Female commentators in cricket

[UN talkz]

I am not impressed by anyone honestly
Mel Jones was good in her early days but she regressed massively then

Views?

 

[Ozymandiasza]

Natalie Germanos is quite decent... Except when Gibbs starts to flirt on live television.

 

[Rayyman]

Seems like they're doing it just for the quota.

 

[Rana]

I don't mind it but I would certainly also encourage top class female athletes to also compete at men's level for this to make sense.

 

[aloo paratha]

I don't mind if there are female commentators, but they should only be there if they are good, not just to be Politically correct. Most female commentators I've heard haven't really had anything to contribute except for generic, obvious comments.

 

[PakSarZameen]

Don't really like any of the female commentators we've seen so far

Dull voices

 

[Saj]

I don't want to sound sexist, but to me it seems like they are only there for equality purposes. None of them add any value to the viewing experience.

 

[Adijazz1706]

I don't mind it but I would certainly also encourage top class female athletes to also compete at men's level for this to make sense.

That can never happen, biological differences are too large to be ignored

 

[AFM]

I don't have any prejudice against them, but it seems Isa is there in place of Holding. That's just criminal.

 

[Slim]

I dont mind female commies at all as long as they are not taking place of another deserving commentator. Like a poster pointed out above, it seems that Isa is there in place of holding which is just not right.

 

[Big Mac]

Alison Jones and Ricky Ponting was the best commentary pairing by far when BT Sports covered the Ashes this winter.

I don't mind it but I would certainly also encourage top class female athletes to also compete at men's level for this to make sense.

Nah. Your sporting ability has no bearing on your ability to be a commentator.

Some of the greatest commentators have had no first class cricket experience. Tony Cozier, Brian Johnston, Fazeer Mohammed. Henry Blofeld technically played first class cricket but it was for Cambridge and not a county.

On the other hand, some of the greatest players have turned out to be the worst commentators. Every Pakistan commentator that isn't Bazid Khan is awful. Ian Botham, Michael Slater, Shane Warne, Ian Healy, basically the entire Channel 9 team and their cringeworthy banter, Navjot Sidhu, the list goes on.

Yet those guys don't get a fraction of the criticism that a female commentator commentating their first series does, even though those men have been polluting cricket coverage for years.

You'd think us desis would understand how it feels to have to be twice as good in order to be perceived as equal to co-workers who aren't minorities in the workplace but I guess we haven't progressed that far yet.

I don't want to sound sexits, but to me it seems like they are only there for equality purposes. None of them add any value to the viewing experience.

Neither do Ramiz, Wasim, Waqar but they get hired when Pakistan tour for equality purposes

 

[Big Mac]

I don't have any prejudice against them, but it seems Isa is there in place of Holding. That's just criminal.

I dont mind female commies at all as long as they are not taking place of another deserving commentator. Like a poster pointed out above, it seems that Isa is there in place of holding which is just not right.

So why aren't you asking for Holding to replace Wasim, who offers nothing but the ability to read the on screen graphics out loud?

 

[cricketworm]

I don't see any difference between quality. Rather female commentators are serious about their work and do less cringe worthy jokes.

 

[KingKhanWC]

I don't want to sound sexits, but to me it seems like they are only there for equality purposes. None of them add any value to the viewing experience.

Totally agree.

Saj any idea where the legendary Michael Holding is? Really miss his commentary esp when Pakistan are playing in England.

 

[Slim]

So why aren't you asking for Holding to replace Wasim, who offers nothing but the ability to read the on screen graphics out loud?

Im fine with her replacing Wasim but Wasim is there to provide perspective from the Pakistani side.

 

[Slim]

I don't see any difference between quality. Rather female commentators are serious about their work and do less cringe worthy jokes.

That is something i have noticed as well.

 

[AFM]

So why aren't you asking for Holding to replace Wasim, who offers nothing but the ability to read the on screen graphics out loud?

Wasim is there to represent Pakistan. I agree with you that he offers nothing, but atleast it isn't Rameez and Wasim can offer some insight to bowlers and their plans (albeit only when asked by fellow co-commentators).

Naseer, Atherton, Bumble, Gower, Botham and Holding have been staples of the Sky commentary team. Isa is a new addition to the team this year and is in place of Holding. I enjoy Holding's commentary, so I am disappointed he's been replaced by her. If it was Botham, I wouldn't have any issues.

 

[Mr.Q]

Isa Guha ain’t bad. At least she has that British accent!

 

[Rinnegan Sasuke]

I's rather listen to them than Ramiz, Healy, and Wasim. Thank god Shastri's off the mic these days, he'd riddle you with his tracer bullets.

 

[aloo paratha]

They aren't asking for her to be replaced by Wasim because Wasim is there from a Pakistani perspective, and he actually can be insightful with bowling, same with Waqar.

 

[Boi]

Alison Mitchell is very good. Rest of them a pretty poor.

 

[161]

Isa Guha ain’t bad. At least she has that British accent!

She's better than most Asian male commentators.

 

[Abdullah719]

Totally agree.

Saj any idea where the legendary Michael Holding is? Really miss his commentary esp when Pakistan are playing in England.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Michael Holding fans - the legend will be back on commentary for the 2nd Test match in Leeds <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/999720828588748801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[idrizzy]

I don't care. People should be given their role on merit not gender.

Speaking of, same argument can be said for female umpires too. Not surprised if that's the next step a la football with female linesmen.

 

[shaz619]

Isa Guha is pretty decent and very knowledgeable and especially alison mitchell who has done a terrific job for BBC Test Match Special which has now lost radio rights to talk sport, am sure [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] lost a lot of hair with that announcement

Anyhow these new females on the scene are inexperienced so give them some time, we've had a lot worse in the past among dudes to and it could also be that many of you are just not use to listening to a female voice call the Test Cricket. I think people are very unfair with the criticism at this stage.

 

[PakHammer]

That Isa Guha was mumbling alot on Sky and her voice was hard to hear but perhaps that was nerves but it's a concept that wont last in my opinion.

 

[Sirris]

Haven't heard any commentary yet, however I like the idea of female commentators.

It's very rare that posters aren't moaning about commentary on PP anyway. Be it Ramiz or the NZ commentators from the last series. There is always something to complain.

So I am talking this critic of female commentators with a grain of salt.

 

[Bewal Express]

Its for equality purposes- I can imagine the ladies adding to the experience of watching Womens cricket, but they add nothing to the commentary of the Mens game.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Isa Guha is pretty decent and very knowledgeable and especially alison mitchell who has done a terrific job for BBC Test Match Special which has now lost radio rights to talk sport, am sure [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] lost a lot of hair with that announcement

Anyhow these new females on the scene are inexperienced so give them some time, we've had a lot worse in the past among dudes to and it could also be that many of you are just not use to listening to a female voice call the Test Cricket. I think people are very unfair with the criticism at this stage.

Alison is great and very smart esp on Test Mach Special but we pay good money to watch sports in the UK. I want someone who has at least played test cricket to commentate on test cricket. We are used to having legends commentating but no all of them make great commies but at least we can learn something from them. Nothing against Isa she seems a lovely lady but the Sky commentary team is the best in the world when it comes to cricket, lets keep it that way.

 

[Sherlock]

I prefer Isa Guha over the other commentators. But I honestly can do without them.

As Saj says above, it's a case of not looking sexist and shoving a supposed equality factor in viewers/listeners faces.

 

[aloo paratha]

She's better than most Asian male commentators.

Youre just saying that because she can speak good English. She has nothing to bring to the table when it comes to tactical advice.

 

[Saj]

That Isa Guha was mumbling alot on Sky and her voice was hard to hear but perhaps that was nerves but it's a concept that wont last in my opinion.

I always remember seeing her in the press box during the Champions Trophy final - she was putting on this fake smile as if to show she was neutral. The reality was she was nearly in tears.

 

[shaz619]

Alison is great and very smart esp on Test Mach Special but we pay good money to watch sports in the UK. I want someone who has at least played test cricket to commentate on test cricket. We are used to having legends commentating but no all of them make great commies but at least we can learn something from them. Nothing against Isa she seems a lovely lady but the Sky commentary team is the best in the world when it comes to cricket, lets keep it that way.

There have been plenty of folk who never played Tests or even FC cricket that were great while others who have at times been very poor, it really depends on the individual tbh sky by far have the best commentary team without a doubt and I don't think Isa would be given the oppourtunity on such a big platform if she was no good. For me the cricketing pedigree don't matter so long the individual does a decent job like Alison has for TMS and Channel 5

 

[Saj]

Neither do Ramiz, Wasim, Waqar but they get hired when Pakistan tour for equality purposes

And they aren't great either - but Isa Guha in the commentary box ahead of Michael Holding today is just ridiculous.

 

[Big Mac]

Alison is great and very smart esp on Test Mach Special but we pay good money to watch sports in the UK. I want someone who has at least played test cricket to commentate on test cricket. We are used to having legends commentating but no all of them make great commies but at least we can learn something from them. Nothing against Isa she seems a lovely lady but the Sky commentary team is the best in the world when it comes to cricket, lets keep it that way.

This line of thinking is how we end up with Alan Shearer on Match of the Day and World Cup matches.

 

[90MPH]

I think Isha is ok, she has some decent knowledge.

However I would have preferred Holding.

Anyway not too fussed as some of the best commentators we had have now passed away while others you only hear on the radio.

 

[KingKhanWC]

There have been plenty of folk who never played Tests or even FC cricket that were great while others who have at times been very poor, it really depends on the individual tbh sky by far have the best commentary team without a doubt and I don't think Isa would be given the oppourtunity on such a big platform if she was no good. For me the cricketing pedigree don't matter so long the individual does a decent job like Alison has for TMS and Channel 5

I guess it comes down to personal preferences but for me she didn't add anything of value or was funny in any way. I highly doubt she will be a regular commie for Sky.

This line of thinking is how we end up with Alan Shearer on Match of the Day and World Cup matches.

Haha, I love listening to Shearer, says it how it is .

Sky have many others such as Butcher, Cork, Ward etc who are good. She must have been chosen for political correctness and to get more women watching.

 

[Big Mac]

Haha, I love listening to Shearer, says it how it is .

Well that explains a lot

 

[KingKhanWC]

Well that explains a lot

He is still the all time leading goal scorer in the Premier League and scored 30 goals for England. Isa played a few cricket matches in the England women teams and spends most of her time watching the IPL.

 

[Mr.Q]

Women need our support. Cricket is not a very popular sport in countries outside the subcontinent.

I remember some guys here saying women shouldn’t play cricket because it’s boring and that their matches would never be exciting to watch. Now some are criticising their commentary. They may not be as good as a Holding but what will you lose if one among 4-6 commentators is a lady? Agreed there should be a minimum standard but expecting a female commentator to have the cricketing wisdom of Mr.Holding is being unrealistic given the state of the women’s game and its history.

How many of you guys follow Tennis? Women’s tennis can be as exciting as men’s. There are female commentators in tennis and they’re pretty good. So it’s not that women can’t be good enough. They can be good enough if they’re given the opportunities.

Some of you guys are so narrow minded. That’s the truth.

 

[Bilal7]

I don't see why people are criticizing the female commies in specific. Outside of Nasser and the rest of the Sky Sports team, pretty much all other commentators are poor these days.

Women need our support. Cricket is not a very popular sport in countries outside the subcontinent.

I remember some guys here saying women shouldn’t play cricket because it’s boring and that their matches would never be exciting to watch. Now some are criticising their commentary. They may not be as good as a Holding but what will you lose if one among 4-6 commentators is a lady? Agreed there should be a minimum standard but expecting a female commentator to have the cricketing wisdom of Mr.Holding is being unrealistic given the state of the women’s game and its history.

How many of you guys follow Tennis? Women’s tennis can be as exciting as men’s. There are female commentators in tennis and they’re pretty good. So it’s not that women can’t be good enough. They can be good enough if they’re given the opportunities.

Some of you guys are so narrow minded. That’s the truth.

Didn't Serena Williams lose to a very low ranked male opponent once? Why should I watch someone like her over a Federer or Nadal?

 

[Syed1]

Nobody is worse than Mel Jones who acts as if NZ is the only team playing and they are the greatest side in the history of the sport.

 

[Usman]

I actually don't care if a commentator is a man or woman, as long as they're good. The fact is the most commentators are quite bad and at the moment, the women commentators are simply not up to standard.

Some of the worst commentators in my view include Ramiz, Waqar, Botham. Ramiz comes up with theories which he presents as facts and it really irritates me. A batsman will play and miss and out comes Ramiz's gibberish: "he's got a tendency to play at balls outside the off stump..." - in reality, that batsman has no such tendencies but based on one shot, Ramiz has just made up a story and presents it as some wonderful insight.

Waqar says very little which isn't pointing out the obvious. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Yes Waqar we know, but thank you for telling us.

Botham commentates like he's bored out of his mind. Something exciting will happen and he'll say in the most monotone voice: "And that's a wicket." Spoils the excitment of the moment.

If you want to hear some proper commentators, listen to Bazid Khan, Nassar Hussain and Micheal Atherton. These people engage the thing between their heads, known to most people as a brain. They will add to your viewing experience by saying something insightful and interesting. The difference in intellect between these guys and people like Ramiz (who's only skill appears to be being able to speak English) is stark.

To bring it back to the question, women commentators are poor at the moment. But so are most men!

 

[El Generico]

Nobody is worse than Mel Jones who acts as if NZ is the only team playing and they are the greatest side in the history of the sport.

She is Australian isn't she? Was she even commentating in the Pakistan vs NZ series?

 

[Tusker]

change for the sake of change and being PC is not the answer here. Iam all for Women empowerment but female voices in a Mens Testmatch or ODI just completely spoils my viewing experience. This is just like how a Male ObGyn is jarring for many women in India or a Male nursery teacher or a female Urologist ( Sorry you just cant understand what we guys have to go thru )

Sure get rid of all the Men from Womens matches but dont force female voices on me.

 

[idrizzy]

There have been plenty of folk who never played Tests or even FC cricket that were great while others who have at times been very poor, it really depends on the individual tbh sky by far have the best commentary team without a doubt and I don't think Isa would be given the oppourtunity on such a big platform if she was no good. For me the cricketing pedigree don't matter so long the individual does a decent job like Alison has for TMS and Channel 5

Forreal. Saying that you’d want ex-crickets to do punditry or commentate is ridiculous. I mean, imagine SkySports without Jeff Sterling, Kammy, even Jim ‘Orange’ White. Unthinkable and irreplaceable, without any football pedigree to back it up.

Females added to the mix adds zero problems. Yes it shows equality but as I said in my earlier post if its based on merit then that’s how it should be. Seems like people get hung over that men should be dominating mens sport in punditry, commentating and anything else other than the 22 on the field.

 

[idrizzy]

He is still the all time leading goal scorer in the Premier League and scored 30 goals for England. Isa played a few cricket matches in the England women teams and spends most of her time watching the IPL.

Just because a guy is good on the field, doesn’t mean he’s good off it and vice versa.

Would you like to live to Wayne “Ehhhmm...” Rooney on MOTD? Not even the grannys he’s mingled with would watch it.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Just because a guy is good on the field, doesn’t mean he’s good off it and vice versa.

Would you like to live to Wayne “Ehhhmm...” Rooney on MOTD? Not even the grannys he’s mingled with would watch it.

Have you watched his analysis on MOTD? Ive watched football since I was a child and always learn something new from him. The same goes for cricket but I learnt nothing new from Isa today.

 

[waleed88]

I am not impressed by anyone honestly
Mel Jones was good in her early days but she regressed massively then

Views?

I think its nice to have a female voice in cricket, it just adds a different tone to the commentary.

 

[idrizzy]

Have you watched his analysis on MOTD? Ive watched football since I was a child and always learn something new from him. The same goes for cricket but I learnt nothing new from Isa today.

MOTD is limited in the time with what they can show. He’s a good analyst but it’s easy to cherry pick a player and analyse a couple things he did well and how x led to y which led to z. I personally enjoy Henry a lot more, and MNF with Carra-Neville. Then again they get more run time so they got more to analyse.

Like you said it’s preference but for me it’s about quality and in the end, entertainment.

Some commentators are the Michael Owen of football and anything is better than that. I’d take a female commentator if she’s good enough and entertaining enough.

 

[ManFan]

Wouldn’t mind it if it was good one.

Reminds me of that Bill Burr rant on women ruining the NFL on Conan.

Hope the same does not happen to cricket.

 

[Nfc120]

Most commentators suck. Period. Some of the british squad are pretty good though. Athers, and hussain and boycott i always enjoy. Listened to Isa Guha today, shes pretty trash. She made some interesting points, but it was overshadowed by her complete lack of confidence. She seemed to keep looking towards her male counterparts for approval.

 

[kingusama92]

Isa Guha is okay but Alison Mitchell was very good in the Ashes. She's the best female commentator in cricket.

 

[jaf348]

I'd rather listen to them than rubbish commentators like Rameez, Danny Morrison or Athar Ali Khan.

 

[TM Riddle]

Isa Guha ain’t bad. At least she has that British accent!

I like Isa. That lady has class and is probably better than every male Indian commentator right now.

 

[Big Mac]

Wouldn’t mind it if it was good one.

Reminds me of that Bill Burr rant on women ruining the NFL on Conan.

Hope the same does not happen to cricket.

Which women commentate on NFL games instead of being sideline reporters or studio hosts for whom half the job is to stand there and look pretty for troglodyte men watching the channel?

 

[Robert]

I lik Isa Guha and Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent on the BBC.

Sad to see a lot of misogyny on this thread.

 

[Mr.Q]

Didn't Serena Williams lose to a very low ranked male opponent once? Why should I watch someone like her over a Federer or Nadal?

That’s a very strange way of thinking I must say. You’re completely wrong. The purpose of sports is entertainment. Women’s tennis is exciting and as popular as men’s tennis. I’m sure you don’t follow tennis. Players like Serena have millions of fans and followers, which includes the Federer you just mentioned.

Your argument is that women shouldn’t play any sport as long as they can’t be as good as men in it?!!!

 

[Thomaskutty]

Isa Guha is the clear stand-out among female commentators. Infact, I'd rate her above Gavaskar and tracer bullet.

Allison Mitchell is pretty dull and just doesn't have the energy. For someone who's been around for a while now, she should've been much better.

 

[aukhan]

I muted my TV yesterday. Athar Ali khan still the worst to listen.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Just terrible but Wasim is worse.

Where is Ramiz and Bazid? Why always Wasim for these away tours.

 

[Bilal7]

That’s a very strange way of thinking I must say. You’re completely wrong. The purpose of sports is entertainment. Women’s tennis is exciting and as popular as men’s tennis. I’m sure you don’t follow tennis. Players like Serena have millions of fans and followers, which includes the Federer you just mentioned.

Your argument is that women shouldn’t play any sport as long as they can’t be as good as men in it?!!!

No, my argument is that women's sports will only reach the popularity of men's sports when the level of play matches or exceeds that of the men. There is nothing wrong with one being inferior to the other however, as long as people like you stop pretending that we're all sexist for not watching the women play.

I do follow tennis enough to know that Federer has at least 10x the fans that Serena does.

 

[big_gamer007]

I don’t mind female commies if they are good.. I think everything in world should be based on meritocracy so if a female commentator deserves a spot she should have it..

Rather than getting ex players broadcasting houses should get expert commies..

 

[AFM]

Just terrible but Wasim is worse.

Where is Ramiz and Bazid? Why always Wasim for these away tours.

Rameez is there. He's working for Straight Drive for Ten Sports.

 

[Mr.Q]

No, my argument is that women's sports will only reach the popularity of men's sports when the level of play matches or exceeds that of the men. There is nothing wrong with one being inferior to the other however, as long as people like you stop pretending that we're all sexist for not watching the women play.

I do follow tennis enough to know that Federer has at least 10x the fans that Serena does.

There’s no need to compare a female player with some random male player. Like I said, the purpose behind sports is entertainment and women’s tennis is entertaining. Roger Federer is arguably the GOAT tennis player and has a very likeable character. Serena doesn’t have that aura but stil she’s more popular than most of the men playing tennis. You’re underestimating her popularity.

Popularity and fan base are often directly proportional to one’s achievements. There’s no male badminton player in India who is as popular as PV Sindhu or Saina Nehwal. The men might be better players but nobody watches them play because of the lack of achievements.

Watching or not watching a women’s game is your choice. But saying that they shouldn’t play because it’s boring isn’t. You’ll get that ‘sexist’ label if that’s your stand on the matter.

Back on topic, many female commentators are not at all good at commentary. But there are a few who are somewhat good. They should be given opportunities IMO to encourage other knowledgeable, talented women to take up cricket commentary.

 

[hadi123]

I'm not sexist - have nothing against female commentators as long as they're good and not just there for quota purposes.

 

[ManFan]

Which women commentate on NFL games instead of being sideline reporters or studio hosts for whom half the job is to stand there and look pretty for troglodyte men watching the channel?

Do we need diversity for the sake of it?

Was anybody asking for a female commentator?

If they were, they didn’t look hard enough.

 

[Big Mac]

Do we need diversity for the sake of it?

Was anybody asking for a female commentator?

If they were, they didn’t look hard enough.

Bro, you brought up a joke that Bill Burr made which was basically "Women are ruining the NFL because they like shopping for shoes" which has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

You gonna explain how it's relevant to a woman commentating on a test match or you just gonna whinge about "hurr durr women and sports don't mix" "Diversity is bad" "Political correctness gone mad" like a Daily Mail reader?

 

[shane]

Most of the female commentators I have heard have been excellent (except that Indian one who commented in the recent U-19 WC - not sure what her name is but she is awful). And it's completely sexist to ask that women commentators should "add something" to the game when, in fact, 90% of the male commentators add nothing.

 

[ManFan]

Bro, you brought up a joke that Bill Burr made which was basically "Women are ruining the NFL because they like shopping for shoes" which has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

You gonna explain how it's relevant to a woman commentating on a test match or you just gonna whinge about "hurr durr women and sports don't mix" "Diversity is bad" "Political correctness gone mad" like a Daily Mail reader?

If you’re gonna include a women commentator, atleast make sure she is decent.

That’s all I’m saying.

You don’t have to defend her like no tomorrow.

If she improves her commentary than I will be the first to apologize.

Happy?

 

[ManFan]

Bro, you brought up a joke that Bill Burr made which was basically "Women are ruining the NFL because they like shopping for shoes" which has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

You gonna explain how it's relevant to a woman commentating on a test match or you just gonna whinge about "hurr durr women and sports don't mix" "Diversity is bad" "Political correctness gone mad" like a Daily Mail reader?

Bill Burr was talking about how the females have managed to include themselves into aspects of football that make it unbearable to watch.

Like making the viewers feel guilty for not giving money to charities.

The reason I brought that up was because Sky included a female commentator that is not even good enough for the job.

There is no need to push someone into an industry simply because of their sex.

 

[Big Mac]

And it's completely sexist to ask that women commentators should "add something" to the game when, in fact, 90% of the male commentators add nothing.

100% truth right here

If you’re gonna include a women commentator, atleast make sure she is decent.

That’s all I’m saying.

You don’t have to defend her like no tomorrow.

If she improves her commentary than I will be the first to apologize.

Happy?

No, I asked you to explain why Isa Guha commentating on this test match reminds you of this Bill Burr joke.

Are Isa Guha and Alison Mitchell part of a clandestine feminazi plot to infiltrate men's test cricket and destroy it from the inside?

 

[ManFan]

100% truth right here



No, I asked you to explain why Isa Guha commentating on this test match reminds you of this Bill Burr joke.

Are Isa Guha and Alison Mitchell part of a clandestine feminazi plot to infiltrate men's test cricket and destroy it from the inside?

No.

But the inclusion of a female commentator who has not been well received is not going to help disprove that theory.

 

[Rayyman]

I put it on mute. Can't stand this commie.

 

[Big Mac]

Bill Burr was talking about how the females have managed to include themselves into aspects of football that make it unbearable to watch.

Like making the viewers feel guilty for not giving money to charities.

The reason I brought that up was because Sky included a female commentator that is not even good enough for the job.

There is no need to push someone into an industry simply because of their sex.

1) The conceit behind the Bill Burr joke is that he's acting like a chauvinist idiot. It's like Al Murray the Pub Landlord, you're not actually meant to agree with him.

2) The second bit sounds awfully like the excuses made for preventing black people from playing quarterback or the things racists and idiots say when complaining about affirmative action. "Oh we should only hire black/brown people if they're the best man for the job" ignoring the fact that for most people, especially in the world of sports, merit has nothing to do with it and you get jobs based on who your friends are. That institutional discrimination is built into society and that continues to reward the mediocrity of white men while making it hard for women and people of colour to rise to the top levels of their fields.

Anybody that whinges about equality/diversity or brings out the old "I have no problem but they have to be good enough" chestnut shows that they just don't get it.

 

[j_kazmi]

Isa Guha isn’t that bad. She’s speaks clearly so she’s way better than ramiz.

 

[Big Mac]

Also, the irony of having to explain institutional discrimination to a forum that primarily consists of people that have to deal with both racism and Islamophobia is not lost on me.

 

[ManFan]

1) The conceit behind the Bill Burr joke is that he's acting like a chauvinist idiot. It's like Al Murray the Pub Landlord, you're not actually meant to agree with him.

2) The second bit sounds awfully like the excuses made for preventing black people from playing quarterback or the things racists and idiots say when complaining about affirmative action. "Oh we should only hire black/brown people if they're the best man for the job" ignoring the fact that for most people, especially in the world of sports, merit has nothing to do with it and you get jobs based on who your friends are. That institutional discrimination is built into society and that continues to reward the mediocrity of white men while making it hard for women and people of colour to rise to the top levels of their fields.

Anybody that whinges about equality/diversity or brings out the old "I have no problem but they have to be good enough" chestnut shows that they just don't get it.

1) I understand that Bill Burr is a comedian and is not meant to be agreed with all the time. But he has a point here. There have been terrible male commentators but that does not excuse a female, to be poor enough for some people to put her on mute. It makes the decision to include her look forced.

2) Most people I know, including myself, have benefitted immensely from affirmative action. I have no problem with diversity which is why I always plead to allow sledging to showcase some character and joy into a game that has made everyone a gentleman prototype. What I am not in favor of is affirmative action for the sake of forced policy implementation. I know someone who suffers from that and he constantly complains that simply because of what his family WAS and the color of his skin, (white), he cannot obtain the benefits despite meeting the standards required to do so. I am all for diversity but it has to be also on merit. Going by your post, it would be like including a batsman for the role of a bowler simply because things need to be “different”.

 

[Big Mac]

1) I understand that Bill Burr is a comedian and is not meant to be agreed with all the time. But he has a point here.

And that point is?

Women have not inserted themselves into the NFL at all. That's just factually untrue. As for the breast cancer thing you mentioned, that's not women "ruining" the NFL. That's the NFL doing it themselves to try and get decent PR and sell pink merchandise to women while they're doing it.

So that's rubbish for a start.

There have been terrible male commentators but that does not excuse a female, to be poor enough for some people to put her on mute. It makes the decision to include her look forced.

1) Why not? If we can have men who are terrible at the job, and there are plenty of those in the commentary box, then why can't we have a woman who is terrible? That's pretty much the definition of sexism.

2) As for the people putting her on mute, not sure we should cater to the whims of sexists.

2) Most people I know, including myself, have benefitted immensely from affirmative action.

Then you should know better.

What I am not in favor of is affirmative action for the sake of forced policy implementation.

I refer you to my previous point about people that whine about "forced" diversity.

I know someone who suffers from that and he constantly complains that simply because of what his family WAS and the color of his skin, white, he cannot obtain the benefits despite meeting the standards required to do so. I am all for diversity but it has to be also on merit.

Oh there's a white guy somewhere that was crying about diversity?

Going by your post, it would be like including a batsman for the role of a bowler simply because things need to be “different”.

Errrr...no it isn't.

 

[Big Mac]

Let's talk about facts and not the feelings of people that are scared of women.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...study-workplace-office-mckinsey-a8166601.html

A business is likely to perform better financially if its workforce is more diverse, research from one of the world’s most prestigious consultancies has revealed.

McKinsey & Co examined over 1,000 companies across 12 countries and found that firms in the top quartile for gender diversity are 21 per cent more likely to enjoy above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile.

Companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity, meanwhile, are 33 per cent more likely to see higher-than-average profits than companies in the lowest quartile.

The least diverse companies, in both gender and ethnic terms, are 29 per cent more likely to underperform in terms of profitability, the consultancy said.

McKinsey found that the correlation exists across all geographies.

It also found that the correlation between ethnic diversity and financial performance is even more strongly pronounced for UK companies than elsewhere.

Companies benefit from both gender diversity and ethnic diversity. I'm not even talking about how it benefits society in the long term by proving role models for women and minorities. I'm talking about cold, hard, money. Diversity = More profits.

People need to stop treating the word diversity like it's the boogeyman, it just makes you look silly.