With all the things going on in the world today, I was shocked to wake up to this story:
http://www.today.com/moms/radio-host-rips-mlb-player-paternity-leave-suggests-c-section-2D79476676
Mets player Daniel Murphy left before opening day to be with his wife in Florida who was giving birth to their first child, a son they named Noah. Murphy opted to take the MLB’s 3-day paternity leave to be with mom and baby, and that’s what sent New York’s sports media into a frenzy. Some broadcasters went as far as to say that his wife should have had a C-section prior to the start of the season.
In an age where mothers don’t even take their full maternity leave to rush back to work, I think that the broadcasters are toeing the line on a dangerous precedent: the birth of a child is far more important than baseball. I love sports, but that’s the truth. I used to work in college athletics and I was disappointed when my boss opted to attend a conference meeting with her newborn because she was afraid of “how it would look” to the men if she wasn’t there just because she had a baby.
I’d like to see how these broadcasters explain themselves to their wives–or their future pregnant daughters. It’s insensitive and it sends the wrong message about priorities and what’s important in life.
I don’t have kids…but I know this much: If men were the ones having babies, this conversation would not be happening.
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