For years, sexism and harassment has been one of the most ugly problems faced in the workplace. Despite many strides taken to eliminate this obstacle, recent sports news, such as the Brett Favre voicemails and the Jets sexual harassment of Ines Sainz, has brought to light that much more attention needs to be focused on this controversial issue. So why is there such a sudden trend of women being mistreated by athletes? Curious for an answer, I went around campus to get an idea of what students think about women working in the sports industry.

One reason suggested is that females are judged more by physical appearance than men, as opposed to by their knowledge of certain situations. “I do feel that women are treated differently in the sports industry,” Angela Krontiris, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’12, said. “As a woman, participating in the sports industry requires two things: knowledge of sports and a good physique.”

Other people believe that it’s because in general, women are treated unfairly in the work force. “I think women in society are viewed to be inferior in general, not just in the sports industry, but also in the workforce,” said Amy  Shen, FCLC ’12.  “This is because the values of how a woman is supposed to act are derived from a man’s perspective of how a woman should behave.”

Although women have slowly been making a name for themselves in the sports industry, with the likes of Christine Brennan (USA Today) and Erin Andrews (ESPN), there have been cases, many recent, where female sports reporters are often treated as sex symbols rather than professional journalists. “Sexual objectification is wrong, regardless of where it occurs,” Vanessa Camacho, FCLC ’12, said.

The current case that has gained the most prominence is that of Ines Sainz’s mistreatment in the Jets Locker Room. It has sparked debate over whether women should be allowed in male locker rooms and whether female sports reporters should have a dress code.

Students also voiced that they believed female sports journalists often have to work harder to be taken seriously by their coworkers in the sports world. “Women have to and are made to work harder in the predominately male arena,” Laurene Francois,  FCLC ’11 and a women studies major, said. “They face being left out of the discussion; the value of her integrity is raised and not worthy.”

With the recent spike in sexual harassment cases between athletes and women in the sports industry, some students fear that athletes could receive special treatment because of their star status.

“People and the media fail to realize that public figures such as these should not be excused from wrongful actions but rather punished and granted the consequences that those actions entail,” Camacho said.

Although times have changed, the issues are still the same. Many students believe women will always need to show that they can flourish alongside their male counterparts. “Females always have to prove themselves—not as a woman, but as an individual in the field,” Francois said.