Letter: Softball team snubbed by Advocate

Anyone who watched the LSU softball game on Saturday was treated to some really exciting play and a real nail-biter as LSU beat an outstanding Kentucky team. LSU’s women came from behind in the bottom of the ninth inning to win. One would think this would have earned them a spot on the front page of the Sunday sports section.

Unfortunately, on the front page was a story about early admission LSU football players, a well-deserved article about Southern’s basketball team getting a chance to go to the NCAA tournament, and, of course, the story and pictures of LSU’s baseball team beating Mississippi State.

On Page 3, without a single picture, was the story about the softball team’s dramatic win. Their treatment in the local newspaper certainly does not do much to inspire young girls considering going into athletics. But I guess women’s sports will always be treated as second class, at least in Baton Rouge,

Jackie Tabony

retired teacher

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by Attila - 24/03/2013

Title XI forces universities to fund athletic programs that almost no one is interested in except the players and their families. Thank God it did not force "equal TV time and newspaper exposure"....and DMJ, 8point6 is right. Liberal politics created this petty controversy so it is definitely political. When Title XI athletics provide the same revenue as men's do, we can have this conversation again,.

2) Comment by Gradstudent1 - 23/03/2013

Vernonbrew.... I am fairly sure the softball players go to school. And I'd bet a good deal of money that they have a higher graduation rate than football players, and become more productive members of society as well. It is sad how college football players are used resulting in many either not graduating, quitting school, or getting passing grades for work not done.

3) Comment by Vernonbrew22 - 22/03/2013

Waste of time and money: College softball. Go to school.

4) Comment by Mygulfbleedsforu - 22/03/2013

Did 8point6 dig deep? Wow.

5) Comment by DMJ - 22/03/2013

8point6, nice mental gymnastics to make this about politics. You really had to dig deep for that one, eh?

6) Comment by Mygulfbleedsforu - 22/03/2013

I feel your pain, having felt similar dissatisfaction for a different reason in the past. A sportswriter explained to me at that time that their job is not to create or stimulate public interest in a particular sport but to report on the things the public is already most interested in.

7) Comment by [e-mail] - 22/03/2013

Well, I thought our team was prettier, no doubt about that, and the ladies battled like champions. I guess that's why so many of their games are televised?

8) Comment by 8point6 - 22/03/2013

Someone on the team should have made a derogatory remark about a political conservative. That would have immediately gotten the attention of this medium, and, maybe a small space on the front page. The team would have then, been interviews.

9) Comment by bourbon-soda - 22/03/2013

Nothing competes with football for publicity at LSU, but baseball gets more than softball. If the girls want more publicity, they should go out for baseball. Good luck. Oh, and football pays the bills for those Title IX teams.

10) Comment by Bighug - 22/03/2013

I'll believe women's teams will be on a par with the men when they start referring to the male athletes as "Gentlemen Tigers."