Report: ESPN’s “entrenched locker room culture” has led to hostile treatment of women

The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe describes a male-oriented culture at the Disney-owned sports network “where men have made unwanted sexual propositions to female colleagues, given unsolicited shoulder rubs, and openly rated women on their looks, and, in at least one case, sent shirtless selfies, according to interviews with roughly two dozen current and former employees.” The Globe further reports that “some women said that the environment at ESPN can be so hostile — and plum positions for female sports journalists so precarious — that they hid pregnancies and felt pressured to take short maternity leaves in order to protect their positions. One anchor even did her scheduled broadcast while she was having a miscarriage to prove her commitment to her job, according to former employees.”

• UPDATE: ESPN responds: "We work hard to maintain a respectful and inclusive culture at ESPN. It is always a work in progress, but we're proud of the significant progress we've made in developing and placing women in key roles at the company in the board room, in leadership positions throughout ESPN and on air."