Let Erin Andrews Keep “Dancing With the Stars”

Is ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews ruining her credibility as a sports journalist by appearing on “Dancing With the Stars?” Um, no. She’s not exactly Edward R. Murrow in sequins out there. If anything, I have more respect for her performances on the hit ABC show than I do for her reporting.

It’s not that Andrews is a bad journalist. She’s perfectly adequate at her day job, although her good looks get much more attention than her questions. Her outfits as a reporter also draw attention. One time she wore a dress so short that Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella felt compelled to ask her if she were “doing a baseball game today or a modeling assignment.”

Essentially, Andrews’ job at ESPN is to ask innocuous questions – “How do you feel?” and the like. And to look pretty so that athletes talk to her, and viewers tune in to see her.  All of which she does well, although nobody will mistake her for Bob Costas when it comes to interviewing prowess.

Unfortunately for Andrews’ sake, her fame has had some horrible side effects. One sicko secretly taped her in the nude in her hotel room and put the videos on the internet, and now another creep is reportedly making death threats against her.

And now Andrews is getting grief for somehow sullying her profession by appearing on “DWTS.”

In a piece entitled “Andrews looks more ballroom bimbo, less reporter,” Toronto Star columnist Rosie Di Manno writes that she is “appalled by the damage [Andrews] is doing to her profession and her own reputation as a journalist — a term albeit used lightly in the realm of sports broadcasting”:

“DWTS is a D-List – or D-cup in the case of Pamela Anderson – piece of entertainment fluff digging ever deeper into the dregs of ‘celebrity’
for contestants. I want to grab Andrews by the shoulders and shout: ‘What are you thinking, woman?!’

The writer goes on to claim that Andrews has “made a fool out of herself and a sham of her profession.”

I do have to wonder if  DiManno has watched more than five minutes of “Dancing With the Stars.” Because her assumptions about the show, and her characterization of Andrews, are way off base.

Although the writer described the show as being “D-List,” and “digging ever deeper into the dregs of ‘celebrity’ for contestants,” this season has the most accomplished cast ever. Like Evan Lycacek, who went straight from a gold medal in figure skating in the Vancouver Olympics, to the show. And Chad Ochocinco, the superstar football player. While Kate Gosselin isn’t exactly accomplished, her picture does sell tabloids these days.

And how, exactly, is Andrews’ performance on the show doing “damage” to Andrews’ “profession and her own reputation as a journalist”?  I guess I missed all the media hand-wringing over ESPN’s Kenny Mayne damaging the profession when he competed on “Dancing With the Stars” in the show’s second season. Political pundit Tucker Carlson is still considered a serious name in his profession, even though when he appeared on the show, he got outdanced by a chair. Heck, Chris Berman does TV commercials shilling for a weight loss program, and it hasn’t hurt his career any.

DWTS” also has a lot more physicality to it than the writer’s “entertainment fluff” characterization implies. Sure, it’s a fun show, but it’s also a grueling one for the contestants, where they suffer real-life injuries. That’s why I’m much more impressed by Andrews’ work on the program, as opposed to her day job. That, and Andrews – shocker! – has actually been filmed in practice sans makeup, and with her hair pulled back. working hard every day on her dancing.  Some “ballroom bimbo.”

Sure, Andrews wears sexy (but tasteful) outfits when competing on the show. But it’s not like she’s standing there shaking her ta-tas and flinging her hair around – she’s actually a pretty good dancer. She’s also shown a great personality on the show – you can tell the other contestants like her, as opposed to Kate Gosselin, who seems to be despised by everybody, including Gosselin’s own dancing partner.

Andrews recently told SI.com in response to DiManno’s criticism, “I’m basically killing myself to not embarrass myself.” So far, she’s succeeded.  Perhaps DiManno ought to take another look at “Dancing With the Stars” and see that.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons