Erin Andrews' Stalker Gets 30 Months, Victim Told She "Deserved It"

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-03-16 13:18:00 UTC
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Michael Barrett stalked ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews, secretly filmed her changing, tried to sell nude photos of her, and posted the nude videos online. It turns out that the man also stalked as many as 16 other women besides Andrews. Now, he's going to jail for two-and-a-half years. But Andrews states that Barrett is a "sexual predator" who she thinks "should never see the light of day," and is furious with the people who have suggested that she "deserved it."

When the stalking story first broke, USA Today sports columnist Christie Brennan succumbed to victim-blaming, commenting "There are hundreds of women covering sports in this country who haven’t had this happen to them. ... I also would suggest to her .. that she rely on her talent and brains and not succumb to the lowest common denominator in sports media by playing to the frat house."

Yes, there are hundreds of reporters who haven't had this happen to them. Say Andrews was a target because she's pretty -- should she ugly herself up before going on camera? Or, maybe she was just unlucky. As Tracee Hamilton, another sports columnist and herself a stalking victim, points out, about three million women a year are stalked. "They can't all have been pretty blonde women with high-profile television jobs." When Andrews later found out that her stalker had other victims, the reporter had some questions for the many people who said she "deserved it": "Did those 16 other women deserve it as well? Were they 'playing to a certain crowd' as well?"

Andrews wants other women out there to know that, if they're stalked, they didn't ask for it, and they certainly don't deserve it. The violation of privacy, the fear for their safety victims have to undergo -- never knowing when they're being watched, if their stalker might turn violent -- is more than enough to deal with. They don't need the shaming finger of victim-blaming pointed at them as well.

Photo credit: ConspiracyofHappiness

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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