Introduction:
Men have dominated sports broadcasting for several years and although women are beginning to break into the industry with fewer challenges there are still many things that come up. Through out the course of my research I have met several women that have not only overcome these challenges but have made a name for themselves within the industry and have gained respect from the viewers. Women have come a long way since and there are several pioneers that we today have to thank for the access and recognition that we as women receive.
In the past women were not allowed to enter locker rooms and press boxes. They were not given the same amount of access to players and coaches as the male reporters, which brought up many disadvantages to women in this field. Through out the years the discrimination against women has decreased and with this more women have been able to enter the industry. Women are now allowed to enter the locker rooms in order to interview players and participate in Scrums. A scrum is an interview where a group of reporters interview the subject at the same time rather than doing a one on one interview.
Many think that as a woman trying to break into the sports industry it could be more difficult due to the number of men that are already in the field. This is not always the case and throughout the first chapter you will see how breaking into the field of sports broadcasting is difficult for both men and women alike. This is due to the high competitive nature of the field and broadcasting in general.
As a broadcaster you are seen as an expert on what you are covering and what you are discussing at the desk. This means that viewers are expecting you to be right all of the time and to leave them without questions. You are expected to be a credible source at all times, and in order to become a credible broadcaster it takes time and work. Through out the second chapter you will come to an understanding on what kind of work you need to do in order to be a credible source as well as how to build an audience and get noticed by possible employers.
Breaking into the industry and gaining credibility are two major things that must be done in order to become successful as a sports broadcaster for both men and women. However, as you may know women have not always been accepted as in the world of sports. Women have battled and overcome several different challenges, and some that have caused rules and regulations to be changed in order to give women the same access as men within the workplace. The third chapter will go into depth of how women have gone from not being allowed to enter to the locker rooms to where they are today as established reporters and anchors.
As a part of the research process I have conducted a total of six interviews with women who are currently in the field as reporters or anchors. Kate Bierness an anchor for TSN’s Sportscentre started working at a local level in Barrie Ontario, and was called up in order to audition. Kate Bierness spoke with me about several different ways to build credibility and how to break into the industry through volunteering and interning for smaller markets.
Michelle Sturino, an anchor and reporter for Sportsnet was just recently promoted to Sportsnet world and has covered several different sports through out her time on City TV and Sportsnet. After starting with the local Brampton Hockey Team she put in her time and did her homework in order to become a credible source for not only hockey but also several other sports worldwide.
Cara Capuano, a sideline reporter for ESPN covers NCAA basketball and women’s softball. Throughout her time with ESPN she has overcome the challenges of becoming known in a male dominated work place through following the four P’s, which will be discussed later on into Chapter two.
Megan Robinson started working in the industry at a very young age of fifteen and has continued to work and make a name for herself through social media. After starting in Toronto with Sportsnet at the Fan590 she has moved to Calgary to continue with Sportsnet at their radio station covering hockey and lacrosse.
Another Toronto native, Monika Plateck got her start with Leafs TV working with their social media. Through out her years with Leafs TV she used social media in order to bring the viewers more up to date access to players and updates. She has also worked with CTV covering the past summer Olympics and the Vancouver winter Olympics as well. Monika is currently working with TSN as a reporter for the One Hundredth Grey Cup in Toronto.
Lastly Lesley Visser, a woman who broke down barriers and became the first woman to enter the broadcasting hall of fame for the NFL. Lesley although a short interview gave information based on how it was when she started and what it was like to start in an industry and not having complete access. Lesley Visser is currently a sideline reporter for CBS Sports.
These six women all shared their experiences with facing challenges as a woman in the field, and how important it is to do your homework. Not only because of the fact you are expected to be an expert but the fact that as a woman you are constantly on the chopping block from viewers that still weary on women bringing them their game coverage.
Chapter 1: Breaking Into The Industry
Broadcasting as a whole is a competitive industry with several outlets such as news, entertainment, and sports. With the number of opportunities you would think that it's much easier to get your foot in the door and into the industry, but that is not always the case. In order to get your foot in the door, you need to work at it everyday and do everything that possibly can in order to get noticed. Although the competition is high and can be tough on you at times you need to be able to keep a professional attitude at all times. If you lose sight of the fact you're in a professional environment, it can have an effect on whether employers will want to hire you onto their staff.
Breaking into an industry with so few jobs and so many people that are trained and have experience is difficult to do whether or not you are a man or woman. This is why it is so important to work hard every day and put everything into the work that you complete. Throughout school your teachers have told you constantly to only hand in your best work and the work that you want to be remembered for. This applies within the work place as well. You aren't going to hand in a demo reel that isn't your best work and you're not going to show up late and unprepared to a game or meeting. In order to break into the industry, you need to leave your mark on everyone that you meet in order to create a larger network for yourself.
In order to get your foot in the door you have to start somewhere, which is where smaller markets come into play, but in order to get into those smaller markets you need to have the right mind set as well. In this chapter you'll learn about what mind set you'll need, why smaller markets are so important to becoming a successful sports broadcaster and also how the Internet plays as a role in your success as well.
1.1 Volunteering In Smaller Markets
Many of the people you see on major networks such as ESPN or TSN started out in smaller markets. The reason for smaller markets is to build on your skill level and teach you new skills that will help in furthering your career and accomplishing your goals. Although smaller markets such as Rogers and Cogeco may seem easy to get into, there is still competition for the few jobs that are available. The best way to get into a television station and get your name out there is to volunteer: “You work your way up, you work your butt off and you put all of your time into the organizations at a grass root level” (Plateck, Interview). If you show initiative and work hard while volunteering you will be remembered and it could lead to a potential job. In an industry all about making connections it's more about who you know rather than what you know.
While volunteering you may not be on air or in front of the microphone, but that should not discourage you from working hard and keeping your mind set on what you want to do and where you want to end up. The best way to learn and gain skills is by talking to the on-air hosts and reporters. By taking notes and studying the current talent, you will pick up on different mannerisms and the type of things that you need to know and be able to do in order to join them behind the desk. Getting your face on camera or voice over the air is a long process and it takes time to make it to the point where people know who you are, but “you make your connections and you keep working hard and people kind of see what you're doing and you can move forward” (Robinson, Interview).
Although you may not be on air the first day that you start volunteering but like several before you it takes time. You build your credibility within the organization that you're working with and they will give you the chance. Taking all of the opportunities that are put in front of you and putting everything you have into your work will get you that much closer to being on air. Smaller markets are the only place that you can get time both in front of the camera as a reporter and also behind the camera as a shooter. Today in the broadcasting world in order to be a reliable and hirable reporter you must be able to work not only as a videographer and reporter but also as an anchor. Sportscentres Kate Bierness says, “Everyone that has been hired recently has versatility of being both an anchor and a reporter”. The versatility you gain from smaller markets is why they are key to becoming successful in sports broadcasting.
Due to the competitive nature of broadcasting and even more so sports broadcasting nothing is one hundred percent when it comes to employment. Although you could be volunteering and working with a station, they may hire someone else that better fits what they are looking for. However, this does not mean that you don't have the knowledge or the ability, or that you should become discouraged. The connections that are made from these smaller markets will help you get hired in bigger markets and help you move up into the national level. Just by volunteering you have that edge on someone that has not set foot on the floor or been on live television. It's about building your resume and network.
Sports broadcasting has been a male-dominated field for several years but in todays society there are many women making a name for themselves in sports. In order for women to break into the field of sports broadcasting it may seem more difficult then simply volunteering or starting in smaller markets; however, the women you see today on TSN, ESPN, and Sportsnet all got their start by proving themselves in smaller towns and cities. Sportnet's Megan Robinson says that “if women want to get into the business they need to understand that there is no set task anymore”. Due to the number of women making a name for themselves and proving that women can do well in the field, they are not strictly under one position. As an established sports broadcaster or an aspiring one you need to take everything offered to you whether it be sideline reporting, anchoring, or covering certain events.
Volunteering is about putting your time in and getting experience and contacts to go further with your career. It is a long process that takes time, but it's something that you only get to do once. Once you become established you can't go back in time and change how you acted in smaller markets or towards others that could potentially become future employers. By putting your personal time into something that you are not getting paid to do and putting your best work in all of the time, then you're going to get noticed and eventually will end up exactly where you want to be.
1.2 The 4 P's
As a woman trying to break into the field of sports broadcasting, you not only need to prove yourself and the fact that you have the knowledge but you need to show that it's what you really want to do. Cara Capuano from ESPN says that there are four things you need to be in order to make it, patient, positive, persistent, and passionate.
It was once said that patience is a virtue. Some have more patience than others and some choose to be patient on different circumstances and situations. It takes time to break into the sports industry, much like it takes time to get to the top of a company. In order to make it in sports broadcasting, you need to be patient. Every chance that you are given is a chance to further your skills and career but you need to be patient because opportunities will present themselves. Never take an opportunity for granted, they may not come as often as you want and you never know where they could lead you. There may be times that you don't have anything coming your way for a long period of time but there may also be times that you have so many opportunities that you don't have time for anything else.
The media is constantly scrutinized whether you are in the news, entertainment, or sports. Being able to have a thick skin and shrug off the negativity is important when you're on camera and showing your personality to so many people. Knowing that you are good at what you do and you're doing your best work all the time is something you need to be able to do in order to ignore the negativity. Taking in criticism can help you advance in your career when taken in a constructive way in order to make you better, but you have to believe in yourself and your work in order to do so. Being able to stay positive is important for these reasons and many others as well. In an industry that takes your personality and who you are on the air and your opinions and personal thoughts into consideration when hiring it could have more of an impact on you if you’re overlooked for a job or opportunity. In order to get through being looked over or rejected for certain opportunities you need to keep your head up and stay positive and confident in your talents and knowledge.
Being persistent is important in the industry because of how many people there are that want that job. You have to constantly put everything that you have into your work because you never know what someone else is doing at that time. As an athlete you're told to leave everything on the field or court and this state of mind should not be forgotten when entering the sports broadcasting industry. As a woman you need to be doing your best work all of the time and leaving people with a good impression of you every time. Being persistent could be that you're showing up on time or early prepared and ready to go every single day or it could be trying to find new ways to advance your career. It's putting yourself out there in situations where you may not have put yourself before in order to learn new skills. The more you give the more that you're going to get.
Passion is something that people can see not only in your work but how you carry yourself as well. Sports are always changing which means there is always new information being thrown around in the sports broadcasting field to injuries, fines, scores, and standings that you need to know. Your passion for sports comes out when you spend hours upon hours studying and mastering your craft. In order to do well in the field you need to be in love it and be able to work long hours. Passion comes from the love that you have for something and comes out when you are pursuing that very thing.
Being patient, positive, persistent, and passionate is important not only when getting your foot in the door but through out your entire career. In order to succeed you need to be working all of the time and be prepared for anything that is thrown your way because broadcasting is unpredictable especially when it comes to the coverage of sports.
1.3Building An Audience
Building an audience or fan base used to be a long process but with the help of the Internet has become much easier. With sources such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogs reporters and anchors have an easier job connecting with viewers and becoming humanized to those watching at home. Although these things can help enhance your personal skills as a broadcaster and viewers knowledge it can also be something that will affect your employability.
One of the ways that you can create an audience is by following local games and creating podcasts. By posting these on the Internet anyone has access to them whether they missed the game or if they are looking for a different outlook on the game. This will begin giving you listeners or viewers and also help you improve on your knowledge of the teams around you, your community, and your overall knowledge of the sport. Within your podcasts you can include interviews with players and coaches, which will show future employers that you have that ability to make your own connections and conduct professional interviews. There are several ways that you can start up a podcast or present one online such as blogs or utilizing YouTube.
Twitter has come a long way within the broadcasting world and enhanced how fans connect with players and the media. Not only can reporters tweet or post things while off the clock but also on the sidelines or while in the locker rooms before and after games. Social media has made it so that sports fanatics are always getting up to date information about their favorite players and teams. As an aspiring sports broadcaster using twitter it's a way to express your own thoughts towards such things as controversial plays or calls. Meghan Robinson says once people see you doing things especially on twitter it will be an audience and help you break in.
As a part of the media you need to have your own opinions and your own voice rather then just agreeing with everything that other broadcasters say. Employers will notice you if you are putting yourself out there and making your name known within your own community first. “Be on twitter and have a blog, and put your opinions out there” (Robinson, Interview) having a blog and a Twitter page will humanize you and make a stronger connection between you and your listeners or readers. By having your listener able to connect with you and share their thoughts with you as well, you will be strengthening that bond and employers will see that you are able to discuss differences in opinions.
Being able to discuss your own opinion while having an intelligent conversation with others as well about the game or sport in general shows your overall knowledge and ability to work with others. Social media is a growing medium and more employers are looking for people that are able to utilize such mediums to their advantage.
There is always going to be someone that disagrees with your opinion on a subject or event that happens, but being able to have an intelligent argument will reflect better on yourself than if you were to ignore it or simply tell them that their opinion is wrong. If you want to make it in the business and continue to build your audience you not only need to be constantly updating your social networks but also communicating with fans and other peoples social feeds as well.
The best way to build your audience through social networking is not only to make your own social networks reliable and up to date, but also to follow and spark conversation with others over their networks as well. By posting your opinions on other peoples pages and starting conversations about different games or major events such as the current issue of the NHL lock out, you’re going to bring more people to your pages.
The key to breaking into the industry is to always be working, whether it’s continuing to volunteer for a smaller market while running your own online profile. This way you are always improving on your own talents and building your resume and demos. If you were a professional athlete you wouldn’t take a break from training or practicing because you didn’t think that you were going to win the Super bowl or Stanley cup; in that same way you need to continue to work and put your best efforts in to be successful and make it to the larger networks.
Chapter 2: Building Credibility
In order to be successful in broadcasting you need to be not only accepted by your viewers but also trusted. Being recognized is not more than just your look but a combination of your personality and on-air presence. Credibility is something that you are constantly trying to build throughout your school years, internships, and jobs. Although your credibility takes several years to build it can be broken within minutes or even seconds.
In today's society everything that you say and do is on the record. With social media booming and expanding at such a fast pace it can be harder to keep your credibility in tact. The minute you say something that can put a bad image on you or the station you're working for, your credibility is at stake. In order to maintain your credibility and continue to make strengthen it, you need to be at the top of your game at all times.
In sports broadcasting there are already very few jobs, but as a woman you have even fewer opportunities. Not only are there few jobs and opportunities but also there are a number of people that want your job and you are being judged and watched all of the time. Although it can be difficult and time consuming to build and maintain good credibility, there are several things that will help you. Your personality is the key thing that determines your credibility and your willingness to learn the information and new skills that are needed for your position.
2.1 Personality
There is something that each and every broadcaster has over another, something that you can learn from them or take away from them. It's the one thing that is simply yours and nobody else's. Sports broadcasting is different than news or entertainment because it's using your own knowledge of the sport or game and putting your own spin on it. If you are doing a highlight package you're not going to read word for word right off the script because there is no connection with the viewer. Michelle Sturino from Sportsnet World says that in order to be successful in this business you need to let your personality shine through. The reason why people watch the broadcasters before and after games is for the personal spin, for the broadcasters opinion.
Women are more likely to bring personal experiences into the broadcast; Monika Plateck says that women tend to bring more energy and personality than male counterparts, which builds a stronger connection with their audience. By humanizing yourself in the viewers eyes and making that connecting it creates the illusion that you are watching the game with them in their living room rather then at the game on the sidelines. By having a broadcast with both men and women you're going to see all sides of the spectrum and get several different opinions on the game or specific events.
For several years women were not respected as sports broadcasters, a part of becoming a respected woman in the industry is your credibility and if certain character traits that prove if you are in it for the right reasons, “you will cover yourself up and wear dress pants to an arena and wear a blazer or dress shirt.” (Robinson, Interview) as a reporter you need to understand that although you are on camera you are covering a story and people are not there to look at you but to hear the story. What you wear can impact how people look at you. If you wear a skirt to a hockey arena the fans, players, and coaches are not going to think that you are there for the right reasons, which will affect your credibility in the long run.
Not only do you need to look professional at all times but the way you act effects your credibility as well. As a child growing up your mother tells you to treat others as you'd like to be treated and Cara Capuano says that is exactly what you need to do while working in the business, “don't be above what you're covering or the people you're covering”. If you act like you are above the people that you're covering or the story it will be noticed and when something bigger comes up your name will be overlooked. The attitude that you have both at work and home is the attitude that you're going to be known for.
The most important character trait is your confidence. Confidence in your appearance, your knowledge, and your ability as a broadcaster will be noticeable. If you are not confident with your abilities, employers will not see a reason to confident in your work either. If you are confident and make a minor mistake, you can move on from it rather than dwelling on it. As an anchor or reporter dwelling on minor mistakes will make them larger than they actually are, affecting your credibility. Make your mistakes unnoticeable by playing them off and working away from them, continuing on past the mistake rather than apologizing or back tracking.
Credibility isn't about one thing. It's taking everything that you have and making it into your own unique self, using your personality to your advantage. You know yourself better than anyone else does and you know your strengths and weaknesses. In order to be a trusted on-air host or reporter you need a strong credibility. In order to be successful you need to earn that respect and trust from viewers, coaches, and players.
When you turn on the television and turn on Sportscentre or ESPN you not only hear everything that is going on within the world of sports but you see the personalities of the talent shine through the stories and high light packages. Lesley Visser says, “You have to have three elements- knowledge, passion, and stamina”. It is not an easy job to do but when your watching them from your living room, there are several people that think they could easily replace them and take over. This is because the hosts and reporters have been trained and have mastered their art in order to make it look easy.
Sports are always changing and in broadcasting you never know when there is going to be breaking news, you need to be able to handle long days and long hours without showing it on live television. Yet your passion and love for sports can’t change just because you have been working so many long days in a row. It’s all part of the business that you’re going into. Being a credible person, means being able to show your knowledge and passion no matter what the circumstances may be.
2.2 Specializing
Many believe that in order to make it in the industry you need to specialize in certain areas or particular sports, but in today’s society this is not the case. Employers today are looking for people that can wear many hats, in order to save themselves money. Why hire several people when you can hire a select few that know a variety of sports. Not only are employers looking for broadcasters that know a variety of sports but also a variety of skills as well. If you can work behind a desk, on the sidelines and behind the camera you are going to be that much more hirable than someone who can only work in front of the camera.
Meghan Robinson says that “women need to understand that there is not set task anymore” Versatility is key in sports broadcasting because of how quickly it changes and how many things are happening all at once. “Everyone that has been hired recently has versatility of being both an anchor and a reporter” (Bierness, Interview). Being able to anchor and report goes back to stations saving money. Larger companies own all smaller stations and it comes down to money. If they can hire someone to do more than one job then they are going to hire them over someone that can only do one.
In order to build your credibility within the station you are working for and within the industry of sports broadcasting you need to know everything. You have to be able to talk to different people about the sports and have intelligent conversations both on and off the air without script about what’s going on in the game or around the overall organization. As a woman you're going to be watched more closely by viewers to see if you actually do know what you're talking about. This could add more pressure, but being able to prove that you know your information and you know your material will build your audience and with that your credibility will strengthen.
Not only should you steer away from specializing in one or two sports but also becoming overly specialized in one aspect of broadcasting. There are several different jobs that are available to sports broadcasters from play by play to being an anchor or reporter. If you have the opportunity to do color commentary for a game then you should still take it whether or not that is where you want to eventually end up. This is because it will give you that much more over someone else looking for a job in that department or for that station. Being able to fill in for people that cover the games from a different aspect is something that employers will look for and be impressed by. You could be one of the best reporters or anchors but never have given yourself the chance to learn play by play or commentary. Always find ways to open more doors for yourself in the industry. By specializing in any aspect you are digging yourself into a hole and closing several doors to future opportunities.
2.3 Knowing Your Material
A huge part of not digging yourself into a corner with specializing in one particular sport is doing your homework and studying everything about the teams and sport that you're covering. You may not go into the job knowing everything, but the more you work within a station the more that you're going to learn through high light packages and doing your homework. The reason for doing your homework is because much like TSN's Kate Bierness says “it doesn't matter who is watching, you've gotta be on your game”. In sideline reporting you need to know the teams and their stats inside and out in order to ask intelligent questions and know replacements if their are any injuries, and as an anchor being able to analyze and discuss the outcomes and events of games all comes down to your overall knowledge.
Each sport has it's own set of terminology and as a sports caster you need to distinguish between all of the different terms, because you're viewers will know them. When covering sports for smaller markets it is not as big of an issue, but when you get to larger markets “if you make a mistake that’s a rather large mistake because you didn't do your homework, you can lose your job very quickly”. (Robinson, Interview)
Whether you are an anchor, commentary, or on the sidelines your job is to do your homework, and be confident in the fact you have done enough homework to complete the broadcast with the best of your ability. Broadcasting in general can quickly change, but when it comes to sports broadcasting there are so many things that can happen within a game, “being able to be put in any kind of situation and being able to know if you have to fill for three minutes you have to know everything about the team in order to fill for the three minutes when you have nothing to throw to” (Sturino, Interview).
Being a credible person is about knowing your information, and if you don't already know it then going out and researching it until you do. You can be thrown into situations that you need to cover something that you haven't experienced before, but that doesn't exempt you from being an expert. “Make sure you're doing your homework all of the time and you're putting yourself in the position to be a credible person because all eyes are on you once you step in” (Robinson, Interview). This could mean doing research weeks leading up to a major event such as the Olympics or days before a game and going early to talk to coaches.
If you are working in a market that has several different major teams then you need to keep up to date on those particular teams. There will be different major sport for different markets and in order to be credible in that market you need to be a specialist on those teams. “It depends on where you are...back in Toronto you know Hockey, basketball, baseball, lacrosse would be very key things” (Robinson, Interview). Smaller markets will have local teams such as OHL and JR B Hockey or Lacrosse, that you will need to know in order to cover the teams properly.
Credibility isn't something that you can get back immediately after breaking it. If you're not taking your job seriously and you're not doing the research then you're going to be replaced and you're not going to be a credible source. In order to gain credibility and become an established broadcaster you need to be working all the time and always writing whether it is personal or online. By writing and studying all the time, you'll build more skills and more knowledge on current and past players that can later be used in a broadcast.
Broadcasting may seem like a large industry but everybody knows everybody else and words gets around. If you break your credibility by showing up unprepared and butchering a broadcast with inadequate stats or facts it will get around to other stations and it will take you that much longer to re-gain your credibility in order to get back into the industry. Don't let you personal life and your personal problems interfere within the broadcast or within your career because it can ruin your credibility as a broadcaster and how you carry yourself within the environment.
There are still many viewers that don't consider woman as credible sources for sports or would rather have their sports brought to them by men. Which is just one of the many challenges that woman have had to face throughout the years. In order to prove that women are just as reliable as men in the field of sports, as women you need to be doing that much more to know the material and prove you are deserve to be there and you are good at what you do.
Chapter 3: Facing Challenges
For many years men dominated the field of sports broadcasting. Not only were the analysts much like you see today but they were also on the sidelines. Women were not taken seriously in the industry and were hired based on looks rather than their knowledge of the game. Over the years things have changed and women have began to make a name for themselves and prove that they are just as intellectual as men on the topic of sports.
Women have overcome several challenges and broken down barriers in order to be accepted as credible sources. Through pioneers such as Pam Ward, Lesley Visser, and Anne Doyle women have been able to enter locker rooms and press boxes without people thinking twice about it. Without these women and many others, sports broadcasting would still have the same customs it had years ago. These women have opened doors not only for future broadcasters and young females but also for current ones.
In today’s society networks such as TSN, ESPN, and Sportsnet have several women on their payroll both behind the desk in studio and on the sidelines. There are still many challenges that women face while working in a male dominated field, however they do not face as many barriers as they would have in the past.
As a woman in a male dominated field you are technically a minority. A minority in any kind of work place is going to have a harder time breaking into the field and making a positive name for themselves and proving to people that they are knowledgeable enough to work next to men on the field. There will be stereotypes no matter how much time has passed and how many people have proven themselves. This is due to the simple fact that the world is not perfect and there is always going to be judgment and bias, unfortunately for women in the field this means there will always be new challenges and barriers to overcome.
3.1 Locker Rooms
One of the first challenges that women faced was not being allowed to enter locker rooms. This issue came up because of the idea that women were in the industry to get closer to the athletes. This caused several issues because of the competitive nature of broadcasting and getting interviews from specific people both before and after games. By not allowing women into the locker rooms before or after games, they were forced to wait outside until the athlete came out which by this had been interviewed by several of the male reporters.
There was a case in New York during the 1977 World Series after a reporter was not allowed to interview players. This was due to the fact that women were not granted the same access to locker rooms as their male counterparts. After a few years the court system ruled the New York Yankees guilty of discrimination. After this case locker rooms were given the option of allowing all reporters in the locker rooms with the same amount of access or allow none. Although this is one case, there were several others that discriminated against women.
Locker rooms were not the only place that had a no women allowed policy, “No women or children in the press box, there were no ladies rooms. I hope that puts it into perspective” (Visser, Interview). These rules put women at a disadvantage within the industry, not only for interviews but also on viewing the game as well. With so many rules and regulations making it more difficult for women to break into the industry and become successful it took sticking to your guns and knowing that it’s what you wanted to do. It took putting in the work to prove that you deserved to be apart of the networks team to a different extent than what it takes today.
As a woman in the sports industry you need to prove that you are there for the right reasons and not just to have special access to the players. There are several women in the industry today that have made a name for themselves due to their ability and knowledge on not just one sport but also seveDue to the stereotypes and assumptions that women are in the industry not for the love of sports but for the people associated with them “it makes it hard for the women who work hard…and just want to be good at their jobs”(Robinson, Interview). There will always be women that enter the business or attempt to break into the business for the wrong reasons, but if you are serious about your job and what you want to do then you will be able to prove that. “You do your job you’re there for the interview and you maintain that level of professionalism (Plateck, Interview), employers, coaches, and players will notice your professionalism and remember it for future reference. This can bring you more job opportunities as well as help you build your own credibility and respect within the work place. By being professional at all times you’re proving that you are there for the right reasons and that you’re not going to take advantage of the access you have to players and the locker rooms.
Although times have changed along with the laws on who is allowed in press boxes and locker rooms, attitudes do not change as easily. There are some players that think it is nice to see not just men in the locker rooms during scrums and for solo interviews, “being apart of a very small scrum…with Shaquille O Neil…he actually sat down…realized that I couldn’t even reach his mouth with my microphone…we walked out together and he mentioned that it was really nice seeing a girl in the dressing room” (Robinson, Interview).
However there are still some viewers that would rather have their sports updates and news brought to them by a male and don’t agree with the fact that women are allowed in locker rooms or on the sidelines at all. This could be because of many reasons, but only time can change the minds of viewers around the world.
3.2 Image
When women first started to break into the sports industry they were hired mainly on their look and how they appeared on camera not based on their knowledge. This is why many women today and women in the future face the challenge of being known as “just another Barbie on the air”. Michelle Sturino points out “they are eye candy a lot of the time, fulfilling a demographic of who watches sports casts.” The idea of women sportscasters and sports announcers being known as eye candy for the audience is not only demeaning but is something that can’t be ignored by those aspiring to break into the business.
If you want to be successful in the business as a woman, you need to understand that there are going to be people that look at you just for your image whether or not you have already proven yourself as a credible source. As much as you would like to ignore the fact this is true, if you were to conduct a search online about women in sports broadcasting the majority of things that come up are “Top Ten Hottest Female Sports Broadcasters”. The Top Ten lists are created not only by other media formats such as magazines buy also viewers on blogs or podcasts as well. These are shared online and easily accessible. Some of them have reasons as to why they are ranked the way they are and others just simply post a picture with a rating from one to ten and then where they rank on the list as well.
Women in the field take one step forward with making themselves a credible source in the field and making a name for themselves apart from their image and how they sound, while the viewers and other sources of media such as sports illustrated seem to bringing more attention the image factor and how they are more of eye candy to the viewer.
Many women will tend to have a softer or less dominate voice then men, which all comes with the difference of bodies and genetics between the male and female genders. This can also cause an issue with your viewers not liking the way that you sound on camera or on the radio. Your voice is something that you can learn to control and learn to use in a way that makes you sound credible whether you are a woman or not. “I have in fact been told that I sounded too much like a girl and I would never make it in sports because my voice wasn’t credible” (Robinson, Interview).
In a male dominated field you need to be confident not only with your ability but with your image as well, because you can’t let things that you see online or what people say to or about you effect your ability to perform and do your job. It all comes down to being confident in your work and in yourself, “you just need to walk in any environment prepared with the self confidence that you immediately show everybody I belong here, here’s why lets work and get things done” (Capuano, Interview). Viewers as well as other media platforms may make you into eye candy, but it is up to you to show your knowledge of the rules, teams, players, and history of the specific sport.
3.3 Judgments and Respect
As on-air talent you are constantly put in the eye of the public, which means you are open to judgment on several different levels. Working in a field that is dominated by the opposite gender, and having a majority of your viewers being the opposite gender as well will put you under more judgment. The difference between what you’re being on judged on from others on-air is not just your on-air performance and what you look like but your knowledge. “I have to make sure I’m right all of the time and that I’m doing my homework” (Robinson, Interview), if you’re wrong you’re going to be judged that much more on your ability to do your job simply because you are a woman.
It has taken several years for women to prove themselves within the industry, and that they deserve to be on the field just as much as men do. Within all strands of broadcasting there is going to be mistakes made, and in order to remain credible and respected you need to have the ability to recover from those mistakes. As a woman in sports you need to be able to not only recover from those mistakes but also work off of your mistakes with confidence. Michelle Sturino says that even though some people may not think that women are less credible anymore “ I guess subconsciously almost like, I feel that I have to prove myself against men.”
As a young child you are constantly told in school that there are no stupid questions but when it comes to the work place that is not always the case. As a reporter you are the expert and are expected to know things that the viewer is unaware of. Your job is to bring that information to the viewer in a way that is understandable and leaves them without questions. This is why doing your homework before interviews and press conferences is so vital and such an important aspect of your job. Michelle Sturino says “women sometimes have a harder time in press conferences and are more tight knit because they don’t want to be the one to ask stupid question. If it’s a female…then its almost twice as dumb”
Respect tends to go hand in hand with the judgment that you are under. If your viewers respect you and your co-workers respect your ability and work ethic while on the job you are going to be put under less judgment that someone is not respected. Respect comes from knowing your information, doing your homework, and being confident. Although being respected by your co-workers and viewers comes from your knowledge and confidence it also comes from how you treat others and how you carry yourself while on the job, “I make it pretty clear that when I meet you that’s not going to be an acceptable or tolerable behavior for me. If you’re not going to respect me as a professional I’m going to move on to the next person who is” (Capuano, Interview).
There have been several challenges brought forward because of the amount of judgment put on women in the field of sports broadcasting, mostly based around image and how their voice sounds. When women first started in the business there were several men who were already established sports broadcasters that were not so pleased to be joined by women. Ben Wright in 1996 said, “women are handicapped by having boobs”, so as you can see the sports broadcasting industry has come a long way not only with rules and regulations of where women are allowed, but also within the attitudes of men in the field as well. There are still many male dominated work places in today’s society besides sports broadcasting, and in order to be successful in these kinds of environments you need to be able to deal with that kind of judgment and criticism without taking it to heart and without letting it effect your work.
Once you start letting the judgment from viewers or co-workers to heart and keeping it in the back of your mind while working you’re going to make minor mistakes and you’re going to be harder on yourself while on and off the job.
Conclusion:
When it comes down to it, becoming successful in sports broadcasting takes hard work and time. There have been several women in the past that have broken down barriers and proven that women can make it in a male dominated field, as well as women who are currently in the industry that are continuing to prove women are credible sources for sports. There may be several women who have become successful and proven themselves, but working in any male dominated field can be difficult for women to break into. No matter how many people have broken down barriers and overcome challenges there are still going to be things that you will face when breaking into and continuing a career in the industry.
As a woman in sports it all comes down to your confidence and your knowledge of the sport that you are covering. There is always room to learn and enhance your skills while on the field, this could be from studying more on different sports and staying away from specializing, or by simply talking to other women that are already established within the industry. Although the field is competitive by nature for both men and women, women tend to know one another no matter which network you are working for, and they help each other with tip and suggestions in order to enhance your skills in order to bring your more success within your personal career.
Confidence is key not only because you are working in a field that will be judging your ability and knowledge on the topic but also you are on camera and being seen by several different audiences whether it is on an international level or a local level. In a way you become a celebrity, and people will know who you are when they see you out and depending on your audience you could become a role model to younger women aspiring to break into the industry as well. It is normal for people to have insecurities about their appearance or knowledge on specific topics but in the business you need to be able to know that you were hired because you have the skill, ability, and knowledge in order to complete the job and do it at the level that is expected by the station or networks producer.
As a woman breaking into the field or as an established broadcaster you need to be aware of the different situations that you will face on a daily basis through out your career. There will always be different things that are thrown your way and you need to be able to handle them in a professional way. There have been situations not overly long ago that have caused controversy between female reporters and the player’s actions in the locker rooms. By handling such situations in a professional manner it goes back to proving that you are in the industry for the right reasons.
If you are an aspiring young female trying to break into the industry the number one thing that you need to do is make sure you are always doing your homework and always working on enhancing and perfecting your skills. You need to remember that there is always room to improve, but in order to do so you need to take criticism, and use it to better yourself rather then to break your confidence. In order to stay away from specializing you should be doing homework not only on one specific team but rather on an entire organization such as the NFL as a whole.
By always putting in work and making sure that you know your information you will be able to become a credible and respected source within the sports industry whether or not you are a man or woman.
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