We're heading into another day of the Erin Andrews civil trial, in which the sports TV reporter and host is suing the stalker who in September 2008 secretly filmed her while she was nude and the hotel in which it happened for $75 million in damages.
Pretty much every bit of detail that has emerged from the trial ranges from heartbreaking to disgusting — enough so to warrant a deeper reflection about the sexist culture that still very much permeates sports and the sports media. Among the lowlights:
*In the months between the leak of the video in 2009 and the arrest of Michael David Barrett, who made the video and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, Andrews testified Monday that widespread speculation that she had somehow created the video as a publicity stunt "ripped me apart." ESPN, her employer at the time, forced her to do an on-air interview reliving the experience as terms for returning to the air.
Let's think about that for a moment. I remember when all of this broke. And I remember the crass idiots who thought Andrews did this to boost her career. It was and remains sexism under the guise of skepticism.
*If that wasn't bad enough, a defense attorney during cross-examination Tuesday suggested her career has taken off since 2009, as Andrews moved from ESPN to Fox and landed other high-profile gigs and endorsements.
On the one hand, this is just a lawyer doing a job. If the job is to prove that the monetary damages being sought are out of line, one supposes this is a valid argument. On the other hand, the subtle insinuation here gets back into the territory of the publicity from the video somehow being "good" for Andrews. And again, that's a pretty low form of humanity.
In response to the line of questioning, Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, a national women's advocacy organization, released a statement that read in part: "Comments like the ones made by their attorney today contribute to rape culture and could sway other women not to come forward with their stories of assault. Their victim-blaming is shameful and an affront to women and survivors everywhere."
And as Lindsay Gibbs writes at Think Progress: Andrews was a rising star in the industry before this, and she's a bona fide star now — not because a man violated her and put her naked body all over the internet, or because of the attention she received for it, but because despite all of this, she was able to focus on her job and persevere. And she is brave for being so open about her struggles, and for continuing to seek justice in a system that so rarely provides it for women.
*Andrews, who is dating the Wild's Jarret Stoll, said she was reluctant to date after the video leaked and believes it still clouds her relationship with Stoll to this day. "I feel sad because I think he would have loved the girl more who was there before this happened," Andrews testified through tears on Tuesday. "And I feel guilty about that."
Still think this was good for her or that she wanted it to happen?
*Andrews says she is haunted by this every day. It impacts the level of safety and comfort she feels in hotels. It gets brought up daily, she said, in some form. She worries that if she has kids someday, they will find out about it.
These are real feelings that nobody should have to feel. These are things that very few men will experience. But we all understand this, right? I'll just check the Star Tribune comments for confirmation. Ah, here's the very first one I see, from commenter "snortski":
"I hope she doesn't get a bloody nickel. An attractive lady who's been privileged every second of her life wants $75 million b/c she experienced the slightest bit of discomfort. Who cares? … I think she's just embarrassed b/c her body is a total meh fest, nothing special!"
The dismissive "slightest bit of discomfort," and then the objectification/shaming of her body. All in one tight paragraph.
[Note: comments have since been turned off on that story].
This is a real thing that someone not only thought but took the time to share. In 2016. Amazing. Sad. More than sad. And there are more like that on the same story and on stories across the country. There are more rational, empathetic, healthy comments as well. But at best, it's a pretty even split.
I'll end this with a trip back in time to August 2008. Andrews was dealing with the fallout from what, in retrospect, was a much tamer story: a reporter had written about Andrews being a distraction for wearing a "low cut dress" while covering a Cubs game in the middle of summer.
I had done a Q&A with Andrews at some point previous to that, and when the dress "scandal" was ongoing, I reached out to her for another interview that she granted. Among the things she said:
"I'm no dummy. I'm conscious that every day I have to prove myself. Being a woman, I thought at some point we were all past this. I'm not going to change. I can't change. … I think my overall reaction is that it's really sad that in 2008 … I have people watching every single move I make."
A month later, she was violated the privacy of her hotel room. She didn't ask for any of this. Nobody asks for something like that, and all victims deserve better.
