Kiley did make a weak half-hearted apology Friday on air, but it doesn’t matter in my opinion. I don’t want to hear that apology, and neither should any female who holds a respectable position in professional sports, or anyone for that matter. His real thoughts on womens’ involvement in sports, specifically the NFL, has been fully disclosed in my eyes. If he wants to use his platform as a radio host to get his opinion out there, fine. I’ll use this as mine.
I’ll leave you with this.
I grew up deeply embedded in the world of sports, and I never once viewed myself differently than the guys with the same interests around me. I’m sure many of you reading this grew up watching football on the weekends with your dad and tossing the ball around outside, or playing in the backyard. Well, so did I, and I could make an educated guess that Smith and other women in the industry had at some point also. I’ve earned the respect from my peers, and have had no issues with the male colleagues I work alongside with when I’m sitting in press row, or with any player or coach down in a locker room. It gave me satisfaction to see how the Twitter World responded to his comments, and guess what? It was predominately men in disbelief these comments were made, and they were standing up for women, Smith, and Cabot. It’s funny to me how supposedly professional sports and sports talk radio are trying to draw and engage the female demographic, yet there’s a track record of things like this being said from a man who’s a voice to represent my city.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, thoughts, and views, and whether you agree with Kiley or not is your prerogative. This article isn’t about how I think women should suddenly take over mens’ sports or how I think women are entitled to a shot “just because it’s time.” No. It takes a special kind of person for jobs in professional sports, and they will be found. The right talent will surface for any job, whether it’s a man or woman. It shouldn’t make a difference at all what gender, race, or sexuality you identify with. I can’t believe someone would continually say such ludicrous and close-minded things on zero foundation other than his outdated way of thinking and on no facts whatsoever.
He says there’s no room for women in professional sports. Maybe there’s just no room for your beliefs in 2016, Kiley.
Pingback: External blog Links – Adrienne Goehler's Blog