Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America

“Sidelined” consistently focuses on the place of women in American sports culture. The author, Julie DiCaro, worked in sports media before losing her job during the 2020 COVID pandemic. In the introduction she tells the reader that working in sports talk radio is “like working in a frat house” and goes on to prove it. There are very few women in sports talk radio. When they want to write about some of the larger cultural stories surrounding sports—social justice; the inequity in treatment between male and female athletes including equipment, venues, and pay; sexual harassment of the women who report on men’s sports; cases of sexual assault and domestic abuse perpetrated by male athletes—the station can shut down the story to avoid upsetting an important team or client. Stations also continue to have as guests male athletes who have been repeated and credibly accused of sexual assault because hey are popular. Some even employ these men as commentators.DiCaro begins with a history of women reporting on men’s sports and includes stories about access to male locker rooms (while raising the question of why interviews are even done in locker rooms). Early on women had buckets of water thrown on them and jockstraps thrown at them. Today many sports reporters are ‘sideline’ reporters who report from the field when there’s a lull in the action. Few have their own sports shows. Even if they are in the studio, they solicit the opinions of the males on the program.One of the worst aspects of the job for a female sports commentator today is the blowback on social media, where they are cursed out, called slurs, and even receive death threats. A complete chapter covers the toxic, misogynistic environment of Barstool Sports which has a vast following of “Stoolies” who use social media to stalk, troll, and harass women.The very sound of female voices calling sports make some sports fans irate. Because of all this, women in sports often self-police, following all the rules, leaving off personality, which is so important in sports talk media.The second half of the book deals with female athletes and women’s sports including double standards for behaviors (the treatment of Serena Williams stars in this section), the fight for equal pay (with an in-depth look at soccer) and finally the state of women’s and girls’ sports in other areas of the world relative to the United States.DiCaro makes suggestions for female sports fans to support both female athletes and reporters such as tuning in or listening in when females are playing or reporting.All of DiCaro's discussions are backed with facts, stats, and examples from life.”Sidelined” iIncludes both a bibliography of sources and a helpful index for those looking to do their own research.

Ok I have yet to read this book, I literally just purchased. However when I read a description that says “researched” I expect citations in footnote or endnote form. There very well could be citations in this book, but quickly pushing through the pages, at least through page 34 there are no citations. This is clearly inaccurately claimed to be researched.I will add to this after I read this book. But I honestly will look at the author’s conclusions sideways since there is a lack of provable research here.Edit additionPage 17 needs so many citations here that the author reports 3rd party information, friend of a deceased reporter stating that a Hall of Famer restrained another Hall of Famer. There are quotes here but no information where these were sourced. I don’t doubt Jack Morris said this to the author, a cite is needed here. This book is full of this issue. At this point, 17 pages into it, a side eye about the accuracy of these accounts is necessary.Second editThe author, Julie Dicaro, begins citing what looks like one book and directly quotes people she called up later on. It is a startChapter 2 discusses her voice. I live in the Chicago area and listened to her weekend show. Her voice, if anything, would not play well in other markets. To me it was distinctly a Chicago voice. In other words, I enjoyed it because I live in this area. I’m guessing someone in Phoenix would find it amusing or annoying, but really that’s all region dialects. I dislike the East Coast dialects with a passion. Julie, if you read this running commentary, I did find your voice soothing and enjoyed it.Ok page 31 (kindle), you missed a great opportunity to mention The Fabulous Sports Babe show. That was the first time I recall a woman sports broadcaster and that was in the 1990s.

Anyone who follows Julie Dicaro on Twitter (or other women in sports media) may have a fair amount of familiarity with some aspects of this chronicle on sexism in sports media. Sidelined starts with a turning point in the coverage of men's sports by female journalists and then shifts to current times, showing how the ball has moved forward. Given the portions of the book that detail extremely toxic male behavior (combined with a general failure by male management to do much for females in sports media), there is a heck of a lot more forward to go.Dicaro tells some her story, supplemented by interviews with many other women from different eras, while also providing other things, from scientific research on how men and women deal with situations to a trip to Pakistan that really made clear what sports can mean to girls and women, and this book is at turns depressing and anger inducing, but ultimately, by showing what exactly women in sports media face, could be inspirational, as it makes easier for women trying to make things better in this field by letting them know exactly what they're up against. (Of course, it would also be great if more men in sports media read this and took action to make things better).

First, I suggest only looking at reviews from verified purchasers of the book. If you read the book, you’ll understand why this is so important.Julie DiCaro does a great job addressing all aspects of women in sports. She points out the good, the bad, and the ugly but doesn't do it in a hopeless way. She offers doable ideas for how anyone can be an advocate for women in sports and sports media. Her personal experience add a depth of understanding that really makes this book stand out. I came away ultimately inspired to do more to support and raise women's voices in sports. My husband respects the work of DiCaro, but I have also heard him poo poo some things related to women in sports that DiCaro addresses in the book, so I'm super eager to get him to read the book, too, so we can talk about it!

An absolutely fascinating glimpse into the world of sports media and sports culture in the US.I thought it was tough for women working in the UK but the level of misogynistic, sexist abuse Julie DiCaro and other female broadcasters have experienced in the US is quite extraordinary.Much of what is shared, from the outrageous social media behaviour of Barstool fans through to the sexual violence records of high profile male athletes, left me feeling saddened and frustrated. But huge kudos to Julie to putting her head about the parapet to share these important stories with the world.Here’s hoping she’ll be able to look back in a decade and see her work had an impact on some of the darker elements in sports today.This book was so well written and easy to read read - I finished it in a weekend and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in sport.