Erin Andrews and the Cubs locker room: Discuss

From a woman baseball beat writer's perspective: It is awfully hard to avoid the occasional hug from a player or manager you haven't seen for a long time. They don't know journalism etiquette and really, it doesn't apply to them, anyway. I have yet to figure out a graceful way to fend off a hug from a well-meaning athlete who just remembers someone and is trying to be friendly - fend them off? Snap at them? It only happens with people you haven't seen in quite awhile, not with players/coaches you cover on a daily basis, and in Erin's case, she probably goes months between seeing different teams. I've seen male reporters get hugs or back slaps from athletes they haven't seen for a long time, too - I don't think it's gender-related. Manny Ramirez once picked Sheldon Ocker up - I can only imagine the reaction had that been Erin Andrews.

Fist bumps are the worst - but again, some well-meaning players can be prone to handing them out to anyone. Mike Sweeney, who is among the nicest people in pro sports, fist bumps anyone and everyone - bat boys, delivery people, the owner, umpires, guards. I don't want to give him a lecture on the niceties of journalistic ethics, he's just being friendly. I don't think he thinks that reporters are therefore "members of the team'' or fans or anything. He's doling them out equally, at least.

Women reporters deal with flirty behavior all the time - from male reporters as well as athletes. You learn to deal with it. The easiest way is usually to make it a clearly joking thing, because otherwise your two choices are to come off as a bitch or as easy. I have never seen Erin behave any way but professionally and she must have to put up with far more than most women in this business. You have to be friendly to maintain relationships and sources, and that sometimes will be misinterpreted as flirting from people who don't know you or understand your relationship with that athlete. It can be a no-win situation.

 

The hug is a tough one to avoid without looking like a total dick.

Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often. Usually only after a huge win when they're running around hugging everybody.

 

Basically, if you're a woman and hot and a huge public profile you're fucked. Rachel Nichols probably has to deal with the same thing.

 

When Cliff Ellis resigned from Clemson, he stood by the door after the press conference hugging everyone as they came through, including reporters, whether they wanted to or not. It was a very awkward and uncomfortable scene. Luckily, I managed to slip past him when he had someone else in his arms.

Not sure what this has to do with the discussion. All this hugging talk just reminded me of a bizarre scene from my past.

Carry on.

 

Bravo. Best post on a thread filled with silly vitriol on both sides of the coin.

Much of what Susan wrote applies to BOTH sexes too. I know I've had uncomfortable moments when an athlete I covered gave me a fist bump. As Susan notes, they don't know our ethics, our standards. You try to control and limit those situations as best you can, but at the end of the day, it's a matter of whether YOU initiate the inappropriate conduct or not. To me, that's the acid test.

I wasn't in the locker room with Andrews that day, so I am in no way qualified to apply that test to Andrews. I don't think the column is evidence enough to damn her, I don't think knee-jerk defense of her by some is enough to just dismiss it out of hand.

I think those on both sides should be Switzerland on this issue until there's more evidence one way or another. Based on what I know of Andrews, she has a professional reputation, so innocent until proven guilty as far as I'm concerned.

All of that said, that Sun-Times blog post is an embarrassment.

 

Nichols is one of the most professional reporters I have ever worked with.

 

Good post, Susan. That deserves a fist bump.

 

Not saying she isn't. But being beautiful, Rachel probably has to deal with the same extracurricular male crap in the biz that Andrews does, or any gorgeous sports reporter does. Comes with the territory, probably always will, and there will be more threads like this one.

 

I think Andrews is a very good reporter, but she does flirt with some of her subjects, albeit harmlessly.

I covered a college hoops game a little more than a year ago this was the back and forth between Erin and the player. I was standing three feet away.

She asked the player if she could borrow him for a few minutes, the player said she could keep him as long as she likes, Andrews giggled like she was a teenager and put her arm around the player for what was probably, three seconds. Then she did a very good interview.

It's not the banter most of us have with athletes, but it's still harmless.

 

Rachel Nichols has probably never worn a hot-date dress to cover a ballgame.

 

Kind of like the "Hottest Fans" contest. Sadly, we've come to expect that from the CS-T.

 

It wasn't like she grabbed his junk.
Lordy, somebody got all hot and bothered because the "girl" showed up at the ballpark and an arm was touched.
Woo hoo.
I once had a college football coach grab my chest and asked me how much I benched because he said my man boob felt of solid muscle.
I laughed and told him I was stronger than most of his weak-ass team.
Just makes me glad that Peoria Journal-Star wasn't on the case or a column would have come forth.