Being a broadcaster with boobs: I am terrified.

I was scrolling down my Twitter feed, no aim in mind at all, and stumbled across an article headlined "The Dangers of Being a Female Sportscaster". This puzzled me because, yes, being a female sportscaster might have challenges or difficulties at times, but it has 'dangers', too? The word choice provoked me and I opened the article's hyperlink.

It is almost astounding that even in good old ‘Merica, harassment of popular figures is still a thing. Female sportscasters, with no objective other than doing their jobs, are continuously being frightened by obsessed fans who are desperate to see any inch of skin that is not covered by their blouse. They went as far as tampering with the peep-hole of the poor woman’s hotel room so that she could get filmed getting changed for their own twisted enjoyment. Andrea Kremer is just one of the victims of these perverted minds who, as far back as in 1988, received a call to her hotel room from a stranger "saying all these things he wanted to do to [her]", she had to have a hotel security guard stationed outside her door for her own safety.

I have faced harassment when visible to only a few pairs of eyes whilst walking down the road, but imagine what it must be like when your face is on television for the whole world to see?

Since I was 15, I have dreamed of turning heads and changing minds by reporting back to studio from a rugby field. This is still a one of my many dreams, but what lies ahead for me as a female in the world of sports? Will I need extra security when I am off-duty from my dream, just so I can enjoy some privacy, too? I am disinterested entirely in running to my bed at the end of the day to hibernate from the dangers of male minds when I am not doing what I do best - reporting on sports - when the sun is still shining.

I spoke to Anne*, one of the most admirable ambassadors for gender equality in sports that I have the privilege to know. She has warmed the hearts of many, as well as won awards, for her organisation Girls and Football SA, and lent me some of her thoughts on this heinous issue as someone who is a strong advocate for the empowerment of women through sports. The problem remains deeply embedded in all societies and cultures, whether in sportscasting or not.

Women do not have the freedom to express themselves as freely as men do when it comes to the sporting world - an age-old issue still being challenged even though it’s freaking 2016. Backwards ideas about the role of women and little education on the matter riddle and hinder the process of empowering women.

"In addition to all the powerful women and men already shaping change in the field of sport for women, I do believe we need to start the discourse around inclusivity in sport at a younger age," Anne explained, and she is right - young minds are the most malleable when it comes to views on the world, so make sure little people know from the day they can talk that womens’ voices in sport are not less valuable just because they have boobs! Anne rightly added that "The gender conversation should happen with kids in primary school - both girls and boys - to help them develop an understanding of how to treat each other on the field."

If these structures were to be put in place, the rest should follow naturally. However, this is not the case at the moment, so it is important that people already in the field (I’m talking to you, people with penises) secure an element of safety for women like Andrea Kremer and dreamers like me who love their job but are fearful at the same time because of perverts and peep-holes. This takes time, thought, and team-work (team-work in sport? what?!), and Anne agrees that "we also need to work across the board with women [and] men in creating safer spaces - both on and off the field."

In our beloved South Africa, I feel this process of securing safer spaces for women might take a bit more time than other countries. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time creating an environment for young girls and women in less-advantaged areas to play sport, Anne explained that "There are numerous factors that contribute to inequality on the playing field; many of these rooted in cultural and traditional beliefs." This takes me back to when I spoke to Fran Hilton-Smith, former Head of Women's Football in South Africa, who told to me that some of the men's professional league teams "say it's bad luck to have women playing before them or using the change rooms" (See article here). Like, what?! This is where we may be in a pickle when trying to establish an equal playing field in our country, because we have cultural and traditional beliefs as forces against us.

But what about me? What about my dreams to be a female broadcaster? I love sports and I want to tell the world about them, but I also have boobs and toned legs which automatically puts me at social risk as soon as my face goes public. Why can't I have safety, cleavage, and a love of sports? This goes back to Anne's point of educating from a grassroots level, but is there anywhere where this has been a priority? Currently, it is all looking rather bleak. On the SuperSport presenter profiles page, there are 62 profiles. Of those 62, 11 are female. Of those 11, nine are women of colour.

Although I am over the moon that women of colour, possibly the most marginalised group in this country, are rising stars in the world of sport broadcasting, there appears to be little room for anyone else. It is not totally representative of our country, with the rest of the male profiles being dominated by white men. Seems like an imbalance, to me.

Overall, we have a lot of work to do, still. I am shocked that a country as progressive as the USA has room for the harassment of female sportscasters, but this again highlights that achieving equality in fields such as sport is a very slow process no matter where in the world we are. However, baby steps are being taken in our country when it was announced by the SABC that they will now broadcast every single Banyana Banyana soccer match after renewing contracts with the South African Football Association. Hurrah! This will hopefully empower our female soccer players as they get more and more exposure, even though they will never get paid as much as the men even though their success rate is higher - damn you, penises!

Unfortunately, there is still a whole lot more that needs to be done so that I feel safe in my body as a passionate sports fan with a strong will to revolutionise how sportscasting is viewed when a female has the microphone in her hands. I don’t know how long I am willing to wait: my dream is already beginning to change because of how sad the future looks for someone like me. But, this doesn’t mean I am going anywhere soon, I’ll be here - not on the sidelines, but right up there in center field with the other Anne’s and heroic female sportsheroes that are fighting this much-needed fight.

*Name changed.

#broadcasting #feminism #genderequality #patriarchy #JosDirkx #femalesportscaster