Richard Scudamore

So which is it then:

A shocking expose highlighting the double standards of English football's head administrator?

or,

Another example of an uptight woman sticking her nose into something that doesn't have anything to do with her and who can't take a joke?

 

The first.

 

Second.

 

Definitely not the latter. All men know it isn't a case of Rani Abraham not being able to take a joke. They prove that every day of their lives by not speaking in the way Scudamore has in front of women. They know such language and attitudes are offensive, so they don't do it. They're not jokes, it's just misogyny.

However, I'm not convinced it's the former either. Might be, but I don't know. There are men, far too many, who genuinely believe what Scudamore and his mate have written. However, there are a hell of a lot of men who don't think like that at all, but do sometimes find themselves expressing similar views. Why? Because when men get together they're arseholes. It's all jokes, banter, outdoing one another, fitting in. They say stuff that they don't mean, that is quite often exactly the opposite to what they think. They don't repeat such things in front of women not only because they know it's offensive, but because they genuinely don't believe a bloody word of it.

The relationships we form in our society are highly nuanced. We change the language we use, the accent we speak in, the subjects we broach and the attitudes we display depending on who we're talking to. When I'm with close friends and family I wouldn't dream of being derogatory to women. I wouldn't either when speaking to people I know less well, a bunch of blokes in the pub for example, but I might smile at their 'jokes' and I wouldn't bother challenging their attitudes. What's the point? It's not for me to change the mind of everyone I meet. I tried that when I was younger and soon realised I was making myself look a right wnaker. And anyway, as explained above, much of the time you'll challenge an attitude the person doesn't actually have, and all you're doing is proving you haven't the ability to adapt to social situations an understand how our society works.

Dunno if Scudamore is a misogynist or a successful socialiser. I do know it's not as black and white as is being made out, that what we sometimes say and what we actually believe are not necessarily the same, and the only people for who that is not the case are those with no friends who get on everyone's tits. In all such cases people seem to lose the understanding of what we're all really like.

 

His comments were crude and disgusting. You can argue they were private, but you can't have someone speaking about womens football, equality and such like in the game when they're talking about women he knows in such a fashion.

 

What did he actually say

 

He's gotta go but he won't.

 

Glad somebodies asked.

 

Check the Sunday Mirror from a couple of weeks ago - referred to women as "gash" amongst other things.

Nothing you wouldn't hear down the boozer on a Friday but he had the stupidity to commit them to electronic media during working hours at FA headquarters.

Jay's post sums up my thoughts exactly. More faux outrage from the media directed at a bloke that should've known better.

The moral of the story? Either don't have attitudes that are 40 years out of date or use personal SMS instead of organisational e-mail. Or both.

 

Bit deep that Jay. You should have shared the dressing rooms with the women's football teams I've coached over the past 15 years or so
and you would lighten up a bit. By the way I know **** all about what Scudamore has said or done, but I know it's a lot less that the stuff
I've come out with in the context of a competitive game or a bit of dressing room banter.

 

The thoughts and words of one person are probably irrelevant no matter what their position and we've all made an inappropriate remark in our lives. Clearly he attitude at a corporate level is more important. I did some work with the FA last year and whilst they were committed dedicated football people they were clearly from a particular white, rich and male background.

I'd say this is about right behind the platitudes of equality.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/18/tackling-inequality-no-go-kick-it-out