San Diego television sports anchor Ross Shimabuku has been suspended without pay after
implying a sexist slur against NASCAR driver Danica Patrick in on-air comments
last week.
The controversy began late last week when Patrick complained
about female athletes being described as "sexy," when male athletes
are not. "Is there any other word that you can use to describe me?"
she asked. Shimabuku replied, “Oh, I've got a few words. Starts with a 'B' and
it's not 'beautiful.’"
He called Patrick “a pretty girl" who makes “money in
sponsorships because of it. But what's not attractive is that she's sexy and
she knows it,” he said. “What she says and what she does are two totally
different things. She always has a chip on her shoulder, trying to prove
something.”
Shimabuku backtracked quickly after video of his comments went
viral last week, saying, “I truly apologize to anyone who may have been
offended by (my) comments. It was not meant to be an attack on Danica. I have
worked with her before at Phoenix (International Raceway), and I think she’s
great for the sport. I hope she does great this weekend at the Daytona 500.”
Fox 5 San Diego announced via Twitter that Shimabuku has been
suspended for one week without pay.
If this would have been an opinion piece he would have been fine. When you state opinions as news, that's when you find yourself in this predicament. I may agree with his opinion, but disagree with the venue he chose to express it.
ReplyDeleteWrong. Should not have been suspended. We are all getting to soft. Suck it up!
ReplyDeleteThese kind of apologies crack me up. On what planet was that "not meant to be an attack on Danica." Why bother apologizing if you're just going to lie. Try "What I said was a stupid thing to say on TV, I should have kept my opinion to myself and reported the news. I'm sorry I did not do that, mainly because I'm getting suspended."
ReplyDeletemaybe he just meant she was BAD
ReplyDeleteGives a whole new meaning to "Stay Classy San Diego" per Ron Burgundy
ReplyDeleteCalling her a bitch on the news is over the line. I hope she does well in the sport and she has brought tons of attention to the sport. As far as her "sexy" comment she really needs to think about that. I don't see any pictures of Tony Stewart on the Internet. She can't have it both ways
ReplyDeleteAmen Charlie. I pull for her since she drives for Dale Jr but the commercials do not do her justice.
DeleteDanica envy, we hear it EVERY day on Sirius/XM, we read it everywhere. The boys just don't like a woman doing better than they can and playing in their playpen. And for all the clowns who think she isn't a good driver, you get behind the wheel of her Sprint car and see how long you can go without staining your pants. She's great for the sport, and the good ole boys can't stop progress.
ReplyDeleteDoug from NJ
I used to like her --- if you don't want to get
Deleteburned , don't play with the 'Go-Daddy' matches --
and , "If you can't hack the heat , etc."
How may sports reporter have thrown a barb about Smoke, or R Wallace into their coverage stories? Did the ribbing hit on their sex appeal? No. But those drivers are not / were not in the business of self promotion in suggestive ads, they don't trade on their "hotness factor", Danica does. How many lame / snarky Mark Martin Viagra jokes went around broadcast journalism? I think this is overly sensitive crap.
ReplyDeleteI always go back to an interview she did on 'Sirius Speedway' BEFORE her forray into NASCAR. I'm sure Moody remember this... The interview took place before the Brickyard 400, she refused to acknowledge it as the brickyard 'We call in it Indy'. Throughout the interview she was very short and bordline 'B' with Moody. That interview left me with a bad impression of her and I agree with the 'chip on the shoulder comment' just not the right place.
ReplyDeleteNo sympathy for the reporter, actions do have consequences.
ReplyDeleteMs Patrick is being somewhat jaded though.
Patrick complained about female athletes being described as "sexy," when male athletes are not.
I have no memory of a male athlete in a commercial that implied he was nude for the commercial.
If Danica has a problem w/ how she is described she should have thought of that when signing w/ Go Daddy and agreeing to the commercials.
The press did not create her image, she did.
Robert Y
Cincinnati