|
by Julian Spivey  Screenshot The University of Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte should suspend Longhorns junior quarterback Arch Manning for the upcoming weekend’s game against the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners to not only teach the 22-year-old starting QB a lesson but also show the country that it doesn’t view the physical assault – whether real or artificial intelligence – as comical. It all started with an asshole postgame moment from his coach, Steve Sarkisian, who abruptly blew off a postgame interview with ESPN’s Emmy-winning sideline reporter Holly Rowe after Saturday’s dramatic comeback victory over the then No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. Somehow, a grown man who is supposed to lead young men blowing off a journalist trying to do their job wasn’t seen as disrespectful by everyone; some even found it humorous. This led to AI-created videos of Sarkisian backhanding Rowe across the face becoming popular on social media and the internet. Manning commented on it at a press conference on Monday, September 14, in which he asked reporters if they’d seen the video, laughed at it, and said, “Have y’all seen that one? That’s a good one. Of him slapping Holly Rowe? It’s hilarious.” It’s shocking to see that Manning views the physical abuse of the opposite sex as “hilarious,” even if the video in question was obviously fake. Manning released an apology to Rowe on Tuesday, September 15, and Rowe said on social media that she and Manning discussed the comment, that she accepted his apology, and that she would keep their conversation private. That might suffice for some people, but the University of Texas athletic department should go a step further and make Manning sit out the next game. It would at least come off as teaching a student-athlete a lesson, and isn’t that a part of collegiate sports? The problem with college football, though, is that winning comes before everything – even though Texas would likely still demolish UTSA with their second-string quarterback – so we won’t see Manning suffer a penalty for his foolishly insensitive comments. Hell, the university might not even slap him on the wrist, though any punishment would likely stay behind closed doors. What does this say to women in sports, both those working in the media and the fans watching from home, when an athlete can make light of physical abuse and not suffer consequences? Hasn’t the safety of women in sports been a big priority for a lot of folks lately? I saw a post on Threads from a woman named Melinda Gardner who I believe said it better than I could: “Holly Rowe was doing her job. Sarkisian was rude to her. Someone turned it into an AI video of him hitting her, and Arch Manning called it ‘hilarious.’ The assault was fake. The misogyny wasn’t. This is patriarchy: a woman gets disrespected, her humiliation becomes entertainment, and we’re “too sensitive” for objecting. If a woman getting hit is your punchline, we don’t need thicker skin. You need better character.” Manning and Sarkisian have both shown that their character has been severely lacking over the last few days. It’s a shame the University of Texas is going to let them get away with it, but you know, there are football games to win.
0 Comments
|