# Women In The Locker Room **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 16, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962 "2010-09-16T13:29:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/1 "2010-09-16T13:29:31Z")
After reading the stories in the paper lately about the controversy caused by the treatment female sports reporter Ines Sainz allegedly received in the New York Jets locker room, I got to wondering: Are male sports reporters allowed in the locker room of professional women athletes? ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/2 "2010-09-16T13:48:34Z")
Yes they are, it just rarely happens because women’s sports don’t command the same following. [http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/09/a\_few\_words\_on\_women\_in\_nfl\_lo.html](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/09/a_few_words_on_women_in_nfl_lo.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/3 "2010-09-16T14:22:06Z")
[moderating] Since this is sports-related, I’ve moved it from GQ to the Game Room, where we can also discuss whether it’s appropriate to have reporters in locker rooms in the first place. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/4 "2010-09-16T14:27:49Z")
> [@Cowboy8467](#): > > Yes they are, it just rarely happens because women’s sports don’t command the same following. > > [http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/09/a\_few\_words\_on\_women\_in\_nfl\_lo.html](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/09/a_few_words_on_women_in_nfl_lo.html) [A second source on that:](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ann_killion/09/14/reporters/index.html) > [@Ann Killion](#): > > • Men are, indeed, allowed in women’s locker rooms. Driving into work on Monday I heard a nationally syndicated radio commentator lamenting the fact that he couldn’t go in women’s locker rooms. Apparently he’s never attempted to cover women’s sports – sadly, not too surprising. But as this particular radio talker works for a network that covers both the WNBA and the women’s NCAA basketball tournament – and also employs several high profile women sports reporters – you’d think he might have checked his facts. > > The WNBA – the playoffs are going on right now – has the same rules as the NBA. Open locker rooms at designated times. In the NCAA tournament, the same rules govern both men and women’s locker rooms – they’re both open at specific times. During the regular season, NCAA institutions can make their own rules about locker room availability, but during the tournament the NCAA has a uniform policy. When Stanford played UConn in last April’s championship, if you wanted to see how devastated Jayne Appel was after her terrible shooting night, you needed to be in the locker room. I was there. So were my male colleagues. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/5 "2010-09-16T14:31:20Z")
My first take on it is no, there should not be female reporters in male locker rooms, and vice versa. For the same reasons, maybe even more so, that men should not be in women’s restrooms. You get these 250 pound guys all pumped up on training and adrenaline, and then you send a woman into the locker room, nature takes its course. Yes the men should not harass the woman, but it’s in the male nature to do so. It’s like flicking a lighter in a room with a gas leak, you’re just asking for trouble. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/6 "2010-09-16T14:39:00Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > My first take on it is no, there should not be female reporters in male locker rooms, and vice versa. For the same reasons, maybe even more so, that men should not be in women’s restrooms. > > You get these 250 pound guys all pumped up on training and adrenaline, and then you send a woman into the locker room, nature takes its course. Yes the men should not harass the woman, but it’s in the male nature to do so. It’s like flicking a lighter in a room with a gas leak, you’re just asking for trouble. You’re joking, right? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/7 "2010-09-16T14:44:17Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > My first take on it is no, there should not be female reporters in male locker rooms, and vice versa. For the same reasons, maybe even more so, that men should not be in women’s restrooms. > > You get these 250 pound guys all pumped up on training and adrenaline, and then you send a woman into the locker room, nature takes its course. Yes the men should not harass the woman, but it’s in the male nature to do so. It’s like flicking a lighter in a room with a gas leak, you’re just asking for trouble. So all those women who get raped are asking for it by walking alone at night dressed like that? And don’t pretend it’s not the same argument, assuming I’m not being whooshed. ETA: The really ironic thing about this kind of argument is that it IS sexist…but not in the direction that it seems to be at first blush. It’s sexist against MEN, because it promotes the old adage that men are slaves to their hormones and can’t possibly be trusted to NOT attempt to harrass or rape a woman given the opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/8 "2010-09-16T14:44:21Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > You get these 250 pound guys all pumped up on training and adrenaline, and then you send a woman into the locker room, nature takes its course. You’re blaming the _room_? There are two problems with this theory: one is that it’s ridiculous, and the other is that they were also harrassing her on the field during practice. Even taking into account Sainz’s clothes and her flirty manner with the players, they were just being unprofessional. We don’t need to blame their hormones. ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/9 "2010-09-16T14:46:21Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > My first take on it is no, there should not be female reporters in male locker rooms, and vice versa. For the same reasons, maybe even more so, that men should not be in women’s restrooms. > > You get these 250 pound guys all pumped up on training and adrenaline, and then you send a woman into the locker room, nature takes its course. Yes the men should not harass the woman, but it’s in the male nature to do so. It’s like flicking a lighter in a room with a gas leak, you’re just asking for trouble. boy, i don’t agree with this at all. and not to be mean i figure if a woman is old enough to be a reporter she’s probably seen a couple of swinging dicks in her lifetime. and i would imagine that most professional athletes have had someone else see their private parts. what’s one more? and as a child of the late 70’s there were plenty of times that females saw my package and i saw theirs. and it was kind of no big deal. most of the time it was accidental but occasionally on a skinny dip at the lake at night it was in fact kind of expected. we used to kid around with the comment along the lines of if you haven’t seen anything like it in your lifetime then shoot it. central texas and guns and beer and all that, dontchaknow. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/10 "2010-09-16T14:50:47Z")
So we should all just walk around naked then? People can’t be nude in private? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/11 "2010-09-16T14:55:38Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > So we should all just walk around naked then? People can’t be nude in private? This has nothing to do with privacy. The locker room is open to the media and a crowd of dozens of players is not “in private.” And it sounds like they were making sexual comments, not asking her to leave. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/12 "2010-09-16T15:01:32Z")
If the locker room is open to the media, then I guess it’s the management’s problem to allow that or not. Personally I’d object to reporters in the locker room, but I guess they need to keep feed the media and keep them happy. I’m not a sports person, it just seemed really weird to me that women would be in the locker room to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/13 "2010-09-16T15:04:55Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > If the locker room is open to the media, then I guess it’s the management’s problem to allow that or not. It’s a league policy, actually. I can see where people might find this a violation of privacy, but it’s something the reporters need and the league does want media coverage. > [@](#): > > I’m not a sports person, it just seemed really weird to me that women would be in the locker room to begin with. There are plenty of female sports reporters, and kicking them out of the locker room while allowing men to hang around would be discriminatory. There’s really not that much more to it than that. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/14 "2010-09-16T15:06:17Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > My first take on it is no, there should not be female reporters in male locker rooms, and vice versa. For the same reasons, maybe even more so, that men should not be in women’s restrooms. > > You get these 250 pound guys all pumped up on training and adrenaline, and then you send a woman into the locker room, nature takes its course. Yes the men should not harass the woman, but it’s in the male nature to do so. It’s like flicking a lighter in a room with a gas leak, you’re just asking for trouble. That ship sailed in the '70s, I think…certainly by the '80s. I’m not a big fan of media types when my clothes are on, much less when I’m naked, but you can’t discriminate against female reporters by barring them from the locker room. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/15 "2010-09-16T15:24:54Z")
Didn’t the Patriots have a similar scandal in the late 80’s or so? I thought this was settled. Also, am I correct in thinking that the players do have some time in the locker room before the press is allowed in? Maybe it varies by league, but I didn’t think reporters followed the athletes into the locker room right off the field, but that the players were given at least a little bit of time to shower and change before the press arrived, if they were inclined to be so modest. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/16 "2010-09-16T15:29:27Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Didn’t the Patriots have a similar scandal in the late 80’s or so? I thought this was settled. [Yes.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Olson#Sexual_Harassment_Incident) > [@](#): > > Also, am I correct in thinking that the players do have some time in the locker room before the press is allowed in? Yes. Killion says the press is allowed in “at designated times.” But when the press is allowed in, they have to allow everybody with the relevant credentials and can’t make restrictions based on gender. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/17 "2010-09-16T15:36:43Z")
This is not new, but a woman reporter has to have the same access as men reporters in order to do her job. Locker room quotes are the mainstay of journalists. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/18 "2010-09-16T17:26:38Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > So all those women who get raped are asking for it by walking alone at night dressed like that? > > And don’t pretend it’s not the same argument, assuming I’m not being whooshed. From a logical structure standpoint it’s the same argument, but the validity of the argument is a matter of degree. Getting raped for walking at night “dressed like that” is overkill. But if you dress in an overly sexual manner, you can’t complain if people react in a sexual manner. So I think this reporter’s dress and persona are legitimate issues. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/19 "2010-09-16T18:21:15Z")
The phrase “attention whore” comes to mind: [http://www.photopost.com/photopost/ines8.html](http://www.photopost.com/photopost/ines8.html) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962/20 "2010-09-16T18:29:07Z")
Frankly, she could be standing naked in that locker room and I would expect every man in the place to respect her as if she were their mother. She’s not there to date anyone, and neither are they. She’s doing her job, and they are still doing theirs (locker room interviews are part of a professional athlete’s job). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-in-the-locker-room/553962.md?page=2)