Posted on: Tuesday, November 9, 2004

ABOUT WOMEN
Sports reporter sees bias

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

This month marks my one-year anniversary as a sports reporter for The Advertiser.

I've been fortunate enough to cover the Pro Bowl, an AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tournament and the Honolulu Marathon, as well as high-school sports and the Homegrown Report, which tracks former high-school athletes continuing their careers in college.

Most of it has been a blast, but every so often ... chauvinism rears its hateful head.

Let me preface this by saying most of the people I encounter are extremely helpful, and acceptance of women in sports has improved. But every so often, it gets ugly.

Recently, on a Sunday following a University of Hawai'i football game, I received this voice message on my work phone:

"Oh, Leila, honey, I read your article online, and ... oh, honey, why don't you leave the football to the men? Stick to covering women's volleyball or tennis; leave the hard stuff for the men."

What?

I was so shocked, I listened to it again. And again.

I didn't know how to react. The caller's gentle Southern accent masked his hurtful words. It was as if he was doing me a favor by letting me know I was off base in trying to cover a "male sport."

Funny thing is, the article was a fan-reaction story about the athletic department's new music. It had nothing to do with the game, nor was it supposed to.

I spent a few days thinking about his message before finally deciding there was nothing I could do about it but move on.

Yes, it was ignorant and spiteful. But it isn't the first time it has happened, and it won't be the last for females in sports.

I'm used to it, to the point that when I tell someone what I do, I gauge their reaction. Typically, it's kind of a widening (then a narrowing) of the eyes, a tilt of the head, a scrunching of the lips, and an inevitable quiz:

Sample: "Who's the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings?''

Daunte Culpepper. Duh.

Shock follows when I know the answer. A sort of haughty "I figured" look if I don't.

Either way, the person asking has basically made up his mind about what kind of sportswriter I am long before I answer.

I worked part-time as a sports clerk for three years before being hired full time. As a clerk, a primary task is answering the phone.

Inevitably, whether I had the answer for the caller or not, the man on the other end of the phone would need confirmation of my response from another staffer. A man. ("I called sports, right?")

All this, I can handle. All I ask is when a man leaves a message saying I don't know what I'm talking about because I'm a female — that he also be man enough to leave a name and number.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.