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

The best most genuine, articulate, likeable and knowledgeable pundit on irish sports for me , male or female is Noelle Healy….as a player she’s won……..5 all Ireland’s, 4 all stars. All achieved while working as or studying to be a doctor…. Articulate, intelligent and interesting, super nice girl too… certainly a good addition to the ranks of pundits on RTE / irish sports…. And considering her aforementioned achievements, her contribution to the media as relates to the men’s game is absolutely ok with me…

Joanne Cantwell is absolute quality, nobody with a bad word to say about her, a former Dublin footballer and Leinster Championship winner. More presenter then pundit but the point still stands.

Cora Staunton, 4 all Irelands 11 all Stars with Mayo… a very savvy, enthusiastic, insightful and good pundit… and very respected individual.

Stephanie Roche, that’s a bit of a head scratcher… few times I’ve seen her, not the most natural communicator..speaking way too fast, breathlessly tripping over words to get to the end of the sentence … almost can’t wait for the anchor to ask one of her colleagues the next question..

Stephanie contributes from about 1:10 …..^^^ one might think that she is there to add more gender balance ? Possibly or probably but I’d like to think that if RTE are of that mindset that perhaps there might be more suitable alternatives for the job….

Ebony Rainford Brent and Isa Guha are brilliant on cricket…. Both ex internationals, excellent communicators.

I thought about individual sports like tennis, athletics and golf etc but even there I'm not so sure. There's still a large gap between mens and womens tennis at grand slam level. Someone like Marion Bartoli is very competent and experienced at a high level in womens tennis but she has never had to take on the likes of Djokovich, Nadal or even any of the top 50 male players in the closing rounds of a grand slam. How can she comment knowledgeably without knowing that aggression, intensity and pressure.

Tennis is still played a high level by women in it's own right even if not comparable to the output of men, same with athletics and a few others I could think of field hockey for example .....they are all watchable from a tv spectator point

I've tried watching womens football but I just can't ....there's nothing there for me personally, would love to know the viewing figures it gets on tv and while it appears to be getting crowds in stadia it does appear to me to be a totally different diaspora to that of the mens game

It's all moot anyway, broadcasters all across the board have gone with female pundits from all walks being brought on ......something that is likely to increase more than anything so any amount of complaining won't change that

good post but women’s tennis hasn’t been good in many decades. It’s hopelessly inferior nowadays

Your theory certainly doesn’t hold true with Richie Sadlier. He’s done a bit more than “most basic intellectual development”.

I have absolutely no issue with female pundits, as mentioned, some of them have proven to be superior to their male counterparts. A good point was made that being a good pundit does not necessarily equate with playing at the top level of that sport.

What I have an issue with is the script that has been written which presents women's sport at the top level as being comparable with their male counterparts. That is plainly not the case. Granted, sports such as tennis can often produce better contests, but in arenas such as rugby and soccer it is definitely the case that the female game is not as fast or skilful.

The hypocrisy of those in the media when it comes to this is most galling. I would suggest that if you offered the average person on the street the choice of a ticket to a top flight men's match or women's, they would choose the men's match 100% of the time. That is just the way it is.

Men, because of the physical difference, kick the ball harder, run faster and play a contest that is usually more intense than the female equivalent.

This is in no way to denigrate women's sport - one of the best fights I have seen is Katie Taylor's bout with Serrano - but, in the areas of team sports such as soccer, rugby, hurling, Gaelic football, the men's game is definitely at a higher level.

The issue of punditry is a different matter, and as I said I have absolutely no issue with female presenters or pundits. Gabby Logan and Joanne Cantwell are two that spring to mind as being particularly knowledgeable and are at the top of their game.

The lie being constantly peddled that the women's game is on a par with the men's is the problem. It's virtue signalling in overdrive, and needs to be toned down...

This is an interesting comment, and generally true.

In very general terms women are not as interested in sports as men, and men are not as interested in women's sports as they are in men's sports.

So overall women's sports are not as popular as men's.

Various patries like sports governing bodies and the media have over the last few years tried to push a narrative that the opposite is true, that people are as interested in women's sports as in men's.

And thus you have sports stories with headlines like "so and so to start for such and such a team in champions league quarter final", without any indication that it's the women's champions league they are talking about.

And the governing bodies are never slow to remind us how much they support the ladies side of the sport.

But this is beginning to come to a head, especially in rugby, where the ladies are looking for better facilities,a better share of profits etc.

But the governing body is pushing back, because in reality the women's game is not generating anything and has to be subsidized, because surprise surprise it's not actually that popular.

Women's sport is niche, and always will be.

Ladies Gaelic football has been on TG4 for over 20 years, and is well established there and is well suited there, as it's a niche product on a niche station.

Have you read his book? Are you familiar with his counselling work, particularly working with teenage boys.

For a start 'financial doping' is a phrase borrowed from a soccer manager and shoehorned into the GAA to suit arguements and agendas. If you look at GAAconomics by Michael Moyinhan

You will see how money in the GAA funnels back into itself.

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As for 'financial doping' argument used against the GAA - it is normally used by non GAA people or contrarians looking for an argument online, but that is not a discussion for this thread. It has been well discussed in many other threads. Simply put you can't buy players in the GAA - so 'financial doping' line becomes tenuous at best or laughable at worst.

As regards falling back on your stereotypes of calling most GAA people as thick as short planks, I suggest you go through the Dublin football and hurling team. Look at where they are employed and so on. From all sorts of demographics they are doing well for themselves. Philly McMahon has his fitness/food business. Dr. Jack McCaffery... yes doctor Jack McCaffery has returned to the Dublin fold.

To be honest the GAA in Dublin has become a mainly middle class game. So the majority are erudite and articulate. You only have to listen to Eoghan O'Donnell (Dublin hurler) speaking and giving analysis - for example. Plus look at the areas where Dublin hurling traditionally thrives Ballyboden, Kilmacud, Dalkey. And when Dublin won Sam in 2011 in the football. One of the players started a singing on the bus parade 'We have the poshest full back line in the world'

All of which you plainly have no idea of judging by your post. The next question I will ask why do you think they come across as thick? I mean calling Rugby players thick in analysis, surely omits the fact that many Rugby players work in white collar and are privately educated. Shane Horgan is working in the Legal field in England, for example.

That is not to say you have to be extremely educated to give a good analysis of a game. Tomás Ó Sé is a primary school teacher, and has a good turn of phrase when describing matches or GAA issues. It is unfair to tar all analysts as 'thick' regardless of gender.

@CGI_Livia_Soprano 'along with some chemical assistance hahaha'

That's every sport though.

Vicky Sparks? I agree she is an awful commentator, used to work for Radio Norwich then got promoted to mainstream. Mistakes loudness for sincerity. But there are plenty of Male commentators just as bad.

For me, a pundit should be recognisable to the average viewer. I can’t remember a single male pundit that I didn’t recognise. Thus I know they are speaking from experience of playing at the level of men’s professional sport. That doesn’t mean they won’t be thick or boring, but they are speaking from experience.

I never recognise the women pundits. I am sure they haven’t played at the level they are commenting on.

I’d hate to ever be a token choice in a profession. No self-worth.