‘Did you see that guy’s hair?’ CBC’s alt-commentary for women draws criticism
‘Did you see that guy’s hair?' That’s the kind of commentary CBC is looking to offer its female viewers during the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals. Lena Sutherland and Jules Mancuso, who run whilethemenwatch.com, will run the sports talk show, which they describe as “Sex and the City” meets ESPN.
‘Did you see that guy’s hair?’
That’s the kind of commentary CBC is looking to offer its female viewers during the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals. Lena Sutherland and Jules Mancuso, who run whilethemenwatch.com, will run the sports talk show, which they describe as “Sex and the City” meets ESPN.
The announcement didn’t seem to go over well. As QMI Agency’s William Wolfe-Wylie noted:
Just scanned @CBC, @CBCSports and CBC Sports Facebook pages: Reaction to "while the men watch" is about 90% negative and rageful.
— William Wolfe-Wylie (@wolfewylie) May 24, 2012
Laurie Kempton, a female fan who took to Twitter to express her disdain, spoke to the Canadian Press: "It's incredibly patronizing and insulting and I can't believe in 2012 we're reduced to dividing sports along decades-old gender stereotypes."
Julie Bristow, executive director of studio and unscripted programming for CBC Television, defended the decision to create this alternative commentary, saying she didn’t think it was sexist. “I think it really just captures the kind of conversation that happens in living rooms and bars across the country when hockey is on," she said.
It should be noted that CBC did not develop Sutherland and Mancuso’s show.
[node:ad]A sample of their commentary for women? From a May 7 post titled “7 phrases to yell out if you don’t follow hockey.”
5. “Pull the Goalie!”
This one works when one team is ahead by more than three goals or there is less than two minutes left in the game. Your man will probably respond by saying “Not yet, it’s too early!” Sound familiar? Never fails.
(As a female hockey fan who admittedly will not be tuning in to this show, I feel obligated to point out here that no, a team will not, in fact, pull its goalie if the opposition is up by more than three goals.)
What do you think? Is this a smart way to be more inclusive and encourage women to get interested in hockey? Or is it a sexist sham?
