Christine Brennan: Punishment for Danica Patrick Sexism Shows Double Standard

There is edgy in this business, and then there is simply stepping out over the edge and into oblivion. According to Christine Brennan, Ross Shimabuku did the latter in his comments on Danica Patrick recently.

Ross Shimabuku is a sports anchor for Fox 5 San Diego, and he had some thoughts on Patrick and the manner in which she carries herself.

In discussing recent comments made by Patrick and her claim to be more than just sexy, Shimabuku answered in the following manner:

"

Oh, I've got a few words…Starts with a 'B,' and it's not 'beautiful.'

"

Fresh off the remarkable rise of Jeremy Lin and some racist comments from various people that cover the NBA, we come to another moment to reflect on how we think.

The Daytona 500 concluded Monday night, and the buildup featured a great deal of discussion around Danica Patrick, a driver that will now feature full-time in the Nationwide Series.

Brennan, a USA Today columnist and ABC News commentator, finds fault with Shimabuku's thoughts and the punishment that follows.

First, the video:

You will notice right away that fellow anchor Kathleen Bade rips into her sports colleague by stating Patrick is a woman trying to make it in a man's world. 

I can only imagine that some words were exchanged when the live airing went to break. Bade's opinion is a popular one. As we see, a reputable sports columnist in Christine Brennan has an important question.

Brennan poses this to the masses via Twitter:

"

Equality? @JLin7 slur = firing & 30-day suspension @ESPN. Sexist @DanicaPatrick rant @fox5sandiego: anchor out 1 week. usat.ly/wVBb7N

— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 28, 2012"

Shimabuku has since apologized for the comments, which he says he received a great deal of emails on. Here is his apology on the matter.

This follows a moment in sports history wherein an Asian-American in Jeremy Lin became a superstar for the New York Knicks.

The subsequent discussion ranged from engaging to downright awful.

In the aftermath of some of the worst thoughts on the matter, ESPN fired editor Anthony Federico for using a racially insensitive headline, Jason Whitlock had to apologize for a tweet and Ben & Jerry's had to backpedal on a thoughtless ice cream flavor.

Brennan may have stopped just short of asking for Shimabuku's head, but she certainly places the obvious question on where we stand in regards to sexism in this country.

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