this happened a few days ago, but this article had a few good points, how this would never happen in the US given today's climate. i'll post a few paragraphs. a video of the interview is in the article, if you havent seen it already
Kim Clijsters And Todd Woodbridge Interview Shows What American Sports Media Coverage Has Lost
Kim Clijsters And Todd Woodbridge Interview Shows What American Sports Media Coverage Has Lost
Clijsters is Belgium and Woodbridge, a former tennis player, is an Aussie. The network that carried this interview is also Australian. The way it unfolded gave you a reassurance that there was "no harm no foul," but it's hard to see the same casual public chuckle about this if it involved Americans, in the US, and on an American channel. It just wouldn't fly.
A reporter texting a player to comment on a player's attitude and bigger boobs would likely be seen as inappropriate conduct by his employer. I'd also like to think that female sensitivity especially in regards to careers is for better or worse a much more hot button issue domestically and I'm not sure you'd find a top name female athlete as comical If ever confronted in similar fashion.
Also would a ESPN personality be able to laugh this off instead of clamming up and making the situation even more awkward, fretting that his employment or standing with the company was on borrowed time?
I just can't see ESPN or NBC or whoever really just rolling with this. It would be on sports talk radio, PTI, Around the Horn, this website, and all over the blogosphere and surely you'd have a good chunk of people screaming murder because this is America and we invent problems and causes because generally speaking life ain't too shabby (sorry I just saw the new Louis CK comedy special and this point was entrenched in my head).
The Australian television network in question hasn't even broken a sweat. They've posted the videos online and are generally having a nice laugh about the incident and are not making any apologies or statements about the the interview.
All in all this was funny, because it was two people poking fun of each other and not really giving a thought to their image and the public 's reaction.