Deadspin, the website reporting this, has had its fair share of questionable reporting, including an update on this same story, which involved a reader fabricating his own encounter with Phillips as proof that Deadspin didn't do the necessary background verification on him that it chastises ESPN and Covers of not conducting. But the site has also broken major stories such as the infamous Brett Favre sexting scandal. After reading the original story, which you can read here, and all subsequent updates, it's clear a more thorough investigation needs to be conducted to get to the bottom of this story. However, there's more than enough evidence of foul play committed.
So here's a summary. Phillips started out as a message board contributor for Covers.com, a sports betting site. Her colorful commentary about how successful she was betting on sports, coupled with the fact that she is a girl who supposedly knows more about sports than most guys, caught the attention of the site's administrators who hired her on as a columnist. She soon caught the attention of ESPN.com editor Lynn Hoppes who hired her as a weekly columnist for ESPN's Page 2, now renamed ESPN Playbook. With everyone fooled by her "in-depth" sports knowledge and attractive looks, she became the next Jenn Sterger–an unknown with no journalism experience, who parlayed her sexuality into sports gigs with the New York Jets, Sports Illustrated and Versus. No one bothered to perform a background check on Phillips, nor verify her real identity.
The problem started when several contributors began pointing out that the various pictures Phillips provided to Covers for her columns were different. Here's a collage of pictures courtesy of Deadspin.
Shortly after, Deadspin published its story, which it corroborated with several accounts of scamming by Phillips and her friend/boyfriend Nilesh Prasad. Writer John Koblin was also contacted by people who attended the same junior high/high school as both Phillips and Prasad, and suggested that Phillips isn't as knowledgeable as she claims to be. They said Phillips was likely relying on sports and betting tips from Prasad. Without a full investigation, ESPN opted to sever ties with her, emphasizing that she was merely a freelancer.
Here's the thing. There are now more than enough women who eat/sleep/breathe sports much more than the average guy. In fact, it's become increasingly common to hear this that I no longer consider my sports obsession as out of the ordinary (many people still do.) Unfortunately, very few of us get opportunities like the ones Sterger and Phillips have gotten. I have talked to a few editors and recruiters at ESPN about opportunities, but it never resulted in so much as an internship. I'd like to think it has nothing to do with my gender or lack of overtly sexual pictures or stories being put out there, but I wonder what more one needs to do draw some attention. I know it's not a lack of sports knowledge or educational and professional experience since I not only have a master's in broadcast journalism, but also have extensive experience covering a variety of sports.
Still, I am genuinely happy when women are given the opportunity to show they can be just as informed or plugged into sports as the best of male sports experts out there. However, I am intensely ticked off when I read stories like this where someone gets a free pass into this exclusive club without so much as a background check. How do you justify that?
Both Covers.com and ESPN.com editors have admitted to never meeting Phillips, though someone at the former said he spoke to her several times. Since Phillips was fired, she has taken to defending herself on Twitter, at first saying all of the pictures posted were of her, before admitting to hiding her identity so she isn't exposed to future employers as a gambler. She also claimed to have let go of several friends who have had negative impacts on her life. However, she didn't specify who these friends were. The issue of scamming, however, has yet to be resolved, according to victims referenced in the article.
I hope stories like these won't deter sports organizations and media from giving women a chance to prove we can be effective in this industry. I only hope they will spend the appropriate time to verify our credibility. Maybe when this becomes the norm, people like me will get a fair opportunity at advancing my career as a sports journalist.
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