Published: January 01, 2000
Last Updated: March 27, 2000
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Women in sports

Young voices on women in sports

Kristen Leigh Porter, 22, student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, sports editor/writer for the  student paper, The Daily Illini: Women’s sports have come a long way in the past 10 years, and I see it only improving. There does seem to be a sexualization of the women athlete to pacify the average “red-blooded” male. It’s almost as if it’s OK to sweat as long as you look good doing it. I also think it will take a lot for any women’s sport to match the fan base of the NFL or the NBA ... I’ve been very lucky to have never encountered much discouragement along the way ... But sometimes I really hated being a girl. Like when I was covering the NCAA tourney in Sacramento and was told I could find the cheerleaders’ locker room on the other side of the arena while the rest of the media made their way to Illinois’ locker room. What does it look like I’m doing when I’m wearing a skirt that goes all the way to my knees, carrying a tape recorder and carrying a press pass? You still get funny looks from some high school football coaches, but I think people are getting more comfortable with the idea of women covering sports.

Andrea Woo, 20, junior, Northwestern University, assistant sports editor at the student paper, The Daily Northwestern: Women are gaining respect as athletes and little girls are encouraged more and more to participate in sports. With the Women’s World Cup, the WNBA and the NCAA, women are really getting the opportunities to prove their strength, skill and ability. However, I think this is just the very beginning and we still have a long way to go. This society is still used to seeing men dominate in athletics and it’ll take some time before women will be seen on a similar plain. But this is where media plays the most important role. If women’s sports — from high school to college to the professional ranks — are covered not only more widely but by quality reporters, they will certainly gain even more respect and a following ... In my experience, I’ve covered mostly women’s sports and I’ve really enjoyed it. The athletes I speak to are very real, not on some other planet, like many of the male athletes who have bought into people immortalizing them for being able to make a basket or hit a ball. The women don’t have an air to them and it’s easy to see why they devote so much time and effort into training and becoming a hard-nosed competitor. In that respect, it is easy to write a good story because they are so open and honest ... I feel very lucky to have been extremely encouraged in my endeavors in sports journalism. My editors have all been amazing in mentoring and convincing me this is the exact career path I should take. With more women and diversity out there, the coverage is naturally going to increase in quality. It is so important for women to lend a voice and be part of the sports world — whether as athletes or journalists — and the experience of not only being accepted but welcomed has been wonderful.

Kerry Murray, 22, sports writer, Press-Telegram in Long Beach, Calif., covering Long Beach State athletics: “Maybe I’m skeptical, but I don’t think women’s athletics will ever reach same status as men’s athletics even though they are gaining more respect ... The men’s game can be exciting since they tend to be very high profile, but I really like interviewing women’s athletes because they seem to be easier to talk to and sincere.

Rachel Cohen, 21, senior at Duke University; associate sports editor at the student paper, The Chronicle: Women’s sports lag(ging) behind men’s in attention and revenue helps them: Fans are getting fed up with overpaid and arrogant professional (male) athletes, and they see women’s sports as purer and more accessible. These days, it seems the variety of sports out there is growing; they’re becoming more niche-oriented, and that means increased visibility for women’s sports ... (If) I could get my dream job, it would be covering a men’s sport. I guess it’s because the fan base and interest for women’s sports just isn’t there right not ... A lot of people have been particularly encouraging because I am a woman, since they recognize the current dearth of female sportswriters — and the opportunities that creates for an aspiring one ... Sometimes I look around at all the white, middle-aged men in media rooms at sporting events and wonder if I really want to spend my life working in such an environment. And I can certainly imagine situations in which this “man’s world” could be quite uncomfortable. Then again, I’ve spent lots of time with the mostly male sports staff at the student paper over the last four years, and I haven’t ever felt intimidated.

Nancy B. Parish, 26, salesperson, WPYO-TV, Orlando: Once the foot is in the door it is still hard to prove yourself. As an intern at a Syracuse TV station ... (the sports director) would make derogatory statements about women ... I interned alongside a male (who got) the “cool” assignments — press box at Syracuse University Basketball and Syracuse Crunch Hockey — ... that is, until I mentioned this to the news director. Only until then did I get some attention. Since then I have fought and gone after news directors to allow me to gain experience at their sports desk. Only recently, have I cleared the hurdle and have found someone who will take me under their wing and teach me. What I have found is that younger males seem to support my decision to be a sportscaster. It is the older males that have a problem. ... Let’s teach our boys that women want to be sportscasters because it is their passion and not because they want to get into a male locker room.”

— Compiled by Andrea Woo