Review of “Locker Room Talk”

As an avid reader of Sports Illustrated in its heyday, I remembered this author and her case against Major League Baseball. Here is my review of Melissa Ludke’s fight for equal access. 

Title/Author:

“Locker Room Talk: A Woman’s Struggle to Get Inside” by Melissa Ludke 

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

Melissa Ludke is a well-known name to those who follow or study women’s rights. After being denied access the the locker room of the New York Yankees following their win in game 6 of the 1977 World Series, she and Time Inc. (the owner of the magazine Ludke wrote for, Sports Illustrated [SI]) sued Major League Baseball on the grounds of sex discrimination. Ludke’ a recall of the judicial hearing and her personal life at the time are the subject of this book she authored.

Ludke shares the story of how she became interested in sports journalism, the blatant sexism she faced and her happiness after obtaining that vaunted press credential when she started covering the Yankees for SI. During that time, she did have access to the Yankees locker room for interviews so it was quite a shock to her when she was denied access after the World Series by commissioner Bowie Kuhn.  The story Ludke shares about the many obstacles and denials she faced that night will sadden and anger a reader today who may not be aware of how much discrimination female sports journalists faced at that time. 

Stories about Luke’s personal life, most notably her rushed decision to marry a man she barely knew, don’t seem to have anything to do with her legal case, but by the end of the book it seems to make sense. This is especially the case when she shares the story of her decision to obtain an abortion not long after Roe v. Wade. Since the story is about women’s rights, it certainly does tie in with the main subject.

The testimony given before the hearing and that actual case make up the bulk of the book and while on the whole it is very fascinating, there is so much repetition of statements and opinions by Ludke that much like the judge during the hearing, the reader may ask when this part will ever end. The additional stories about female sportswriters who had access to NBA and NHL locker rooms at the time make Luke’s case even stronger.

There is text on MLB’s argument that it wanted to ban female reporters to protect the players’ privacy but both Ludke and the judge end up ridiculing that argument and the hearing ends up in favor of Ludke. However, that doesn’t mean a happy ending for her as she still has struggles with her professional life but will eventually come to a good place and seems to now be doing well.  Well enough to write a book about a very important case in the struggle by women for equal rights. 

I wish to thank Rutgers University Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Locker-Room-Talk-Womans-Struggle-ebook/dp/B0CH8W7WVC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hNvrwNYbEzLqplPxRX4oTg.ZmKEvfear5xdmXEb7rRR-2AYTp_1p8CmM5TfUnhDTuI&qid=1727565306&sr=8-1 

Review of "Revolutions"

This book was another one that once I started reading it, I realized it was about a completely different topic than what I expected - and that was a good topic.  I never knew how much the bicycle has been a part of the women's movement for equality.  Here is my review of the book that shows that connection, "Revolutions"

Title/Author:

“Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels” by Hannah Ross

Tags:

Cycling, women, politics, equality

Publish date:

June 9, 2020

Length:

368 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

While today it is certainly not unusual to see female bicycle riders, that has not always been normal.  From the early days of the bicycle when Victorian patriarchy ruled the day to modern feminist calls for equal pay for equal activity, the bicycle has played an important part in the advancement of the women’s movement.  One just needs to read this book by Hannah Ross to see just how much the bicycle has been a part of the movement.

Starting from the Victorian era with the wide ankle length dresses that made riding nearly impossible to a group of women riding each stage of the 2019 Tour de France a day before the paid male riders would hit that stage, Ross writes about the role of the bicycle and how activist women would either use the bike to show what women could do that went well beyond beating men at bike races or to just get some exercise which was something women weren’t supposed to do at that time.

While most of the book is about the struggle for women’s equality, there is some good writing in the last third of the book about competitive cycling and the races in which women have participated. This is especially true for the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Ross also gives some much needed publicity to today’s competitive races for women – the biggest of these, the Giro Rosa, has to compete for attention with the Tour de France and sadly is not well known.  While there have been strides made in competitive cycling for women, Ross shows there is a long way to go.

More of a book on feminism and women’s rights, this book nonetheless is a very good read for those who wish to learn how the bike has been a part of the lives of millions of women in so many different ways.

I wish to thank Penguin Group Dutton for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

                       

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                               

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Revolutions-Women-Changed-World-Wheels/dp/0593083601/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=