She combed her hair. She touched up her makeup.
She strolled to the bench. She confidently asked him if she could ask him a few questions. Who is she?
She strolled to the bench. She confidently asked him if she could ask him a few questions. Who is she?She is a female sports journalist. There are few, but they are rising.
Sports journalism, the most competitive component of the journalism field, possesses little room for women reporters. However, women continue to break through stereotypical male domination.
Andrea Kremer relayed the message to NBC viewers every Sunday night during the broadcast of NFL each week. Kremer holds twenty-six years of televised sports journalism under her belt. Despite her numerous Super Bowl appearances, self-produced sports programs, and miscellaneous coverage of other large sporting events, Kremer lacks the right to claim two jobs within her field.
Kremer has never been asked to deliver play-by-play commentary or to provide insight as a color analyst by her network. Kremer’s resume speaks for itself, but there seems to be another problem.
Erin Andrews, Heidi Watney, and Tina Cervasio represent more female sports journalists who never caught a break. However, fans still recognize these women, but from the sideline.
So, why aren’t these women commentating play-by-plays or expressing opinion in the booth as a color analyst? Could the answer possibly exist in the chromosomes of the journalist? Students at the University of Maine proved that no relationship between gender and sports journalism should exist.
Samantha Wheeler, a fourth-year women’s basketball player at the University of Maine, agreed that gender secluded women to the sideline of sports reporting.
She said, “I feel like people don't really give females a chance, and that they may actually have knowledge about the game."
John Cummings, a Rec Center member, joked about why he liked female broadcasters better. “See, the female has got the sex appeal,” he laughed. “I’m going to have to go with a female.”
The fine lines between brains and beauty blur with sports journalism. After the assault on Erin
Andrews by a football player, many questions surfaced about a woman’s ability to report in the sports field.Emily West, the Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers, shared her opinion on the concept of attractive reporting versus intelligent reporting.
“Sometimes they might be glammed up a little bit too much, but they always talk very professionally with what they know about sports," West said.
In 2009, the Washington Post published an article about Andrea Kremer and the sports journalism industry. Laurie Orlando, the senior vice president of the all-sports network, gave hope in her dedicated blurb.
Orlando said, “Women have historically moved toward sideline reporters because that is what has been acceptable. The industry is changing, and of course, this too, will change.”
For the impatient women looking to break the walls faster, The Association for Women in Sports Media recommends becoming a member in their group. The ASWM provides a supportive channel for women in sports. Their mission statement promises strong networking, job placement, and a fight for equality.
The AWSN holds over 600 members so far. Millions of viewers tune into Sunday Night Football. If there is no relationship between women and sports, is there a relationship between the numbers?
Regardless of the statistics, each female sports journalist maintains the right to report them to sports fans everywhere - from the sideline.
