Dancing Away your Credibility

Less than a week after the Tony Kornheiser-Hannah Storm incident made us refocus our attention to the role of women in the sports media, ESPN's Erin Andrews has resurfaced ... this time as a contestant on the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars. Andrews was announced as a contestant Monday night, along with (among others) Pamela Anderson, Kate Gosselin and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. (Try to think of anything else those three might possibly have in common).

As with the Storm incident, female sportscasters and sports writers complain that they aren't taken seriously, and that they are often sexually objectified at the expense of their professional abilities (just ask Andrews about that). So faced with these issues Andrews joins the cast of Dancing for the upcoming season. Does anyone else think this is a setback for the serious female sports journalist? Think of it this way... would Bob Costas sign up for a season of Survivor or would Al Michaels become the next Batchelor? What exactly does Andrews expect to get from this, except more derision as a sports beauty queen?

You can't have it both ways, Erin. You can't complain because no one takes you seriously then join a show famous for its overt sexuality and skimpy costumes. Score this one a step backwards for the credibility of women sports journalists.