Welcome to a brand new episode of the Arsenal Women Arsecast, the number one podcast about Arsenal Women.
In this episode of the Arsenal Women Arsecast, Tim is joined by Women’s Football journalist and author Carrie Dunn to discuss the recent reaction and fallout of several WSL players recently contracting Covid after travelling to Dubai during the winter break. What does the strength of the reaction say about our expectations of women and women athletes?
Tim and Carrie discuss the “angel in the house” traditions that govern our impression of women footballers and the idea that women’s footballers are and should be morally superior to their male equivalents. Is this an “us and them” moment between fans, the press and the players in women’s football? Will the sense of relatability around women’s football inevitably fade as the game grows and has that created a false moral standard for female footballers anyway?
You can follow Carrie on Twitter @CarrieSparkle
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Female footballers should not be expected to comply with higher moral standards than men. But if they break the rules, they must face the exact same consequences as men.
Two long years ago before the Conti Cup final at Bramhall Lane I recollect a fans forum hosted by Dan C and featuring Tabbe Kemme, Viki Schnaderbeck, Lia Walti and Jess Samuelson (Jordan Nobbs would have been there but was tv commentating) all of whom were injured. One of the questions put to the girls was, “Are they jealous that they are not treated the same as their male counterparts in terms of remuneration and recognition for their undoubted talent?” The response was that they were not jealous and that they were grateful to be full time professionals doing something… Read more »
Great podcast and very good points made. For me the main issue is the reaction from the club, or lack thereof. We can talk about how the women made a mistake and how maybe they need to be more careful because of living situations and the bigger impact an outbreak will have. And the differences it is with the men. But the lack of transparancy and statements is what pisses me off. At least Casey has said what we’re all thinking. Mistakes can be made but looking back we can say it was a mistake and we now apologise for… Read more »
Excellent podcast Tim! I really appreciate the nuanced discussion and framing this in light of societal biases and stereotypes. And it’s nice too that there’s some self-reflection 🙂