Gray & Keys: Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio…
Perhaps the most telling thing about the demise of Andy Gray (and the looming demise of Richard Keys) is the lack of public outcry. A Facebook group or two aside, there hasn't been a universal wave of sadness over the departure of these two national treasures. People don't care. People don't care, because Gray and Keys have been coasting for years - the same old guff in a slightly different order, the same old catchphrases, the same old stale presentation.
Had they been respected and admired broadcasters, really at the top of their game, giving brilliant insights every week, who happened to be caught out in a similar way, things may have been different. People can forgive a lot when someone's really talented, when they provide something that no-one else can. I'm not saying that's right, but it's a factor that does come into play - particularly when you're a broadcaster who's looking for subscribers to pay for your content. But that's not the case with these two jokers. Sky has been successful despite them (and others, take a bow Jamie Redknapp) rather than because of them; if they didn't have live Premiership football then they'd have an audience that could fit in a phonebox. People have put up with them for years.
I've never been able to stand Gray, not since Sporting Triangles*. Maybe even before that. His success is a mystery to me. Maybe he crystallises that kind of mateyness that people (specifically men maybe) like about football, that kind of man's enclave kind of thing. Maybe that's the atmosphere in which the pair were allowed to get away with what they got away with - until they stopped getting away with it. There are probably a dozen others sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for a clip to come out on YouTube.
Does that mean it's all harmless banter and should be forgotten about? Is this the evil PC Brigade clamping down on private conversations? Of course not. Sky didn't sack Gray because of what people were saying, or because of the spectral PC Brigade telling them to do that. They didn't say "Oh, some liberals are a bit annoyed by this on Twitter, better appease the mob, or they'll wreck us!" They disciplined the men because they did something wrong; because as a decent employer they wanted to do something about it; because as a subscriber brand they needed to reassure millions of male and female customers alike this wasn't acceptable; because they needed to reassure advertisers this wasn't to be tolerated either. The PC Brigade didn't get involved. Sky's MD didn't ring up the PC Brigade hotline and ask for advice. That never happened.
So, farewell then, Andy Gray. You might end up on ITV - I hope not, even if you do replace Andy Townsend. You might end up with a Big Ron-style road to redemption documentary in which you attempt to understand ovaries and lady things; but it's more likely that some kind of Celebrity Wife Swap will be in order. You'll be all right though, after raking in 1MGBP+ every year. I think you'll be OK for a while. And you won't really be missed (so long as Redknapp doesn't take your place, in which case I might start a petition to get you back).
There will be articles written about a new Orwellian culture in which people can't even be horribly sexist on microphones in the workplace and expect to get away with it; people will say that evil lefties on Twitter and the PC Brigade are ruining harmless misogynist fun for everyone; that the Loose Women should be sacked for crappy generalisations about men - and whataboutthemen? But it won't change the fact that Gray and Keys were out of line, seriously out of line. That it perhaps reveals a nasty culture beneath. And that this sort of thing just isn't what you expect of a top-class professional broadcaster in the 21st century. The top and bottom of it is that it won't affect Sky's output at all - it may well improve it.
* Terrible ITV ripoff of A Question of Sport from the 1980s. Nick Owen, Gray, Greavsie, stupid rules, a triangle-shaped board... all sorts of wrong, and bad, in one show.
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January 26th, 2011 - 09:59
Andy Gray, totally brilliant………………………………………………………….at stating the bleeing obvious!!!!
January 26th, 2011 - 10:07
Well said! I was getting a bit fed up of the backlash and just waiting for the first ‘bloke’ to wish that ‘wimmin’ would get a sense of humour.
January 26th, 2011 - 10:23
I’m finding the defending of the comments and the whole ‘but I tell women they look nice, do I need to be sacked’ crap that is happening in the GUARDIAN of all sodding places to be pretty disgusting. I’m so glad that this has shown up the casual misogyny in a lot of normal, every day men who are saying that ‘joking about the offside rule is banter, my girlfriend agrees’. Come to think of it, that statement also shows up the casual misogyny in a lot of women as well. Time to go donate more to the Fawcett Society.
January 26th, 2011 - 13:07
the anti women trolls on the guardian are world (well, internet) renowned! i never read the comments any more. all women are humourless, what about the men, but what about when i do this…crap is endless on CIF!
January 26th, 2011 - 14:21
as someone who has been called a ‘troll’ myself, and worse, by feminists, I am going to have to stand up for the cif commenters. so they don’t share your worldview? so some of them are dogmatic and boring and offensive? so are some feminists. If you just dismiss any criticism of feminism as ‘trolling’ then you come across as unable to debate your own positions.
I have created http://www.graunwatch.wordpress.com where cif ‘trolls’ are welcome to debate feminism with me, as are you. But you know, I am sure you won’t
January 26th, 2011 - 10:30
It might be worth noting that Gray is currently pursuing a lawsuit against the NOTW which as you know comes under the Newscorps umbrella. Coincidence?
January 26th, 2011 - 13:47
It seems unlikely. Gray’s misogynistic mindset and behaviour must have been known to colleagues for a long time, and one can only assume has been caught on camera and microphone before.
But it just happens to be leaked to the press at a time when Gray is involved in legal proceeding legal proceedings with the Murdoch owned NOTW. All rather convenient.
I think Andy Gray has learnt the hard way that you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
I feel that this angle has been seriously underplayed in the coverage of this story. Of course, that shouldn’t detract from Gray and Keys’ deplorable behaviour, but it does make you question the real motivation behind Gray’s sacking/exposure.
January 26th, 2011 - 11:18
I’ve not watched sport in years now, but back when I did Andy Grey was quite a revolutionary figure. The fancy new tech (1990s) that allowed him to draw over the top of a replay in neon orange to show why the United wing back was constantly out of position was great for a young scamp who didn’t know much about football.
I still watch the occasional game with my dad, beer, sandwiches and conversations included free, and Andy Grey was still doing the same routine as then, it’s gone from wow to meh in the 15 years he’s been milking it.
He did do a good job for a long time, but he’s said some really stupid things. I guess familiarity and contempt equals ambivalence in the public.
January 26th, 2011 - 11:28
I would just like to mention that Andy Gray is one of the people sueing News of the World for hacking his phone. I wouldn’t like to go all conspiracy theorist in your face but surely the timing of this unbroadcast footage coming to light is a bit suspicious? Anyway, I don’t mean to say that his comments were acceptable. I’m one of those ‘females’ you get these days and I hate football but the offside rule isn’t difficult for even I (with all my disadvantages) to understand!
January 26th, 2011 - 11:50
I wonder if their quick firing might have anything to do with what Sky’s BSkyB bid. Has anyone in the press suggested that yet?
January 26th, 2011 - 11:51
(remove the word “what” from that comment)
January 26th, 2011 - 12:06
Sorry but I must disagree. They were not only coasting, they were actually bad. The irony, in my mind, is not the sexism but the fact that two professional commentators, one an ex-professional, criticise a person before they have even seen them perform, question that person’s knowledge of the laws when it is obvious that neither Gray nor Keys knew the laws. Also it was NOT light hearted banter; it was pointed and spiteful. It has rankled with me for a long time that commentators in football do not know the laws. More importantly, ex-professional players have played the game and a combination of politics, money and half enforced regulation at the highest level means that they do not understand the laws. Metaphorically they got away with murder in their professional lives and think that this is how the game is. Gray, in particular, had the mind set of 1970s thuggery which was outlawed twenty years ago. The other thing is that no (ex-)professional will criticise any modern professional. Winess the Joey Barton – he’s just a bit of a lad; Vinnie Jones – we need his commitment at this level! I love football. I am a qualified coach, have run a number of teams at local level and think that it is a wonderful game. There is in this country and nasty undercurrent of sexism, racism, casual violence, stupidity and a herd mentality that will see nothing change until there is root and branch reform from the very highest to the lowest grass roots levels.
January 26th, 2011 - 12:21
Thank God. Awful biased commentator.
January 26th, 2011 - 12:32
if Sky are such a ‘decent employer’ why do they tolerate or even maybe encourage ‘a culture of bullying and sexism’? workplace cultures are as much to do with the employer as those who work for them, if not more.
January 26th, 2011 - 12:39
Well, as that Guardian article I linked to says, it seems new managers are attempting to change that culture, which can only be a good thing.
January 26th, 2011 - 12:57
Personally, I’m just surprised that more people aren’t subscribing to my view that Gray’s sacking might be a sign of someone at News Corp not being particularly pleased with Gray’s current legal wrangle with the News of the World.
Oh well. No loss to the sporting world.
January 26th, 2011 - 13:22
Can we maybe catch Alan Green saying something offensive and get him chucked off the radio next?
January 26th, 2011 - 13:41
Whether you think this is right or wrong I will leave for others to decide. As a match going fan, football used to have a male, working class culture which has been steadily eroded since Italia 90 and Gazza’s tears, now we see what we though off as ‘our game’ (a place we could go to on a Saturday and shout, snarl and generally let off steam) invaded by the middle classes and women. Football has a masculine identity and if you travel all over the country watching your team you will aware that it can be rough and scary but that is part of the appeal.
Is a section of society (that I am part of – young, male, not particularly well off) not allowed to have a pastime that is ours, that gives us a sense of belonging and community but is male dominated and contains opinions (like women linesmen should not be involved in a male game) that some of the rest of society thinks is outdated? As a disclaimer we do not tolerate racism or have these opinions about women in the course of the rest of our lives – just football.
January 26th, 2011 - 14:16
Sorry to nitpick, but there’s a typo in your post. You said “or have these opinions” when you should have typed “and hide these opinions”.
HTH.
January 26th, 2011 - 14:36
I don’t think women should be linesmen or refs because it is a male sport, just like I would not be too happy in having a male mid-wife. The point I was making is that football is/was a working class sport, a place we can let off steam and be blokey (for want of a better word) I don’t think that makes me sexist though, women are as equal as men and in many cases a lot better than men at a lot of things, im convinced the world would be a lot better place if it was run by women instead of white, middle class males.
January 26th, 2011 - 15:55
“just like I would not be too happy in having a male mid-wife”
That’s not just irrelevant, but a bit mental. What ARE you talking about there?
January 26th, 2011 - 16:49
As in if my Mrs had a bun in the oven
January 26th, 2011 - 16:35
So you’re saying there are no working-class women and women should not attend football matches? There is an increasing female support base in football these days and a lot of women attend the games. And women’s football as a professional sport is on the rise. Why should football be exclusive to men?
In fact Mrs Zombie is the real football fan in my household, watching games that I wouldn’t even bother with. She even plays fantasy football (I don’t) and is in a work-based mini-league that include several other women. And very competitive they are too, spending their Saturday mornings studying the football news and revising their teams accordingly.
Perhaps you think pubs should segregated by gender and women should be barred entry from golf clubs as well? Or that women shouldn’t be employed in traditional male occupations?
Sorry mate, but you’re a sexist in denial.
January 26th, 2011 - 16:59
If a pub wants to segregate by gender then I think they should be able to – they aint going to get many customers mind and I would not want to go in one of those places. Same with Golf clubs if they are daft enough to turn away the extra business it is up to them – the free market means those that let women in will make more money and prosper. I do not think it is for the state to decide how people should think and run their businesses (that is a dangerous road – I remember reading 1984 at school) It is for general society in terms of peer pressure and taking your business elsewhere to decide. Another example my family has a pub, we don’t let in under 21’s as they tend to cause trouble and take drugs – is this ageist?!
January 26th, 2011 - 14:42
“we do not tolerate racism or have these opinions about women in the course of the rest of our lives – just football.”
A billion-pound industry that’s our national sport and which the majority of this country follow obsessively is a pretty small “just”.
And for the women in question who want to be linesmen, football isn’t the rest of their lives: it’s their career.
January 26th, 2011 - 15:28
Actually being a linesman is part time, I think the poor lady in the middle of all this is a PE teacher. Anyway if she is to continue running the line she is going to get a lot worse abuse than what Gray and Keys said.
January 27th, 2011 - 10:14
Cheers for your concern. I’m going to continue attending Millwall matches, like I have since I was 8 years old, regardless of whether you think I should be allowed to attend. lest I offend your masculine identity.
January 28th, 2011 - 18:39
I’d rather have a woman officiating than Mark Clattenberg sometimes.
The point about the Gray/Keys issue is that, like you they care more about the gender than the person’s ability. So 1970s.
January 26th, 2011 - 14:08
Loose Women….to be fair if this was a bunch of blokes sitting around slagging of women it wouldn’t be broadcast.
But Andy Grey deserves to be sacked. At least I wont have to hear him on Fifa anymore!
January 26th, 2011 - 14:12
Surely the reason that there’s not been much outrage (either pro or anti) is because Sky Sports has a very low audience? Obviously they’re very well known amongst football fans, but that is still a very small part of the population
If it was someone like Gary Lineker then there would be a lot more fuss
January 26th, 2011 - 20:54
I’m with anyone who thinks that messrs Keys and Gray were stitched up. This doesn’t take away from the complete stupidity of their remarks, of course. On the contrary, it makes Andy Gray in particular more stupid. Not only did he casually underestimate the intelligence of the average woman, but also it did not occur to him that taking legal action against a company so closely connected to the company that he works for would make his life difficult. He didn’t think that Murdoch and his minions would try various methods to discredit him, as has happened here. He handed them an opportunity on a plate. He may as well have stuck a bow on it.
Only a fool thinks that BSkyB actually take prejudice and discrimination in their ranks seriously. If they did, you would think they would have dealt with the “microphone in trousers” incident at the time it happened. As it is, they must have had that kind of footage for years and have never done anything about it. For Murdoch, the drive for women’s equality is little more than an excuse to get young, slim, pretty girls presenting Sky Sports News. Or a way to dispense with those that cross him.
January 26th, 2011 - 22:01
There’s been some magnificent hypocrisy from Littlejohn on this.
He apparently wants to know why they’ve been punished for something said off-air, less than a year after this : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1269918/ELECTION-2010-Gordon-Brown-hates-everybody–Labour-voters-included.html
January 26th, 2011 - 22:05
And the current article, to compare and contrast
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1350193/Lord-Strathclydes-affair-Kevin-Costners-ex-Taste-Difference.html (scroll down, if you can bear it)
Presumably then, Littlejohn is against hating racists but for hating women?
January 27th, 2011 - 07:53
“I don’t think women should be linesmen or refs because it is a male sport,
just like I would not be too happy in having a male mid-wife.”
” I don’t think that makes me sexist though,”
Just to clarify, yes it does. Hope that helps.
January 27th, 2011 - 14:15
@ Tony.
Yes, thanks for the lesson on “what a midwife is”, but you missed the point. I wondered what you would have against a male midwife?
I’m going to politely assume you’re not so crass or dumb as to think he’d be staring at your wife’s fanny lasciviously after all those years of study and training he would have put into become a midwife?