who belongs in the locker room?
on media access, athletes' bodies as spectacle, & changing with the times
Yesterday marked one year since October 7th and the beginning of the full-scale escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza. , whose newsletter is what I believe to be required reading, has a post that looks at the last year of the Gaza war through the lens of sports. I highly recommend reading it and subscribing to his newsletter to support the very important work that he does.
In Judaism, we are currently in the middle of the “Days of Awe,” the 10-day period between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. This time is also called the “Ten Days of Teshuvah” and is a time for repentance, renewal, and reflection. In our house, we say, “We will live to see a free Palestine, from the river to the sea.”
When my Hebrew school told us “Never again” when teaching us about the Holocaust, I took that to mean “Never again for anyone.” Not for Jews, not for Palestinians, not for immigrants detained at our borders, not for anyone anywhere. I am anti-Zionist because I am Jewish.
Free free Palestine.
Last week, the National Football League Players’ Association (NFLPA), the NFL players’ union, released a statement regarding locker room access for media. It read, in part, “Players feel that locker room interviews invade their privacy and are uncomfortable. This isn’t about limiting media access but about respecting players’ privacy and dignity.”
The PA called the current locker room policy “outdated” and said they were hoping to “foster a… safer workplace for all players.” They requested that interviews be conducted outside the locker room. For now, the request is just that—a request—because the NFL sets the rules for media.
For folks outside of sports media, this likely sounds like a reasonable request. But for the (mostly male) members of legacy outlets, especially longtime beat reporters, this statement was not well received. When I say there were full-blown temper tantrums happening, that’s not hyperbole.
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