It seems pretty wild that in 2015 you could have someone potentially restricting access to a female reporter at a professional football game, but someone tried to do just that at the Jaguars-Colts game Sunday.
A male usher stopped three female reporters from entering the Jaguars locker room after the game because they were women, according to an Associated Press report. The women were at the game as part of the Associated Press Sports Editors sports media diversity weekend.
Graham Watson of Yahoo! Sports and Joey Chandler of the Tuscaloosa News both tweeted that they went down to the locker room to get quotes and encountered an attendant who decided to keep her from entering because "you know how guys are."
I was just blocked from a locker room by an old, out-of-touch geezer who wasn't sure women were allowed because "you know how guys are."
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
This guy was an usher and apparently not aware that women cover sports. I about lost it. @Colts @Jaguars
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
I have covered male sporting events all over the world and it took coming to Indianapolis to face my first gender discrimination. @NFL
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
Good news: several male colleagues were able to help get the female reporters in. What a time to be alive.
I do want to note that we did eventually get in and we were able to do our job after the man asked several males if it was OK if we got in.
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
Better news: this clearly isn't a policy the teams are actively pursuing. Both the Colts' and Jaguars' public relations staffs apologized to Watson for what happened.
Want to note that both @Jaguars and @Colts PR apologized.
— Graham Watson (@Yahoo_Graham) October 4, 2015
Something like this happening in 2015 is beyond bizarre. Not that it's "weird" so much as "unacceptable," but it's just bizarre someone with would possess such a mentality.
