Striving, Thriving and Reviving the Image of Women in Sports: Lori Schmidt

As a little girl at basketball games, Lori Schmidt would not cheer when third-point baskets were made or free throws called in favor of her favorite team, but rather every time the whistle blew. The confusing looks she received from others made it clear the crowd didn’t know Schmidt’s father was the referee. This genuineness and excitement for all things sport has carried Schmidt through the rugged world of sport and into a successful career in journalism.

“I’m a very boring person living an exciting life,” insists Schmidt. But her self-deprecating humor doesn’t tell the whole story.

Schmidt’s journalism career started quite simply from a pure love of sports. She grew up playing soccer, softball and basketball, and later chose Ohio University to continue soccer and begin her journalism career. At only five-foot-two, she knew a career in basketball or as a soccer goalie was unlikely, but hard work and dedication were enough to keep her guarding the net for the Bobcats from 1997-2000.

Since 2001, Schmidt has worked for 97.1 The Fan, the flagship station for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ohio State Buckeyes.

While being a sports fan helped Schmidt choose her field, she acknowledges there’s a lot more to the career. “Being a sports fan is certainly not enough. In fact, that can be a detriment. You can’t watch games like other people do,” Schmidt said.

Photo: buckeye50.com

Schmidt negates the ditzy sideline reporter stereotype for women in sports and is constantly in search of the newest story. She spends the beginning of her workday researching the most newsworthy people for the Columbus market, such as LeBron James, Urban Meyer, Braxton Miller and more. She also subscribes to every Ohio team’s public relations emails and frequently checks not just sports but news publications, so no story goes unnoticed.

This relentless attention to detail doesn’t always solicit the most enthusiastic response.

Covering the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that has made the playoffs twice in 13 seasons, Schmidt asked the head coach what was going on with the 4-on-4 attack. The coach responded by questioning her information, seeing nothing wrong with the team’s play.

Wrong choice.

A Columbus Dispatch reporter backed Schmidt’s question. “The coach grew furious, accused us of piling on and stormed out,” Schmidt said. “I went back to my twitter feed, all my great followers wanted to know if I was okay. They truly cared, which was nice. Meanwhile, my mom had left a message on my phone with exactly these four words followed by a heart laugh: ‘What did you do?’”

Part of the reason she stays overly prepared is because, with the lack of women in the sports journalism industry, she is a role model for women in sport.

“We’re still underrepresented enough that what one woman does is viewed as reflecting on all of us. Imagine if reporter John Doe made a mistake,” Schmidt said. “Would there be any single member of the audience who thought, ‘Oh that’s just because men don’t know sports.’ [Or] ‘They just put him on air because he has good hair and abs of steel.’”

While this does add obvious pressure, Schmidt doesn’t let this mold her personality. She, in fact, embraces the differences and has a variety of unique stories as a result.

In one of her first journalism jobs with the Columbus Clippers, Schmidt asked the batboy for directions to the manager’s office. She accepted his directions and didn’t think twice about the smirk during his response, until she heard the thud of water growing louder as she walked. Once she realized she had received directions to the manager’s office that required her to walk through the showers, it was too late. She was spotted by the team and encouraged to continue through.

Being a woman hasn’t always led to embarrassing stories, though.

“Jim Tressel used to give me the last question at every press conference because, ‘Mom taught me that a woman’s always going to have the last word.’”

Darrell Hazell, the Purdue head coach and former Ohio State assistant, once made her drop and give him 10 push-ups, because she remarked that it wasn’t a very serious punishment. “I wasn’t offered a football scholarship, so he couldn’t have been too impressed,” Schmidt said with her trademark wit.

While Schmidt is adamant about her love for her job, she admits there were times she wishes she were getting more from her career.

“I love being a sports reporter, but if an asteroid was about to hit the planet, nobody would make sure a sports journalist was included in the bunker of those meant to rebuild society. In fact, they might slam the door if they saw one of us coming,” Schmidt remarks.

But this doesn’t prevent Schmidt from continuing to do what she loves. “Sports were a huge part of my life growing up,” she said. “I loved being a part of a team, having goals and striving to meet them.”

The sports journalism world has no doubt led Schmidt to a fast-paced lifestyle. During the week, she spends hours in the edit bay cutting audio clips and staying up-to-date on recent news. She will get to the studio as early as four in the morning if she is running morning updates.

In whatever free time she can muster, Schmidt plays with her cockapoo, Kodak. Well, Kodak spends Schmidt’s free time playing with her. “His idea of fetch is to steal a sock and then make you come fetch him.”

Despite an already successful career, Schmidt continues to strive for more going forward. “My most important goal is to be a better reporter tomorrow than I was today,” she said. Schmidt does this by posting almost daily on her blog Fear the Hat. The name is a classic for Schmidt followers who recognize her trademark fedora sticking out in the front row of reporter crowds.

Columbus natives should keep an ear and an eye out for more news from Schmidt. “I do have ambitions to sometimes host shows on 97.1 The Fan,” Schmidt said. “I’d [also] really like to do more writing.”

Photo: 971thefan.com

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