View From the Phlipside - Ines Sainz

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, Radio, the Movies and more.  I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View From the Phlipside.

Of all the issues I’ve discussed on this program I don’t think any of them has given me the kind of whiplash that the Ines Sainz story has.  Sainz is the female sport reporter for the Mexican network TV Azteca who ran into some kind of a problem with the New York Jets a little over a week ago.  There is so little clear about this whole story that every time I thought I had grip on a point of view it was yanked out from underneath me.  Sainz doesn’t think she was sexually harassed.  Some of her professional colleagues think she was.  Sainz claims that she didn’t hear any of the alleged comments but was just generally made to feel uncomfortable in the locker room.  The Jets owner apologized and the NFL is investigating.

Right up front let’s be clear.  Ines Sainz has every right to EXPECT to be treated like a professional and a human being.  Not a piece of meat.  The other side of the coin is that sports remains largely a boys club that is not entirely in sync with the intrusion of girls in their domain.  The road for a female reporter is a harder one than for a guy.  Yet I have to say that the reaction of at least one female spokesperson, who basically said that Sainz ought to be able to do her job dressed in anything, including lingerie without some kind of reaction is just ridiculous.  At some point you need to take a look at the image you choose to present and take responsibility for it.

Sainz bills herself as the “hottest sports reporter in Mexico” and has a variety of cheesecake photos on both the network and her personal web site.  If you want to be taken seriously as a reporter this isn’t the approach to take.  At the same time there is no excuse for the players actions either.  They need to grow up and behave like adults.  They want to be treated like professionals and that requires extending that courtesy to the media.

In the end I think the reporter could stand to bring down the focus on her looks and play up her smarts.  And I think the players could stand to grow some smarts.  Beyond I’ll be happy to not have to think about it any more.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.

"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY.  You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010