReplyDeleteI remember when female announcers and sports reporters showed up on the scene for pro football (you now, the sissy ball players with all that protection gear :-), I believe in the early 1980s. I looked up the pioneer of the phenomenon here http://www.lesleyvisser.com/
ReplyDeleteAmazing how long ago that was. I remember all the sexist fervor that took place in this country when she showed up too. Amazing how long it takes for such a thing to become accepted.
I think most reaction was positive. Several football experts on TV here are women, so it was bound to happen. It can't be said that they are token females either. They're not glamorous and they definitely don't "just nod".
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