Sunday, March 20, 2016

Sunday Story - Night Games


Book Cover:  Night Games: Sex, Power and Sport

Night Games by Anna Krien.

This book - loved it!

I've had a few Phallic Friday posts where I've ranted about footy players and their stupid antics denigrating women, and thsi book is all about that.

It takes all my muddled up thought, all my ranting, all the feels I've ever had on the subject, and puts into a whole coherent book.

It's largely structured around a rape case involving AFL footballers, but it explores so much more. It looks at similar instances of rape of women in Rugby League (even if she mostly calls it rugby).

It then looks at the treatment of women, generally, in sport. It gives instances and anecdotes about the difficulties of being a female sports reporter and a club board member. It shows the fight women have had to be on equal footing with men, and not just slaving behind the scenes.

It sits on the fence, largely. I think this might be because Anna Krien is a journalist and wants to open up a discussion, not force her point of view at the world. This is responsible for most of the 1 and 2 star reviews I saw.

It's not a thick or heavy book. I read it quite quickly. I felt it synthesised so many thoughts that I had. It showed up the sporting world in a different light to how the media mostly portray it. And it showed a journalist who thought about the subject she was reporting on, not just wrote what she saw. Because she delved into the rape case, and thought about what wasn't being seen, said or investigated, she came up with a story that was so moving, I couldn't help but keep reading - and have undecided loyalties.

A fabulous read. I can't recommend it enough to women who like sport, but are confused by the behaviour of many men involved.

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