To say that political correctness has become something of an obsession in the public sphere, and in particular, the media, would not, believes Chris Bridger, be an over-exaggeration. So you would have thought that Richard Keys and Andy Gray may have tried to be a little bit more careful when discussing their, for want of a better word, ‘misguided’ views on the role of women in football.
As yet, Sky have merely released a press release stating that their actions are “inexcusable, entirely inconsistent with our ethos as a business and employer.” Gray and Keys were replaced for last night’s clash between Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea and, once again, the world of football looks on at the views of supposed ‘experts’ and laughs at how puerile, prehistoric, and idiotic their views are.
Now, you have probably read countless articles lambasting the two for their mindless outbursts. But this one states both Keys and Gray should be stripped of their roles at Sky Sports immediately, or should both stand down and should never work on the air again.
Cast your mind back to Chelsea v Barcelona; an irate Didier Drogba uses the ‘f’ word to describe the referee on the night, Tom Henning Ovrebo. These comments are promptly played back, ‘as live’ to the viewers after the commercial break. And yes, you guessed it, Keys condemned Drogba for his actions, saying “you can’t do that” and stating that they were “sorry for his language”; a very different Richard Keys it would seem, to the one that we encountered off camera on Saturday.
I would just like to make the point that this situation is in no way any different to the situation that Ron Atkinson found himself in when, in April 2004, he saw fit to label Marcel Desailly, a “f****** lazy big n****r”. Atkinson promptly stood down from his reported £150,000-£200,000 a year job at ITV and has not had the same level of public respect since.
So what is the difference between what happened now and what happened then? Answer: Absolutely nothing. I don’t see how Sky can afford to keep Keys and Gray after this debacle; doing so would simply send the message that sexism, whilst maybe being frowned upon, isn’t something that is viewed as a problem in sport. It is widely believed (and rightly so) that ITV would have sacked Atkinson - if he hadn’t beaten them to it - for his ignorant remarks. I really don’t see any way that these two will, or should, keep their jobs.
People pay good money to watch these games on Sky, and are forced to listen to their ‘analysis’ of the game as part of the package. The least Sky can do is provide us with analysts that can at least grasp the theory of common social protocol. It is important that this sort of thing is stamped out as soon as it is uncovered and by sacking the two of them, or forcing both of them to resign, a clear message will be sent out to the rest of football: discrimination of any sort, will not be tolerated.
Racism and sexism are both words that have no place in our great game. If Sky do not take the initiative and punish these two for their unbelievable outburst, it simply points to sexism being more acceptable than racism. In reality these two words come under the same umbrella: discrimination. They are both as inexcusable and as abhorrent as each other. And if both Keys and Gray love the game of football nearly as much as they profess on a weekly basis, then they should leave it for good. It is views like theirs that merely serve to reinforce pre-conceptions about people involved in football: a “gentlemen’s game played by thugs” as it was once famously described.
The sport of football is one that needs to evolve with generations that pass it by if it is to continue to flourish on the world stage. So the industry professionals need to realise that, psychologically, the game needs to take a stand against the people that are ultimately halting its progression with their nonsensical ‘views’.
If you like what you’ve read you can follow Chris on Twitter: @itsbridgertime
Tags: Andy Gray, Richard Keys, Ron Atkinson., Sian Massey, Sky Sports, Women
Completely bonkers! Disagree 100%
Politcial correctness gone mad. I am not a Keyes or Gray fan but its obvious some people have an agenda here that has nothing to do with the comments made.
They did. I think this was inevitable, it was in Key’s body language in this mornings video:
http://skysports.videohq.tv
All the videos are on there: the question is, will there be any more leaked now?
Appreciate your point, but don’t you think that as people with a position of power, they have a responsibility to set an example? Whether the comments were meant to be broadcast or not, they were still made, and they are still hurtful to some people. If either of them had made homophobic or racist comments, would you be defending Gray and Keys? At the end of the day, discrimination is what it is, no matter who it is aimed towards. There were surely women in the studio at the time of this all happening- how do you think the comments made them feel?