Sexism Controversy Erupts After Female Olympian Makes NHL Broadcast Debut
Kendall Coyne Schofield has won two Olympic medals and five gold medals at the World Championships as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team.
But despite those accomplishments, NHL analyst Pierre McGuire felt the need to explain the game of hockey to Schofield when she made her broadcasting debut during Wednesday’s Pittsburgh Penguins-Tampa Bay Lightning game on NBCSN.
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) January 31, 2019
“So Tampa’s gonna be on your left. Pittsburgh’s gonna be on your right,” McGuire said to someone who has been playing hockey her whole life and knows where the home and visiting teams sit.
“What are you expecting out of this game?” he asked Schofield. “We’re paying you to be an analyst, not a fan tonight.”
McGuire seemed to treat her like someone who got called up from the crowd to work a game instead of a respected hockey player in her own right.
The video of the exchange has generated nearly 1.5 million views on Twitter.
Many who watched it said McGuire’s condescending tone was an example of “mansplaining.”
And Pierre McGuire is off to the mansplaining races! To Kendall Coyne Schofield: “We’re paying you to be an analyst, not to be a fan tonight!”
Perhaps I should be heartened that @NBCSN *is* paying her? #WNH
— Annelise (@mz_annelise) January 31, 2019
And over here behind the bench is the washer/dryer combo if the boys need more dry towels. Sandwiches need to be ready by end of regulation.
— shay shomething shmart (@ArkBuildersPa) January 31, 2019
Wow, you’re right: If you remove gender from this situation — in which a prominent active professional female athlete was invited to be a guest analyst during a men’s game, and then was treated like a moron fan girl by a male network analyst — the context WOULD change. Genius.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 31, 2019
Others, however, thought it was just light-hearted banter.
I think he was half joking. Actually a good sequence. Twitter overreacted once again
— Andy Nelson (@acnelson93) January 31, 2019
Sorry, looked pretty light hearted and good natured to me just based on the clip. ? Just trying to establish some chemistry in my opinion. …next.
— John Reinert (@JohnReinert44) January 31, 2019
Shofield herself stuck up for McGuire in a tweet Thursday.
“I’ve known Pierre McGuire for years,” she wrote. “I know he respects me as a hockey player, a woman, and a friend and that is why I didn’t think twice about our on-air exchange when it happened. … While I wish it came out differently, I know Pierre doesn’t question my hockey knowledge. But, to be honest, that’s not what’s important.
“What IS important is for every young girl reading this to know it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of my hockey knowledge — because I do not doubt my hockey knowledge. I didn’t need a gold medal to come to that conclusion. I needed belief in myself. That took time to build and I would never let someone else undo all of that work on the ice — and especially off.”
This past week… pic.twitter.com/h73xEA6QWc
— Kendall Coyne Schofield (@KendallCoyne) January 31, 2019
McGuire also followed up with a statement of his own in which he said he should have chosen his words better.
“I’ve known Kendall for years and have had the privilege of covering her as a member of Team USA at the past two Winter Olympics,” he said. “We were all thrilled to have her join over coverage last night, but at times my excitement got the better of me and I should have chosen my words better. I have the utmost respect for Kendall as a world-class player, analyst of the game, and role model.”
In addition to representing the U.S. Women’s National Team, Schofield took part in the Fastest Skater event at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.
She competed against NHL players and finished seventh out of eight participants.
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