I remember when I first heard her voice. It was sort of like mine. Not the words she said, mine didn’t live up to hers (yet) but the tone was similar.
It was deeper, deeper than what society loved. It wasn’t raspy but wasn’t smooth. It was confident but didn’t speak over others. It was the first time I heard Doris Burke call game that I saw someone I thought I could be. I heard someone who sounded like me.
I always wanted to work in the sports industry, but had no clue what direction I would eventually take. When I started in broadcast sports journalism, I had to get used to hearing my voice tell the stories and plays of the game, with knowledge that some people may think my gender identity doesn’t fit the job.
Doris Burke has no care for the men that write her negative things on Twitter, networks that didn’t trust her game calling, and fans that expressed annoyance with her voice. The reality of it all was that Doris Burke knew she had the potential, but did not know how many people her potential would inspire.
I was just 14 years old when I first heard her voice, and the knowledge that she had for the game was clear from the very beginning. There was nothing to prove because anyone who wasn’t inherently sexist, knew that Doris Burke is a skillful and well deserving voice to hear call a game.
As someone with a voice that wasn’t like the other girls in school, I gravitated towards hers when selecting the network I would watch my basketball game on.
I love how the way she interviews people. She makes note of small impactful moments that often get overlooked. She has an eye for early talent and is confident in her takes, beliefs and thoughts. There is never a time she doesn’t treat players and colleagues with respect, while also paying herself respect at the same time. She calls games with poise and confidence but also loves to have fun.
When you impact the sports industry and inspire girls the way she does, it’s natural that others will begin to recognize. Doris Burke’s recognition should come daily, but the progress made so far is deserving of any praise. She is the first woman to be a full time NBA analyst on national TV and she was the first female broadcaster to win the National Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Award.
And while these awards and accomplishments stand out to me, what inspires me is the way in which she carries herself every single day.
I was so young when Doris Burke came into my life that I didn’t fully understand the impact she would have at the time. But when you grew up an athlete wanting to work in the field, hearing about her player experience and how that helped shape her career, makes her that much more inspiring.
As female athletes, we’ve seen it all. We play to empty stadiums, we are told we don’t matter as much, that we don’t bring in enough money. Fans yell sexist comments and flood our feeds with comments that remind us we aren’t equal in the eyes of others.
Doris Burke grew up in that environment and has pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a woman in the sports industry every single day. She has encouraged other women to see themselves on screen, sharing the stories in a male dominated industry. Doris Burke doesn’t think that her role as a woman covering a game is inferior, but uses the sexist comments and negativity from her playing and coaching career as a driving force to bring equality and awareness through her job now.
I will forever appreciate the tone of her voice, and the care in her questions. I will never forget the moment I felt like I belong in the sports industry and as I celebrate the month of iconic and historic women, I recognize Doris Burke and celebrate her today, and every day.
Thank you DB,
Sincerely,
A female sports journalism student
