Diane
Hill: Inside the Locker Room
When I was about 12 years old my grandfather told
me that the definition of SUCCESS is getting the
respect of those individuals whom you respect. I
never quite understood what he meant or how important
"respect" was until I stepped into the
locker room for the first time.
Truth be told, it took me almost a year to muster
the courage to enter the "forbidden land".
I felt like Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz".
I had heard a lot of things about "behind the
curtains" and how impossible it was for a woman
to be taken serious, how impossible it was for a
woman to get RESPECT. I was dreading the thought
of trying to make a living in the presence of naked
men. Somehow that didn't seem normal to me...or
comfortable for that matter.
Would they be discreet if I was in there or would
they prance around trying to make me blush? Would
they welcome a female presence or would they stick
to their "good ole boys" network? I started
to drive myself crazy by overanalyzing what amounted
to a walk down a hallway.
I reminded myself that I was not the first woman
to enter a locker room and I definitely would not
be the last. So I threw caution to the wind and
entered the clubhouse. As soon as I entered the
entire place fell silent. "Oh no," I thought.
"This was a bad idea."
A couple guys were playing cards, a few were playing
dominoes. The pitcher was watching game tape and
the third baseman was getting treatment in the training
room. But they all stopped and looked at me.
I broke the ice by introducing myself and like
clockwork they all went back to their business.
I made my way to the shortstop--the star of the
team. I figured if I was going to do this I was
going to start at the top and make my way down.
To my relief he welcomed the chance to break the
monotony of the usual beat writers. He even called
his teammates over during the interview to chime
in. I hit a grand slam that day and each time it
becomes a little easier.
Sure there is the occasional embarrassing moment
when I accidentally look over as a guy is changing
or the unfortunate times when some of the older
PR guys for the teams revert to their antiquated
sexist attitudes and hassle me simply for being
a woman in their world.
But that's the irony. The athletes aren't the ones
who have a problem with the women as long as they
are prepared and professional. I've been given the
most grief by PR directors and male reporters.
Women have broken a lot of the glass ceilings of
the past, but we still have a long way to go. Every
time I've entered a clubhouse I've been the only
woman. That fact alone makes me realize how fortunate
I am and how difficult it is to be respected in
a field that's predominately male.
At the end of last season a highly regarded future
hall of fame centerfielder waited for me as I interviewed
his teammates to give me his last interview of the
year. When I asked him why HE was WAITING for ME,
he replied, "Because you are one of few reporters
that I trust and respect."
Grandpop, I'm successful.
Diane Hill is a sports journalist. Click here
for more.
