I once posed a question to my noble Twitter followers: “Which career path should I choose: sports journalist, television writer or fashion magazine contributor?!” One of my friends thoughtfully responded, “Sports journalism; there aren’t any Asian female sports journalists.”
The reasons for a male-dominated world of sports journalism aren’t as explicit or as sexist as they were decades ago — but implicit biases do still exist, making it especially hard for a woman interested in sports to break into the field.
Searching for female ESPN personalities online will lead you to articles like “The 20 Hottest Women in the History of ESPN” (from Complex) and “The 30 Hottest Women in ESPN History” (from Bleacher Report).
Female sports journalists are rare because women in the sports world aren’t always respected as professionals. Instead, they are objectified and judged based on looks, not skills. Yes, “hot” can be viewed as a personality trait and not a physical trait, but that’s not what these websites are portraying “hot” as.
In the Complex article, there are images of ESPN sportscasters in bikinis. Not only are the images degrading to women, but so is the accompanying language. Bleacher Report calls Wendi Nix a “saucy little minx.” Why would any aspiring female sports journalist want to be subjected to that kind of belittling treatment in her professional life?
Thankfully, The Cavalier Daily has more integrity than the aforementioned websites — but the atmosphere at The Cavalier Daily sports section is still dominated by males. No explicit biases are apparent. People are nice and welcoming, but interacting with members of the sports section for the first time in-person and not through email was intimidating. When I walked into the basement of Newcomb and I didn’t know anyone or see anyone who looked like me, I felt I had just entered a completely different world — one where I couldn’t relate to anyone.
Because the staff only talked business, and we never got personal or actually talked about sports, I never came into the office again, unless it was for a required meeting. I hid behind a computer, only interacting with other sports writers through email: a place where gender exists only through a signature which can be easily penned or even ignored.
But there was a reason why I signed up to write for the sports section in the first place. I signed up because I need these people in my life, because I feel like no one else can understand my sports references or feelings, like the sadness I felt when Tony Reali left ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”
As a result, I decided to actively try to become more involved with the sports section this year — but at the last all-staff meeting, I still sat in the back, not talking to anyone until we were forced to separate into our separate sections. Sitting with the Sports staff, it was easier to communicate with everyone, and the initially perceived differences were gone.
We simply talked sports. In that moment, I was a little girl with a dream of becoming a sports writer — a dream that no one would probably guess — and five or six “dudes” were one and the same.
Sports journalists across the world are in this field not for the fame, but for the love of the game — and that is what ultimately brings us all together regardless of race or gender. Jemele Hill, Jackie MacMullen and Rachel Nichols didn’t make it to the top of their careers because they were female and hid behind the typewriter or computer screen. They made it because they are really good at what they do (and not afraid of controversy), and they didn’t let the implicit biases or barriers deter them from doing what they love.
Neither will I.
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