It’s finally March!!! This month is my favorite for several reasons: my birthday, spring break, and endless March Madness college basketball. However, one of the biggest reasons that March is special to me is International Women’s Day — a special day where I get to honor all of the amazing women I look up to. So, I thought, what better way to celebrate March than to highlight the work of incredible women across all arenas of professional sports? Whether playing, coaching, commentating, or reporting, women have been making their mark across professional sports for a long time. However, their contributions have not always been acknowledged. Frequently, they are shut down by a system that doesn’t value female success. Despite this pushback, women have persevered and shown that the world of sports is only significantly better with them in it. The more we highlight these women and their stories, the more young girls will be inspired to work in this male-dominated industry.
Here’s the catch: I am well aware that phenomenal figures like Serena Williams, Simone Biles, and Alex Morgan are often the lead of head sports headlines regarding women’s sports stories. In the nature of uplifting and celebrating all women, I want to highlight a few women whose extraordinary work behind the scenes in the sports industry may not get as much press coverage. Let’s start with some coaches!
COACHES
Jessica Campbell: NHL assistant coach, Seattle Kraken
Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Campbell was a star hockey player from a young age. Campbell played college hockey for Cornell and at the international level for the Canadian women’s national team, playing a key role in Canada’s campaign for silver at the 2015 World Championships. After retirement in 2017, Campbell started her own coaching business before being hired as the assistant coach for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the top affiliate team right under the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. In 2022, Campbell was hired as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken, becoming the first female assistant coach in the NHL. A commanding presence behind the bench, Campbell has garnered immense respect from her fellow coaches and players for her leadership style and uplifting coaching philosophy.
Becky Hammon: Head coach, Las Vegas Aces
In her 16-year WNBA career, Becky Hammon was a star player for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, earning the honor of being one of the top 20 WNBA players at the league’s 20th anniversary. After retiring in 2013 due to an ACL injury, NBA San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich hired Hammon as an assistant coach, making her the first woman to serve in such a position in the NBA. Since she was hired, several other teams have hired tremendous female assistant coaches. After a few years of proving her prowess as a coach in the NBA, Hammon became the first woman to reach the finalist stage for an NBA head coach position interviewing with the Portland Trailblazers. While Hammon did not get the position, many considered her the most qualified candidate, begging the question of whether women have fully garnered enough respect to hold such positions. Meanwhile, Hammon was hired as the head coach for the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, earning coach of the year and a league championship the following season. Although Hammon has clearly stated that she is set in her head coaching position in the WNBA, her work as an assistant coach in the NBA has shown that women are breaking down significant barriers in the coaching field.
Emma Hayes: Head coach, US Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT)
While Emma Hayes currently coaches for the USWNT, her soccer beginnings take her back to the other side of the pond in England. Despite her playing career ending at a young age due to an ankle injury, Hayes worked up the ladder coaching youth, semi-professional, and professional teams. She notably served as the head coach of Chelsea FC Women, leading the team to five consecutive championships in the English Women’s Super League. Most recently, Hayes became the USWNT head coach in early June 2024. Hayes was hired when the USWNT was going through a significant transition from veteran to younger players. Despite the growing pains that came with this transition, Hayes coached the team to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, quickly showing her ability to scheme and get the best out of her players even in the toughest situations.
MEDIA
Erin Andrews: Lead sideline reporter, Fox Sports, NFL Sunday
Erin Andrews graduated from the University of Florida in 2000 with a degree in Telecommunications. After graduation, she began working for Fox Sports Florida covering the Tampa Bay Lightning and various Atlanta Sports teams. She then moved to ESPN where she started covering college football and major league baseball. In 2009, Andrews moved to Fox Sports where she focused much of her time reporting for the NFL. She currently serves as a lead sideline reporter for Fox on NFL Sundays. While she has had a coveted career as a TV personality, I admire Andrews for her advocacy. After having a traumatic experience with a stalker who released a video of Andrews undressed in a hotel room, she has publicly talked about her experiences to raise awareness of this issue. Andrews has also come out talking about her infertility journey, opening the space for other women to talk about their struggles with growing their families. She has paved the way for other female reporters and created a platform where communities of women can talk about their time working in male-dominated fields.
Holly Rowe:
Holly Rowe’s sports broadcasting career began in college, at BYU and the University of Utah, where she worked as a news anchor and sportswriter before graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism. Having worked at ESPN for the majority of her career, my most personal connection to Rowe’s work has been her deep connections to the WNBA. As a women’s basketball fan, it has been inspiring to watch her collaborate with players to write captivating stories, advocate for the WNBA and its players, and help transition the WNBA into mainstream media. She has been a huge champion for women’s sports and her determined spirit has allowed the stories of WNBA players to shine. Holly Rowe has also spent significant time in health advocacy. Having been afflicted with a rare form of skin cancer, she has utilized her platform to raise awareness for regular skin checks and to create a community where those battling cancer can have a voice. I will forever be inspired by her work and largely credit my love for the WNBA to her.
Doris Burke: Sideline reporter, ESPN & ABC, NBA
In my years watching the NBA, I have never been able to see a commentator break down a game as effectively as Doris Burke has, picking the right plays to emphasize and putting them together to create a compelling story. Burke has a deep knowledge of the game, having played as an outstanding guard at Providence College. After graduating, Burke began coaching basketball and later transitioned into calling basketball games. Her time at ESPN and ABC has been monumental, consistently proving that her basketball IQ is one of the best in the analyst field. In 2017, Burke became the first woman to hold a full-time NBA game analyst position on live television. Her success has only grown. In 2023, she was the first woman to be named to the NBA’s lead broadcast team, allowing her to call the NBA finals series that year. Burke’s work has paved the way for other females to break into the NBA reporting and analyst scene, including Mallika Andrews and Maria Taylor. When Doris talks, everyone listens. The respect that her male counterparts show her when she is speaking is a level of respect more people need to show the growing talent of female sports broadcasters.
These women highlight many qualities I think all of us hope to embody: grit, resilience, confidence, and positivity. Many of them entered their line of work at a time when they were frequently the only female in the room. How the landscape of the sports industry has changed over time to be more welcoming of women can largely be attributed to the individuals above. In watching these individuals at work, I have learned so much about how I want to carry myself in my professional life. There is so much to learn from the trailblazers who created the pathways for us, and I hope we can all use this as a reminder to look back on the women in our lives who paved a path that allowed us to find success.