I am so pleased to have had a chat with David this afternoon to talk about some of the challenges facing women in sport. For one of the very few times in my career in sport a man in the public eye/a position of power has, instead of shutting up shop/defended their comments... 1/ https://twitter.com/izzywestbury/status/1292006088922071040

.../argued the status quo, asked me why I, & other women, might have found fault in their comments. And tried to understand the perspective of a position other than their own.

That’s all we ask - to listen & engage. I’ve learnt so much recently about my own prejudices... 2/

...that come from a position of white privilege, for example (& am a bit horrified, tbh). And comments on a live interview can come out wrong, or look worse than intended.

But what it shows is it’s something deeper in our culture that we are battling (not the person)... 3/

...and that’s where I’m v grateful to have chatted with David (we get on, honestly!).

More people, more men, in those positions of power/influence need to join the discussion. If you’re a senior journalist/producer/editor not covering women’s sport ‘cos it’s not important... 4/

...enough for your position, then that’s part of the problem. If you steer clear of topics, or hiring certain people, because it’s safer, then that’s part of the problem. If you hire certain people only because of their superficial traits, rather than their skill and... 5/

...expertise, then that’s also part of the problem. If you don’t do your homework, then that’s part of the problem. Cover women’s sport. Get your best journalists on it. Not hard.

Women’s sport is having a really shitty time of it right at the moment many in society... 6/

...need it the most. And it’s not economics, stupid. It’s history, & culture, & economics as a result of that.

I do not think David is a dinosaur(!) & some of the comments/article by others that followed my tweet I don’t endorse. I am not in a radical PC-brigade, I don’t... 7/9

...have an agenda & god some of the things I’ve called out/faced are a fraction of what other women, & many others outside the ‘norm’, have to put up with.

I don’t want a tiptoed, PC-policed world as much as the next person (I’m as likely as anyone to err). But I do want... 8/9

...a dialogue, without having to worry about the impact it might have on my, or anyone else’s career (hello pandemic, goodbye job security.) So thanks to David for the chat. Looking forward to more. 9/9