The Jane Genie

GET 'EM OFF was the headline The Sun tactfully decided to run with during this week's sexism in football 'scandal'. Their front page featured a large photograph of Sian Massey at a party wearing a mini skirt and a vest. Granted, they did include a photo of her in lineswoman kit, but it was small and shoved into the corner of the article. The sacking/resignation/whatever you want to call it of Andy Gray and Richard Keys was, probably, the right thing to do.

However, I'm left wondering if the decision to get rid of the pair was the initial decision of Sky, or whether the onslaught of press and media coverage caused the company to throw their hands up and give in. After all, a black mark is a black mark and it's not like they'd keep sexist pigs on in the job even if the press didn't run with it, right? They'd get rid of them straight away for inappropriate behaviour, right? Right?

"Charlotte, could you tuck this down here for me?" "Wendy Toms, she was fucking hopeless as well." "You could play for many years and not score a goal like (Marieanne) Spacey".

The latter followed by Gray's hysterical laughter during the 1998 Women's FA Cup Final, Key's eventually saying "I'm afraid Andy and I have to go at this point, there's no point trying to go on." Apparently all of that can be branded 'unacceptable' and yet the pair stay in their jobs earning a reputed £1.2 million each.

Has their departure from Sky come because of the whole Murdoch takeover debacle? I would guess Sky don't want to be seen as 'sexist' when there is an EU comissioned £12 billion deal at stake. I whole-heartedly disagree with the takeover, agreeing that Murdoch and News Corp. will have too much power. Apparently it's disgraceful to have two sexist pundits at the heart of their sports presenting team, but it's okay for The (News Corp. owned) Sun to run with the tacky and not at all questionable 'get 'em off' headline. What are Sky afraid of? Sexism and objectification runs rife with The Sun anyway with their headlines and Page 3 girls. Something is very wrong here. It seems News Corp. doesn't have a problem with it.

I think we can all agree that the fiasco has done more harm than good to the representation of women in football. Those on the side of The Sun (an alarming majority) and Keys and Gray are seeing a woman as the cause of a 'pointless' scandal that must be, of course, the woman's fault. I don't think women will ever win the argument that they have a place in football that is as fair as the men.

Oh well, I suppose this way we can focus on running countries like Australia, fighting for democracy in Burma and winning Oscars for Best Director instead of thinking about an "institutionally sexist old boy's club".