Commentary: ESPN opinion category offers a sexist option

I'm a journalist.

And for at least the next 16 months, I am also a student. But to be honest, as a sports editor at the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's independent student-run newspaper, it's difficult to turn off my journalism mind and turn on my classroom mind. I spend 18 hours a day on this balance beam between school, friends, and the DP.

So it was nothing far from the norm when Tuesday afternoon, instead of putting my full focus into a discussion on perceptions of risk in health, my attention was set on figuring out why Friday's Penn-Harvard men's basketball game was not in ESPN3's broadcast schedule.

I struggled to find a contact form on ESPN's website, and sent an e-mail to a generic ESPN account. A quick response directed me to their official contact page.

Half paying attention and attempting to interject in the class' discussion here and there, I clicked through a series of drop-down menus to specify my complaint.

Satellite Cable Provider: Comcast Cable.

Category: TV Sports Events Coverage.

Item: Basketball - Men's College.

Topics: Commentator - Dislike Female Commentators.

Wait, what?

Before moving on to "Overall Coverage" and completing my Penn-Harvard complaint, I tweeted a screenshot of the "Dislike female commentators" option with my cursor highlighting the choice with the text, "wait this is a serious complaint of @espn viewers?" I seriously could not believe my eyes.

I have hardly 250 Twitter followers, and as shocked and appalled as I was to see a legitimate option such as that from a respectable media outlet, I never thought or expected my tweet to reach as many people as it did.

A few friends responded with similar sentiments of shock and anger, and as the day progressed my feelings simmered.

It's not that I'm a feminist, it's that I am a female sports journalist with dreams of one day reporting from the NFL sidelines. Given that ESPN has been such a pioneer in allowing females the chance to pursue dreams similar to mine, seeing such blatant sexism was a serious blow to the head.

Admittedly, I was torn. Do I turn against the network I grew up watching and admiring, or do I demand an apology for contradicting one of its greatest strengths?