If you’re one of the 99.9% of football fans for whom laughing at the Redskins lost its appeal long ago, you might not have heard about Washington running back Clinton Portis’ on-the-record comments last weekend. In reference to Ines Sainz, a blue-eyed, blonde reporter for TV Azteca, the always glib Portis went too far while talking on a local radio station and decreed that “somebody got to spark [a female reporter’s] interest, or she’s going to want somebody” in the locker room, among other ignorant verbal gems.

After a swift reprimand from the NFL, the media approached Portis yesterday again for follow-up. A teammate had taped over his mouth and a pad of paper with the words “no comment.”

Ugh.

So much of this is egos gone amok. Like all too many pampered NFL bad boys, Portis is under the impression that the sun rises and sets with the sole purpose of casting light over the hills and valleys of his superior musculature. But I’m honestly shocked this issue hasn’t come up before, with female reporters such as Erin Andrews and Jenn Brown venturing further and further into the public eye while society as a whole becomes too squeamish and quick to judge.

Now, I don’t want this to be some sort of feminist rallying cry or a forum for some good, old-fashioned “woe is me” complaining. I have been afforded many opportunities I never expected I’d get in the four-plus years I’ve covered local teams and I appreciate every one of them. But I feel bad for Ms. Sainz, who worked too hard to get where she is to be publicly – nationally – “outed” as a peeping tom.

Are you, engineers, doctors and lawyers to be, questioned about why you chose your field? I’m sure you are. But are your motives belittled and cheapened by people who should know better? Are you accused of wanting to hook up with every co-worker and client (so to speak) you come into contact with and called lovely things like “jersey chaser?” I hope not.

I love sports. I am very fond of the male population. But believe it or not, Clinton Portis, those two concepts can be mutually exclusive. A female reporter may find a subject attractive and maintain professionalism – believe it or not, it can be done. I go into a locker room to get quotes and write my story, not to ogle and gawk. Trust me, there are far easier ways to do that than working your butt off for months or even years to earn that press pass around your neck. I have to believe that if someone refuses to believe that, the problem might be on their end.

But for the more conservative pro athletes, several talking heads have proposed that an “interview room” separate from the locker room is something that should be required of all professional sports teams. N.C. State and a lot of Division 1 teams support this idea. It’s not a problem for athletes in non-revenue sports at our University because their locker rooms are a good distance away and the field is as good a place as any for a post game interview. But State basketball and football players retreat to the comfort of their locker rooms and members of the media can request the players they want to speak to. 

I understand the reasoning behind this. But it saddens me that we’ve gotten to the point where people are talking about requiring this. Interview rooms are cold and impersonal and you don’t always get the players or the quotes you’re looking for. Even if the person you want to talk to agrees to come over, there are some thirty-some reporters with recorders in his or her face. In a locker room you can mill around, talking to whomever you like and asking the questions you want. It’s as close to interviewing someone in their natural setting as you’re going to reasonably get on a game night.

To be honest, I would probably be a little miffed if someone shoved a camera in my face and started interviewing me as soon as I stepped out of the shower, male or female. But it’s a necessary evil to ensure that you, the readers, get your sports news as quickly and accurately as possible.

So until people tire of reading about their favorite sports stars, people like Portis need to nut up, shut up, or both. Becoming a pro athlete – or simply becoming a person of interest – means you don’t enjoy the same privacy you used to. That’s why they make the big bucks. Does that mean we should infringe on someone’s basic human rights? Heck no. But it also doesn’t mean reporters covering a sport played by the opposite gender should be made to feel like a horny intruder instead of a focused professional who was enthusiastically invited in.