Sky news and sexism

B

Bronte

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I've read what the guys said, I've seen the clips and I don't get it. I consider myself a feminist but this story I don't get. It's been on non stop all week, even this morning my other half was listening to Off The Ball on Newstalk and that's all they could talk about and every man on radio is falling over themselves explaining that the two guys on Sky were so wrong.
 
Did the pair not make remarks implying that the assistant referee, Sian whoever, could not be relied upon to make good decisions because she was a woman? Something like that. It has been suggested that there is more to it though and there was something of a 'stitch up' - one of the pair are currently sueing the News of the World - same media group that owns his employers, SKY.

Just my two cents - can't stand those two individuals anyway.
 
What about the "Soccerette" section on Soccer Saturday or the Yorkie ads that used to be on during the same programme (Yorkie sponsor the show I think)

Double standards - surely not!
 
In the Star yesterday they had a front page on the story claiming "sexist" Gray got the sack for making rude comments to a colleague - accompanied by a half page picture of said colleague in her bikini! Definitely something else going on with this story that's for sure!
 
DB74 said:
What about the "Soccerette" section on Soccer Saturday or the Yorkie ads that used to be on during the same programme (Yorkie sponsor the show I think)

Double standards - surely not!
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Yes totally - but the above is dressed up as humour/banter.

Which I think is the crux of the current controversy in a way - the two guys were using the same type of defense, that they weren't being serious and were playing at "blokeishness" etc but people seem to think that their tone did not indicate this, that there was an aggressive element to the remarks.

That's what I have picked up anyway - don't know much more about it.
 
I personally think there is more going on than meets the eye. There was a piece on Off the ball last night, and they were looking at the potential issue Sky have with ESPN possibly looking to start buying up the rights to show English premiership games. Therefore these sackings have given Sky the chance to revamp their commentary. What I find odd - well not really odd, but that one of the videos dates back from '91 I think.. So I think it is quite orchestrated.

P..
 
DB74 said:
What about the "Soccerette" section on Soccer Saturday or the Yorkie ads that used to be on during the same programme (Yorkie sponsor the show I think)

Double standards - surely not!
Click to expand...
Or the ongoing 'joke' on soccer am about Georgie Thompson's box!
 
I thought what was more controversial was the fact they questioned her ability to do her job because she was a woman.
The irony was that she made an important decision which led to a goal and she was right.
 
Shawady said:
I thought what was more controversial was the fact they questioned her ability to do her job because she was a woman.
The irony was that she made an important decision which led to a goal and she was right.
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Absolutely but Andy Gray wasn't sacked over this single incident - he was sacked because of others which were overtly sexist, yet one of their flagship shows is hugely sexist.

Richard Keys wasn't sacked at all
 
Are there any women out there reading this thread that actually were offended by what was said?
Surely people cant be that sensitive?

I have to say it's absolutely ridiculous.Give them a bit a bit oif a telling off to keep up appearances, fine.

But sacking/forced to resign is way OTT in my book.
 
I don't think there's any reasonable argument that the specifics of what was said were inappropriate. However, my view is that if anyone wished to take small snippets of any private conversation I'd ever had, they could easily paint me as all kinds of an objectional person.

By all accounts though this wasn't an isolated thing, however I'm just wary of rushing to such judgement when all I'm given is 30 seconds out of what might have been a much longer conversation. Who knows whether they qualified the "offside" comment with the fact that most male assistants (and football pundits) don't understand the rule either?

Have I never had a "typical male" conversation with friends and colleagues? Have I never joked that women don't understand sports and some its elements? Have I never said something to a woman with a nod and a wink?

I'm not saying I've acted anywhere near as overtly as the pair of idiots here, but again, if those conversations and elements were isolated and taken out of the greater conversation I'm not sure I'd come across any different. I'm not sure anyone would.

Funnily enough, I get the feeling that the broadcast media have some sympathy with the two, if only because they're worried about what they say off mic or off camera ever getting into the public eye.
 
Leaving aside any feelings I have about Andy Gray, his commentator abilities or his Scottish accent my first impression when I heard this story was that Andy Gray was rightfully sacked. There is no place for sexism in today’s TV industry.

Then I sat back and thought about it.

Andy Gray is working for SKY for 20 years. Has he only started making these remarks in the last few months? I doubt it. The terms he used were just banter. I have used them and so has every male in my office. Should we all be fired? Then I discover he is suing the News of the World because they hacked into his phone to listen to his voicemail. There are countless other people in the UK suing Rupert Murdoch’s Newspaper for the same reason.

Rupert Murdoch owns the NOTW. As far as I know he is also the majority shareholder in SKY.

Then all of a sudden clips start getting leaked to newspapers in the UK. They were feed in a drip drip method to ratchet up the public frenzy against him.
Andy Gray is accused of sexism and is fired. Surely this was an orchestrated witch hunt against him? Richard Keys and the sideline reporter are just collateral damage in this.

Murdoch owns a collection on tabloids in the UK who publish photos of topless women on page 3, have photographers sitting outside nightclubs to try and get upskirt pictures of celebrity women getting out of cars and have photographers hiding in bushes to try and get photos of women naked through gaps in curtains and then they accuse Andy Gray of sexism!!??
The whole thing stinks to high heaven and I hope he sues them for all he can.
 
The_Banker said:
Leaving aside any feelings I have about Andy Gray, his commentator abilities or his Scottish accent my first impression when I heard this story was that Andy Gray was rightfully sacked. There is no place for sexism in today’s TV industry.

Then I sat back and thought about it.

Andy Gray is working for SKY for 20 years. Has he only started making these remarks in the last few months? I doubt it. The terms he used were just banter. I have used them and so has every male in my office. Should we all be fired? Then I discover he is suing the News of the World because they hacked into his phone to listen to his voicemail. There are countless other people in the UK suing Rupert Murdoch’s Newspaper for the same reason.

Rupert Murdoch owns the NOTW. As far as I know he is also the majority shareholder in SKY.

Then all of a sudden clips start getting leaked to newspapers in the UK. They were feed in a drip drip method to ratchet up the public frenzy against him.
Andy Gray is accused of sexism and is fired. Surely this was an orchestrated witch hunt against him? Richard Keys and the sideline reporter are just collateral damage in this.

Murdoch owns a collection on tabloids in the UK who publish photos of topless women on page 3, have photographers sitting outside nightclubs to try and get upskirt pictures of celebrity women getting out of cars and have photographers hiding in bushes to try and get photos of women naked through gaps in curtains and then they accuse Andy Gray of sexism!!??
The whole thing stinks to high heaven and I hope he sues them for all he can.
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+1 to all of that.
 
zxcvbnm said:
Are there any women out there reading this thread that actually were offended by what was said?
Surely people cant be that sensitive?

I have to say it's absolutely ridiculous.Give them a bit a bit oif a telling off to keep up appearances, fine.

But sacking/forced to resign is way OTT in my book.
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Well I wasn't offended, I've tried to understand how it was really offensive. Two blokes being blokes. Off air.

This brings up much more important issues of free speech.

Also apart from my belief that Sky wanted the man sacked there is something wrong with the way all male presenters are saying that the men were outragerously sexist and deserved to be fired when they were not outragerously sexist and they certainly didn't deserve to be fired for it. Why are men feeling the need to 'prove' that they are on message.
 
Bronte said:
Why are men feeling the need to 'prove' that they are on message.
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Exactly !
Rio ferdinand coming out on twitter lambasting them saying there is no place for sexism in sport was embarrassing.

He clearly did that just to get a few brownie points.

Keys himself pulled Rio up on it yesterday in his interview on radio 5 - and rightly so in my book.
That would have annoyed the crap out of me if i was keys/gray.

What a sniveller Rio is. I have definitely lost respect for that guy.
 
Latrade said:
Who knows whether they qualified the "offside" comment with the fact that most male assistants (and football pundits) don't understand the rule either?
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Well to be fair i think we can all assume that they didn't follow it up with that going by the tone they used. You won't get much support on that point.

And also - I'm not sure where you're going claiming that most male assistants and football pundits don't understand the ofside rule.It is pretty straightforward.

I would in fact say with absolute confidence that 100% of male assistants and football pundits fully understand the offside rule.
 
Ah Rio Ferdinand who said the pair were prehistoric. I presume Rio's idea of contemporary man's view on women is relating to the allegations and incidents of "roasting" and escort services that footballers engage in. Or is it the sexist and homophobic music he produces and promotes?

As to "dark forces" I'd agree banker that there is more to it than just this, but I don't feel it's as dark as that. I think the reaction by the Murdoch print media is related to the case and that editorial policy has been to push it, but the incident didn't exist according to Sky News until he was sacked.

I'd say it more likely that the crew genuinely objected to the pair, had possibly had enough and there was an element of whistleblowing. I'd say that this was probably backed up by the new head of Sky Sports who it seems may have been keen on getting in new blood, but obviously didn't just want to let someone go who's on £1.2m a year, much easier when you can get it out in the open that they're a monster.

But the sexisim in the media runs much deeper than just the saucy pictures side. How many of the oh so offended newspapers have female football writers? How many have female pundits? The BBC trialled a female commentator, but she didn't last too long after they got complaints regarding her "shrill voice". How many females have presented Match of the Day? Gabby only gets brought out for very small games late on a Sunday very occasionally.
 
Latrade said:
Ah Rio Ferdinand who said the pair were prehistoric. I presume Rio's idea of contemporary man's view on women is relating to the allegations and incidents of "roasting" and escort services that footballers engage in. Or is it the sexist and homophobic music he produces and promotes?
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'discrimination should not happen in our game at all, prehistoric views if you think otherwise' was what he actually said, would you not agree with him??
 
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