I mentioned at the beginning of the month that Fanhouse had decided to use the WNBA as an advertising vehicle, and more recently that they chose to broadcast a curious set of ads for their new Fantasy Football product, but I think this current move is the biggest head-scratcher of them all. I give you the “‘House’s Fantasy Sports Girls”….

It all makes total sense now. Look, no site on the Internet is without sin when it comes to objectifying women. An attractive woman like Erin Andrews will bring hits to a site, and that’s just a known fact. But what we saw above is just wrong on so many levels.

Fanhouse has employed a ton of very talented females involved in editing and content since its inception and this has to be a slap in their collective face. Even more disturbing is that AOL’s recent deal with the WNBA included a sponsorship of the league’s “Dads and Daughters Program” that will, “celebrate the special connection between dads and daughters by inviting them to experience female athleticism at its best.” I’m sure they’d love to come across this trashy video.

The real reason this is such a shame though, is that Fanhouse was one of the sites that brought huge credibility to all Sports Blogs. There’s room for all types of websites in the ‘Sphere (yes even the dirty and profane), but when a great site with all sorts of talented writers (of both genders and all backgrounds) gives up a respectable model and decides to drop multiple employees and content for something like that….it’s just downright depressing. This is a far cry from the engine that Jamie Mottram developed as a positive outlet for Sports fans back in 2006.

I think you’ll see more and more of your favorite names disappearing from the site over the weeks to come (which will add to a growing list) as Fanhouse tries to emulate the oh so successful BDSSP model. Good luck with that.

Fantasy Sports Girls in the ‘House (AOL Fanhouse)
WNBA and AOL Partner to Honor Dads & Daughters During 2008 Season (WNBA)
The WNBA Has Some Interesting Advertisers (Awful Announcing)
Sports Blogs Are So Meta (Awful Announcing)

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