Female Pundits on Men's Sports Mod warning in Post #42

pappyodaniel · 07-04-2023 11:20pm #1

From Rugby to Football and even on our own national sports in GAA there has been a big change in the analysts covering big games.

Tuning in for big games I'm left scratching my head as to who these new guests are. I'm wondering what have they done to gain these well paying jobs?

Post game I'm left wondering what did I learn from these supposed experts.

Are they there on merit or is it some form of affirmative action?

Discuss

greenspurs · 08-04-2023 9:46am

Who watches/listens to pundits?

I watch the game, and make up my own mind ....

Allinall · 08-04-2023 9:47am

How much are they paid, OP?

Fr Tod Umptious · 08-04-2023 10:06am

It all depends on what they have to say.

There is no denying that a lot of male pundits offer nothing in the way of "analysis"

So it's the same for the females.

I believe there is one lady that has done analysis on Irish soccer games and she has put her male counterparts on the panel in the ha'penny place with her ability to analyze and articulate.

But even though it's common now to see female analysis, it's not that new.

The Sunday Game back in the 70s had a female analysts talking about hurling.

Augme · 08-04-2023 10:12am

Have you ever heard of Google OP? Maybe the next time you are sratching your head wondering how they are, you could Google it.

Montage of Feck · 08-04-2023 10:17am

Sports punditry has well jumped the shark, who wants to listen to an hour or more of dour gobbly gook technobable. Bring back the craic, who cares about the sex of the presenters.

kksaints · 08-04-2023 10:18am

Depends on the quality of the pundit really. Lots of former male players are dreadful pundits so to me the gender of the pundit doesn't matter. With regards to RTEs football coverage give me Karen Duggan and Lisa Fallon over the likes of Stephen Kelly or Ronnie Whelan.

08-04-2023 10:23am

Jane Mangan on racing and Laura Davies on golf are two that immediately spring to mind as being genuinely excellent pundits, regardless of their gender.

Allinall · 08-04-2023 10:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453915#Comment_120453915

They do all the time.

Jack Daw · 08-04-2023 10:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453819#Comment_120453819

Yep.I've given up on pretty much all sports media in the last few years, I even turn off the sound of most matches so I can watch without commentary.

Much more enjoyable way to watch sport that way, truth is most pundits and sports journalists provide almost zero insight.

cms88 · 08-04-2023 10:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453923#Comment_120453923

Not really anymore though. Often have all female panels.

cms88 · 08-04-2023 10:38am

Being a female pundit must be one of the best jobs going. Safe in the knowledge that no matter how bad you are no one can ever say it because you can also just pull the sexism card. Are all male pundits good? No but they'll have to put up with that criticism as ''part of the job''

AndrewJRenko · 08-04-2023 10:44am

Things were much better in the old days

https://youtu.be/LS37SNYjg8w

Furze99 · 08-04-2023 10:49am

This trend that has exploded in the last two or three years leaves me baffled. To speak knowledgably of either womens or mens sports at any sort of decent level - surely you have to have played at that level in those competitions. I'm scratching my head when I hear a woman giving her expert opinion of what's going on in the scrum of an international mens rugby match - how could she possibly know? Most men wouldn't know even but at least some might. Likewise if I heard John Mullane giving his pearls of wisdom on a county camogie match - I'd be thinking what de f* does he know about camogie at a county level. But you don't hear John M as far as I recall talking about camogie.

I've no problem at all with men or women giving their opinions on any sports as in ordinary supporters. Not quite sure about TV hosts of sports shows, as they steer the inputs of the pundits but you can make an argument there that as long as they don't force their own opinions, it is fair enough.

tesla_newbie · 08-04-2023 10:55am

I’d prefer Fiona Coughlin doing punditry on men’s rugby to the incredibly boring Rob Kearney or the absurd Matt Williams

can’t stand Jacqui Hurley as a presenter though

gormdubhgorm · 08-04-2023 10:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058291526/female-pundits-on-mens-sports

It is a mixture regardess of gender some are excellent pundits - lisa fallon in the soccer is a particular standout. Aine Gallagher for hurling is very good on TG4. I find Noelle Healy informative and gives good insight on the football (GAA).

But there are others like many of the men who are terrible. Full of cliches and or talk in circles. There is a South African woman named Melissa Reedy who works for SKY. But she talks in circles and just waffles.

Like the OP once I got over the initial shock of wondering who the pundits were, as John Giles would say, I took them on their merits.

Buddy Bubs · 08-04-2023 11:31am

I think we are missing the real issue here, all sports pundits are sober is the problem. Bring back the days they came in drunk or cranky or hungover or had a row with the wife and took it out on the rest of the panellists, calling them names and saying they were a sh*te player and an even shi*ter analyst and sitting there in a huff smoking a fag.

MrMusician18 · 08-04-2023 11:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453971#Comment_120453971

It's especially true with Gaelic games as men's and women's games are organised by separate distinct organisations. Women play different games with different rules.

Fr Tod Umptious · 08-04-2023 11:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120454084#Comment_120454084

But the rule difference are very minimal.

Women can pick up off the ground in football, men can't.

There is a "countdown" clock in the ladies game.

But the opinion of a woman who knows her football and knows her football tactics and strategies and can read a game on what is going on in a men's senior game is just as valid as the option of a man regardless of the fact that she never played at men's senior level.

growleaves · 08-04-2023 11:57am

Re: female pundits, some of them are good enough that its hard to dismiss them entirely whatever shortcomings or experience gap they may have.

Punditry in general isn't great. MOTD in particular is too "matey" imo. It is good for comedy double acts like Neville-Keane and Neville-Carragher.

I find some Italians like Pirlo and Ancelotti are capable of merciless, cold-eyed analysis.

After Pirlo scored his famous "trick-shot" chip penalty against England, he said afterwards that he knew the over-confidence of the English team was fake and that all he needed was to cut through it and their morale would collapse.

That is ice-cold and too astute for a waffly television show.

08-04-2023 11:59am

I had to check this wasn't a zombie thread from the 1950s.

Did you smash it · 08-04-2023 12:33pm

The female pundits on the English channels during the World Cup were an incredible level of boring.

BPKS · 08-04-2023 2:12pm

The first Premier League (or former Premier league) player to come out as gay is going to absolutely mint it when it comes to punditry.

On the topic, some of the male pundits are woeful and some of the female pundits just as bad. What I would say is in relation to professional sports broadcasters - the level of competence they should have doesn't seem to be an issue for a lot of the new kids on the block, a lot of it seems to be related to gender balance.

osarusan · 08-04-2023 2:21pm

I'm usually surprised at just how little some pundits know (or at least, how little they are able to express) about a sport they played at an elite level for so long.

Ronnie Whelan and Damien Duff being two examples.

Lisa Fallon seems to know far more about the game and understand it better than they do.

thehairygrape · 08-04-2023 2:32pm

Depends on the pundit and the sport. Lisa Fallon is excellent and far more qualified than other pundits. Sonia is excellent on athletics. Noelle Healy very good. Ok, some of the female soccer pundits on the BBC aren’t great but then the male pundits aren’t either. Most are not professional broadcasters and have very little training so it must be hard for them.

Agree Rob Kearney is quite boring. Fiona Coughlan is good. Mixed bag really as in all aspects of life.

purifol0 · 08-04-2023 2:43pm

Yiz are missing the forest for the trees.

Female punditry is just a continuation of RTE and the rest of "official Ireland" promoting women into every high profile position regardless of merit (and in some cases - legality).

RTE and the rest of our public sector has been on a 10+ year long feminist free for all at tax payers expense. Advantaging women and discriminating against men all under the slogan of equality and diversity. I have thought yiz would have noticed this by now.