Danica Patrick didn’t have a chance to win the Indianapolis 500 today, so her story is just a footnote in the race that saw New Zealand’s Scott Dixon take the checkered flag.
But I mention it just because Patrick is news right now. She was only one of 3 women drivers in this race - the others were Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno - competing against 30 men.
Milka finished 19th, Danica and Sarah were knocked out in accidents not of their own causing.
The impetus of my article is reading the coverage of the race by the AP posted on Sports Illustrated website a few hours ago. The author, who isn’t named, gives Danica perks at the start of his (or her!) article:
“Danica Patrick failed to finish for the first time in four trips to Indy, though it wasn’t her fault. She was clipped on pit road by Ryan Briscoe with 29 laps to go, breaking the left rear suspension on a car that had run in the top 10 most of the race but never seriously challenged for the lead. She finished 22nd.”
But later on in this article, the author singles out a couple of drivers to tell their stories of the race. Of these he chooses Marco Andretti, who screwed up his team with an ill-advised move on teammate Tony Kanaan, and Danica Patrick, who:
”…complain[ing] incessantly about an ill-handling car while talking with her crew over the radio. She started fifth but quickly fell back and got no higher than sixth the rest of the day.
“I can’t do anything,” she screamed during one tirade. “I am sloooooow. I am damn slow.”
So Danica “complains” and “screams” and is throwing a “tirade.”
Subtle indications of a bias against a female driver? Do the men not complain to their pit crews, have tirades, scream?
Of course this is only one author and one article, but I just found the choice of words interesting.
It’s easy to be too sensitive and see offense where none was meant…but I’ll be keeping track of coverage of Danica in future, just to see what’s beeing said.
