Jacqui OatleyApril 27, 2007 WOMEN have come a long way in sport, but events of the past week in England show they still have a long way to go.
That was borne out by the extraordinary reaction to the BBC's introduction of the first female commentator on its football institution Match Of The Day.
Critics did not wait until Jacqui Oatley, 32, uttered a word during Fulham's 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
When news of Oatley's approaching debut broke, shrill opposition quickly followed. A newspaper survey had 77 per cent of readers disagreeing with her appointment, describing football as being in a "female frenzy".
After her debut, another said the idea of female commentary was "abhorrent", an "insult" to male commentators, and Oatley's "excited voice sounds like a fire siren".
Ex-government minister turned sports columnist David Mellor said: "The verbal excitability so necessary to the football commentator's art does not suit unbroken voices . . . I didn't much care for Ms Oatley's squeaks of excitement."
Former Crystal Palace and Sheffield United manager Dave Bassett declared himself and his wife "totally against it", saying it "undermines the credibility of the program".
"I knew this would happen eventually. The world of football is so politically correct these days," Bassett lamented.
"You must have an understanding of the game and the tactics and in order to do that you need to have played the game."
What Bassett failed to grasp was that Oatley was a successful player until a knee injury ended her career and prompted her to do what she saw as the next best thing and report on it.
Many of the arguments against Oatley - shrill voice, lack of playing experience - are smokescreens disguising the real gripe of her critics, which is the intrusion of a woman into a cosy male domain.
As it turns out, her performance was largely well received, despite the scrutiny.
No thanks to her Match Of The Day colleagues.
Former England striker and host Gary Lineker quipped that "not even the presence of our female commentator" could inspire Fulham to victory.
Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon, in a patronising attempt at encouragement, replied: "She did well, didn't she?"
If their comments were well intentioned, they only served to draw yet more attention to Oatley's gender.
The BBC said Oatley will get more games, saying her presence probably brought in many first-time viewers.
It was a rationale that also prompted Australia's most remembered experiment with female commentary in a predominantly male game, when Channel 9 brought Kate Fitzpatrick into the booth for the 1983-1984 cricket season.
Fitzpatrick was set up for a fall by being instructed to ask questions about play rather than call the game, making her appear less informed on the game than she probably was.
Since those days, Australian female reporters have been abundant in covering mostly male sports from cricket to Australian rules football and rugby league.
But when it comes to broadcast roles, they have been restricted to presenting or, at best, "boundary riders" during matches.
AAP
