I was six months old when my parents took me to my first Flyers game. At 5 years old, I was on my first soccer team. In middle school, I would rush to get ready for school to watch Sports Rise on Comcast Sportsnet and the highlights from the night before (even if I watched the game live). In high school, I was a year-round athlete and rarely missed a televised Philadelphia sports game. Now a junior Communication major at La Salle University, I am the Sports Editor for the school newspaper, The Collegian, as well as a part of the La Salle TV crew, and can honestly say I live and breathe Philadelphia sports.
It wasn’t until I saw Dei Lynam, Leslie Gudel, and Lisa Hillary all reporting on Comcast Sports Rise that I thought I would also like to write articles on and speak in front of a camera about some of my favorite teams. I watched plenty of male reporters as well as commentators and read their articles, but when I watched the female sports reporters I had a drive in the back of my head that said, “If they can do it, why can’t I?” Ever since then I have been motivated to work in the Sports Media field.
Sports played a big role in making me confident. On and off the field, I knew I had the support from my teammates and learned the skills of discipline, patience, balancing time and energy, and more that could be put into action every day of my life. I grew to love professional sports and read any book about the Philadelphia teams I could get my hands on. Sports almanacs were just as fascinating to me as a biography about some of my favorite players. With my passion for and knowledge of sports as well as confidence in myself, I am determined to achieve a level of success in the Sports Media industry despite what obstacles stand in my way – including my gender.
“It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes,” said Cam Newton, quarterback of the Carolina Panthers.
“Women’s don’t know football … If women are so knowledgeable with a game they can’t play, let them do play by play or color commentary … women don’t really know the game – they are incapable,” wrote John Moffits, a former NFL player, in a Facebook post.
“No lady needs to be on ESPN talking during a baseball game,” said MLB player Brooks Marlow in reference to Jessica Mendoza who is a former Olympic softball player.
Nancy Armour, a columnist for USA Today sports is frequently quizzed with sports trivia to prove that she knows what she is talking about.
These are just some of the instances where women in the Sports Media field, who have been hired to do a certain job, have been undermined by men who believe women are not capable of reporting on sports. In the words of Jourdan Rodrigue in response to Cam Newton, “I don’t think it’s funny to be a female and talk about routes. I think it’s my job.” There is no reason to think or assume that a football reporter’s knowledge of routes, basic sports concepts, or of a specific team or athlete is dependent on whether the reporter is male or female.
Challenges exist in the workplace in any field. And there are many challenges that exist for journalists in general, both male and female. But I have made a promise to my sixth grade self who aspired to be in the sports field more than anything and to my present day self to not be afraid of these challenges but to be ready to face them.