Speak up!

This is Monday's post.  I am going to share a letter with you that our Amanda wrote when something really bothered her.  I loved it and asked if I could share it here.

I love it for several reasons.  First, when we get upset about the injustice of something, we often just get upset.  We don't channel that frustration into constructive action.  Sometimes frustration is positive if it motivates us to try to change something that needs changing.  But if we just get ourselves worked up, only complain to people in order to let off steam, or lash out ineffectively - our frustration is, well, frustrated.  Amanda's letter is such a good channeling of frustration.

Secondly, what Amanda was frustrated about fits the content of this blog perfectly.  Women's participation in the sporting world should not be discouraged by female objectification.  I'll let Amanda's letter speak for itself:

I sent the following email tonight to ESPN, the station manager of 1530 ESPN radio in Cincinnati, and a Clear Channel executive.

I am a mother of two boys, ages seven and four. I grew up with a coach as a father and therefore immersed in the world of sports. I was the only girl attending all-boy baseball camps. I scouted high school football games. As I kept the scorebook for the varsity baseball team, I stole the opposing team's signals. I was a three sport varsity athlete in high school and participated in collegiate athletics. I am still a huge sports fan, avidly following the Reds, the Bengals, and college athletics.

This evening, I turned on my local ESPN radio station, 1530 in Cincinnati, hoping to find the Rays/Rangers game. But it wasn't on. I went to the station's website http://www.espn1530.com to see if I could find the upcoming schedule for the MLB playoffs. I don't have cable and so am relying on radio to keep up with the progress of the postseason.

Before I could navigate the page far enough to find the baseball broadcast information I was seeking, I instead found, under "Featured" listed first "Babes" accompanied by a picture of a woman who was clearly topless. The subtitles under "Babes" included "Hand Bras," "Blondes vs. Brunettes," "Spread 'Em," and "Let Me See That Thong." Also on the front page of this ESPN station's website was "Babe of the Day" and a "Check This Out" photo link with a picture of Holly Madison in a bikini.

I am not ignorant of the relationship of sex and sports (NFL cheerleaders, NBA dance squads, commercials/advertisements, etc.) But I do expect, especially from ESPN, a higher standard. I expect to be able to navigate my local ESPN radio station's website without feeling like a clearly unwelcome visitor. I am honestly surprised that ESPN would allow such content on something that so clearly bears their name.

I researched a bit and discovered that ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati is a Clear Channel station as well. I went to the Clear Channel website and read their Creed. http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1165&p=hidden

A few of the things included in that creed jumped out at me, as they related to the content I found on the ESPN 1530 website.

The creed states the following:

We believe we have an obligation for the well-being of the communities in which we live. We further believe the future success of our communities and the industries where we do business is dependent upon the responsibility we feel, the high standards we set and the positive impact our actions have.

We believe excellence is the standard and we seek to achieve excellence by encouraging and nourishing these core values:

• Respect for the individual

We believe success is measured by:

• Maintaining the highest standards of ethics and integrity in every action we take and in everything we do.

This Clear Channel Creed was written 30 years ago by Clear Channel's Founder Lowry Mays. This Creed exhibits the operational vision for the company. It has, surprisingly, stood the test of time and remains the guiding light for our employees even during a time of growth and change. The Clear Channel Family is very proud of this Creed.

I honestly cannot reconcile the ideas held in this creed and the inclusion of "Babes" as a prominent feature on the website of ESPN 1530, a Clear Channel station.

As a parent, I feel like I have learned another valuable lesson tonight. As they get old enough to have independent computer time, my kids will not be allowed to browse ESPN or our local radio websites. It is not acceptable in my mind for my children to come across these images while trying to find the stats from last night's game.

I've noticed there are plenty of examples of sports websites where this is not the norm. The Reds website is completely devoid of any references to "Babes" or "Spread 'Em." The main ESPN website is free of them. MLB.com is not sporting a "Babe of the Week." I don't understand why it is OK for my local ESPN station to include these things.

As a sports fan, a woman, and a mother, I sincerely hope that this is something that can be changed immediately.