Congratulations Andy Benoit, you’re likely to be internet famous in the next few hours.
https://twitter.com/Andy_Benoit/status/613126409209274372
Oh no he didn’t….but alas, he did indeed. Congratulations Benoit, you’ve set yourself, men and journalism back an entire decade or 40. However, don’t think he doesn’t want women playing sports — they’re just “not worthy” of being watched.
Benoit was immediately lambasted for his misogynistic and caveman response to a little poking from someone on Twitter.
Here’s the post that got it all going for Benoit…who didn’t have to take the bait, but he did.
And here some people (ahem, @Andy_Benoit) argue that women's soccer isn't worth watching. https://t.co/0IdV8BdDH3
— Mark Mravic (@MarkMravic) June 22, 2015
The Twitterverse let Benoit have it, which is why the social media app and site is so great — instant feedback and instant b.s. detector.
Naturally it took a few minutes for Benoit to try and walk back the original statement.
https://twitter.com/Andy_Benoit/status/613137416686206976
It didn’t help much, other than to continue to dig his own grave — especially working at a dying publication like Sports Illustrated.
https://twitter.com/KennyOcker/status/613139295121989632
https://twitter.com/daveanthony/status/613137840226988032
.@Andy_Benoit This Tweet will be deleted any minute now. #FootInMouth
— Sean Jordan (@BaySean) June 22, 2015
@BaySean @Andy_Benoit Nah, I figure he'll double down on his stupidity and attempt to defend the comment.
— tom howden 🇨🇦 (@Thomas_Howden) June 23, 2015
(how spot on was that one)
https://twitter.com/brittanyschray/status/613132276285571072
While everyone is certainly entitled to an opinion (even if you disagree), I have one other major problem — outside of the obvious here.
That problem is this is coming from a journalist — otherwise known as someone that should have the capacity to critically think and offer up smart words for the public to consume. Instead, Benoit went to the bread-and-butter of the good ole’ boys club that existed (and still does apparently) for ever in the profession.
Benoit’s laziness and tired opinion also fly in the face of record TV ratings (something he sited) for USWNT games in the Women’s World Cup this year. The Sweden match held a record for most-viewed group stage match in history…only to be broken a few short days later in a prime-time game against Nigeria that meant very little in the grand scheme of the tournament and also went up against game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Not only that, but Benoit did the one thing I can’t stand — trying to make a name by saying something controversial, just because.
His one sentence Tweet is likely to be spread like wildfire, and the only person winning by it is Benoit. Sad really, because he’s the idiot in this situation.
Furthermore, it’s cheap publicity and one has to ask themselves is it ever even worth reading what this guy ever has to say again considering his lack of judgement here? Boycott’s aren’t very useful, but considering the level of NFL coverage all over the internet, tuning in to get your fix of NFL news and analysis for other sources may be the smart move.
Not because Benoit’s statements were about as caveman as possible, but because his tweet and thoughts on women’s sports aren’t original. If you want to argue why women’s sports aren’t more popular fine, but trashing them as “unwatchable” or “not worth watching” out of hand is lazy.
Bad journalists are lazy, and Andy Benoit was the laziest of them all on Monday night.
