It’s been over twenty years since Cyndi Lauper’s anthem rocketed her to stardom in the music world but some of her lyrics ring true even now…And of all those lyrics perhaps the one that rings most true for the working woman is “I want to be the one to walk in the sun“…Naoko Funayama and Andrea Kremer’s visit to the B-U sports journalism seminar series provided us with two shining stars who have, and are, getting their full share of Vitamin D…
Kremer and Funayama have staked their places in the male heavy world of sports journalism, combining hard work, determination and above all, perhaps, a love of the games they cover…That shouldn’t come as a surprise to any sports fan but even in this day and age, they felt like they have had to prove themselves, often times over and over…”You cannot fight it, says Kremer, All you can do is know that your margin for error as a woman in sports is smaller. You may have to work harder, you have to make sure you get your facts right, all you can do is keep doing the best work you can to dispel that stereotype and put it to bed.”
One of the top sports stories in Boston now is the B-U men’s hockey team that has reached the Frozen Four, college hockey’s answer to basketball’s Final Four…Nancy Marapese Burrell covers B-U for the Boston Globe and Saturday night Burrell and former Boston TV anchor Dawn Mitchell, now working in Minnesota, engaged in a Facebook discussion that really hit home the idea that sports is not just a “guy thing”…
Dawn Mitchell So great
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell It was a tough night.
Dawn Mitchell Are you ok?
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell Man, BU has figured out that they own the 3rd period.
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell Absolutely, I mean tough by hockey standards. A real rope-a-dope
Dawn Mitchell Mentally strong. That’s the key
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell One thing i remember from being young, it doesn’t occur to you that you can’t.
Dawn Mitchell but this is an active conscious part of their game…
A straightforward dissection of the game…two women just talking sports!…we shouldn’t be surprised…
But unfortunately the public doesn’t always see it that way…and neither do members of the media… case in point Dan Bernstein and Matt Spiegel of Chicago sports talk radio who did nothing but cover themselves in mud (and that’s being kind) this past week with their sexist comments about sports reporter Aiyana Cristal…
And let’s be clear, this (mis)treatment of women isn’t just reserved for sports…A gender bias case, recently decided in Silicon Valley, has many of the same undertones…Sometimes, a case even finds its way to the Supreme Court…
Funayama and Kremer had some blunt words for both the women and the men in the class…”know your (sh*t)!…people are gonna test you”, said Funayama. Kremer was even more candid, “We live in a telegenic world but there’s a different standard between men and women. You have to understand this is the world that exists. There’s still a double standard that (still) exists”…Sobering thoughts for young women trying to make a life for themselves in sports journalism…
A group of women sports journalists were recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated and while the results are too lengthy to post here, I’ve included the link to the survey and the responses…These are women who, for the most part, have just started their journey…Some of the answers seem to point to the fact we haven’t “come a long way baby” in either our treatment or view of these very talented people… And these are women all under the age of 30, women very much like the seminar students
Finally, my favorite line of the night came from Kremer who told the students “If you’re not getting scolded(by the team, your boss, your viewers/readers), you’re not doing your job”…That’s it in a nutshell for men AND women – do your job and no one will care what gender you are!…
15 Comments
Keiko Talley posted on March 29, 2015 at 9:04 pm
This is the one seminar that I was looking forward to the most. I’ve grown used to people questioning me when I mention I’m getting my masters in sports journalism, but I’ve always been annoyed at the fact that I would even have to get questioned. I grew up around sports all my life, I played softball, soccer, basketball, track, and lacrosse. I worked managing the men’s basketball team in college, and declined managing the baseball team. Sports isn’t something foreign to me, but being questioned about making a career out of it is, but it shouldn’t be. As I get further into my second semester here I am reminded more each day about how much of a male dominated industry it is. My personality has always been to fight back and stand up for myself, but as Andrea Kremer told us this seminar, blinders are such important tools as a woman in this industry (probably the most important piece of advice for women in this industry).
When I went to my first sports class at BU, the professor told the females in class that we will be tested and we will be faced with some inappropriate things. He reminded the men in the class to step in and stick up for us but to also let us handle our own. Although this wasn’t anything I didn’t expect, it was a real eye opener for me.
I found it interesting that this was the first seminar that the two guests interviewed each other about their experience in the field. I felt as thought both are powerful women in sports journalism yet they were each learning and teaching something new to each other. I think I found this so interesting because one of the first things that Andrea talked about was the different style of questioning between men and women. These two women are the first to sit there and interview each other about their career and experiences; none of the men thus far did that to each other.
Recently there has been a lot of female voices getting louder and speaking against the disrespect or mistreatment they face (in sports journalism and many other fields). Maybe its because of the domestic violence issues from the NFL, or maybe the women in this world are just getting sick of not being held to the same standards as men. Whatever it is, I find it a shame that it has taken this long for things to be discussed and brought to the surface for others to see. I feel often the question of “what do you think it will take to hold women at the same standards” and most of the time no one knows the answer, I think that with the upcoming journalists-men and women-it will take a long road of determination for women coupled with the support from the men.
Katie Peverada posted on March 30, 2015 at 3:08 pm
I personally came into this seminar with both excitement (as I’m very passionate about women in sports in any capacity) and with slight disdain (when will we ever reach a point where discussions like this are old news). We touched briefly on those conflicting ideas in the beginning of the conversation, and it seems that neither Naoko Funayama nor Andrea Kremer minded that the conversation was happening. If it needs to happen so be it. Contrary to Keiko, when I tell people what I’m doing, they get really excited and, sometimes, say that there is a need for more women in the field. It’s just a matter of everybody falling in line with that opinion, which can start with just giving your work life (to borrow Funayama’s terms).
I recently had Bill Littlefield of Only A Game in one of my classes, and the subject of espnW came up. Someone basically asked, what do you think of hiding women’s sports, and to an extent female journalists, and some back site of ESPN? Littlefield brought of a good point in that hey, at least it’s getting out there in some way. At least incredible talents like Kate Fagan have a place to put their words. I think the same principal can be applied to answering the question of whether or not this seminar was needed – it never hurts because look what we got out of it.
I was listening to a podcast the other day about cricket, and one of the hosts – a male host – was saying that in order to grow the game in America, it just needs to be explained. It needs to be made appealing to the audience. So as annoying as it may be, and as fruitless as it may seem, female journalists and journalists interested in (most) women’s sports just need to put on their blinders and keep digging. Eventually, people will understand and people will respect our voice.
Overall, we were treated to nearly three hours of two intelligent women discussing sports. You know, that thing a fair amount of society still thinks can’t happen or shouldn’t happen (just take a look at all the example Professor Shorr pointed out in Chicago…or just Google female sportscasters and read the vitriol).
But Kremer and Funayama’s discussion didn’t just provide an example of women discussing sports. It also provided an example of how I – a woman in sports – should approach the world. To begin with, we’re involved in sports because we like them. I grew up playing in the sports world and I simply don’t want to leave it. The same goes for the two speakers. But when Kremer said it’s not about the ego, it’s about doing what you can to help the team, it was such a clear metaphor. If I can translate all those things I did growing up as an athlete – as the only female athlete on my hockey team, baseball team and tackle football team – then who cares if I’m a woman. I know my stuff and I know that I’m already in a privileged position with no intention of giving it up.
Finally, I thought it was interesting when Funayama was talking about being a former hockey player and covering hockey players said, “Why would they need to know I played hockey?” I would have imagined that in a world where the players are still questioning the questions coming from female journalists (Duncan Keith comes to mind), you’d try to build credibility any way you could. But, in the end, Funayama also pointed out that a good story is a good story. No matter what a player thinks of me as a female, it’s up to me to find a good story and to do that story justice. It’s on the journalists, no matter the gender, to tell the story.
Josh Schrock posted on March 30, 2015 at 10:49 pm
The first thing that stuck with me during this seminar was the discussion that Andrea and Naoko had about how women in sports journalism are slowly being grouped into two subcategories: Those that are there because they love sports and those who just want to be on TV. This was something that I hadn’t really noticed before but as they discussed it, I began to agree with Andrea’s initial point. I have a good friend who got her degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and now works for Comcast Sportsnet in Oregon. She is a very good-looking girl but doesn’t know a whole lot about sports, and I remember asking her why she wanted to go into sports journalism when she didn’t seem to enjoy sports at all. Her answer was “I want to be like Erin Andrews. I want to people to see me on TV and sports seems like the best way to do that.” As Andrea and Naoko were discussing these two groups and the double standard that exists in regards to male and female sports journalists, I could see that a lot of scrutiny comes from women like my friend whose only desire is to be in front of the camera and not “know their stuff. I think that a lot of talented female journalists are unnecessarily scrutinized because viewers think that they just want to be on TV and it puts the Kate Fagans and Doris Burkes of the profession under an unfair microscope.
The other thing that I wanted to touch on was the discussion on whether or not a male journalist would ever tell an athlete that he played sports, in order to build credibility or make it seem like they understand everything the athlete is saying. I have never felt the need during an interview to tell an athlete that I played the game. Like Andrea said, don’t be afraid to ask a question for fear of what they might think, if you get the sound bite then you did your job. When I was interviewing member of the baseball team at Oregon, I always viewed it as their knowledge of the game was undoubtedly more than mine just due to the level that they play at. I thought that Andrea and Naoko’s take on whatever get’s you the best story is the best path despite what the athlete thinks of you is a good lesson that all of us should take as we begin our careers.
Conor Ryan posted on March 31, 2015 at 2:23 am
The biggest takeaway from Thursday’s seminar — at least for me — can only be described as sobering at best.
Over the years, we have seen the world of sports journalism change rapidly, incorporating new shows, coverage, topics, etc. And yet, Andrea Kremer still had to acknowledge that a double standard is still prevalent within this market.
“You can’t fight it,” Kremer acknowledged, adding that the only thing to take away from the situation is that it needs to be accepted that the margin of error for women in sports journalism is significantly smaller than that of male reporters.
To rise to the top in this profession, hard work and dedication are a must, with Kramer harping on the fact that reporters looking for that big break must know how to write, as well as simply “know [their] shit.”
This might be true, but its still discouraging to know that women are put under a much harsher microscope because of long-standing social ignorance within our society.
As Kremer noted, the double standard is still alive and well, and even though shows like “We Need To Talk” and Katie Nolan’s “Garbage Time” are on the air, the criticism and skepticism levied at women in sports journalism is still far more prevalent than the criticism hurled at male sports writers/broadcasters.
Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Hopefully, but for now, it’s unfortunately one step at a time. For Kremer, the next breakthrough will be a “qualified” woman taking the reins as a play-by-play announcer.
Has there been progress? Yes, I would hope so. But as a whole, it’s still disheartening to see such a double standard still so ingrained in this industry.
Nicholas Picht posted on March 31, 2015 at 11:51 am
This seminar was definitely a breath of fresh air from the other seminars we’ve had this semester. The way Andrea and Naoko almost interviewed each other right from the beginning was not only interesting, but inspiring to see that, even with all their success, these women could still learn from each other’s experiences. Right off the bat, the way they engaged one another instantaneously engaged me in the conversation and sparked my interest in an issue that’s still very pertinent in our industry.
That being said, sometimes as a male, it doesn’t really click to me how hard females in our industry have it. And, hearing Andrea and Naoko’s stories really opened my eyes to how smart and tough these women have to be to prove themselves in a sports industry that is not only male dominated, but to be frank, quite sexist as well. As they told us, athletes and fans alike are much more unforgiving towards women, and are willing to dismiss them as “stupid” or “unknowledgeable” the minute they make a mistake. I have always had a ton of respect for those women who love sports enough to make a career of it. But, after this seminar, I gained so much more appreciation for the work they do and realized how important it is for women in sports to “know their stuff.”
And our guests really knew their stuff. Some of the best advice of the entire semester came from this seminar. For me, I think Andrea’s advice on how to be an effective sideline reporter hit home the most. She really drove home the point of teamwork, and told story after story of how simply doing her part and maintaining that team attitude allowed her to contribute to an overall better broadcast. Even further, being chewed out a little bit for being “bored” at the hockey games really hammered home the best advice of the night (and something I think I’ve commented on in older posts). Being complacent is the worst thing we could possibly be at our jobs. We should always be striving for more, striving to be better. Even later in her career, Andrea is still striving for more with both Real Sports and We Need to Talk. At the time of her comment, I didn’t understand, and was actually a little angry at being challenged. But, after class, I really thought about her words and realized it was just an opportunity for her to show a little tough love and teach me a lesson…Either that, or I just got a good old-fashioned lashing.
The other great piece of advice Andrea gave us was on knowledge. She told us not to BS our way through something, and that if we didn’t know something, to simply ask somebody. And this advice doesn’t just go for our jobs; it goes for life as well. I have always heard that one’s willingness to accept that he/she does not know everything only makes him/her a smarter person. And listening to one of the most successful sports reporters confess that even she has asked for help went a long way to show that it’s ok for me to do the same.
Sara Varela posted on March 31, 2015 at 9:44 pm
Successful women help build up successful women, and for that, I appreciate the time Kremer and Funayama spent speaking to our class about being a woman in the media. Most of the conversation during the seminar was sparked by the two asking each other questions and gaining insights about the job from each other, and I think Funayama was the first speaker to ask us what we wanted to know before giving us bits and pieces of knowledge.
Something inspiring I noticed was how different Kremer and Funayama were in personality. As a woman, it showed me that there isn’t one type of woman in sports. There might be two categories concerning knowledge and tv time, but there isn’t one type of woman for the job.
One of the best pieces of advice we received was to be humble. Sports are often fueled by ego and media is no different. It’s important to stay true to your abilities and present yourself the way you want to be seen. I like the idea of letting your work speak for itself because women are often told to try harder. The margin for error may be smaller, but good work will always be accepted. The idea of being humble directly impacts being willing to ask for help from fellow reporters and others in the media. Everyone, man or woman, needs to be open to working with others, especially if it will help reach the goal everyone is trying to achieve.
I think society is starting to realize that women in the media play an important role in gathering and presenting the information they expect to receive. Most of the time producers and companies will need to see a market for a new idea, such as an all-female sports show, but women are one of the largest markets available, and it’s becoming well-known by how women look to other women for news. I think younger generations, who are entering the media or are the target audience, are less skeptical of women in sports media. I remember telling an elementary schooler how I wanted to work in baseball as a marketer, and he was overjoyed at the idea of a “girl running baseball.” The industry looks a certain way now, but I think audiences, young and old, believe women are capable of doing the job.
Pat O'Rourke posted on March 31, 2015 at 10:45 pm
As Katie said, it’s too bad that we continue to have this conversation. And I say this as a man. Unfortunately, while we’ve made significant progress, there’s still a long way to go. That’s not just in sport, but in society as well.
But being the glass half-full guy that I am, I’ll say our two guests last week were shining examples of that progress. Andrea Kremer and Naoko Funayama are two of the most professional, knowledgeable, and respected individuals in the business. And that’s not just in comparison to other women.
I grew up watching Andrea Kremer on SportsCenter, which I would watch every morning as a kid. I remember her stories, and I remember how grabbing they were. The content carried the story, no added features (music, graphics, etc.) were necessary. Like she says in class (because I’m lucky enough to have her as my professor), if the content is good, you don’t need the other stuff.
Of the many people who made me want to become a sports journalist, Kremer and Jackie MacMullan are the two women I can think of who inspired me to do this. That wasn’t because they were women. It’s because they were good at what they did and it me want to do what they did.
As an avid Bruins follower, I came to appreciate Funayama’s work quickly. You could tell that she was prepared, did her homework, and was knowledgeable of the game. When she and NESN parted ways following the Bruins 2013 Stanley Cup run, there was an outpouring of support from those who worked with her. I also think it’s worth noting they haven’t been back to the Cup finals since her departure.
Of course, there’s still progress to be made. I’d love to see a female play-by-play person. I’d love to see a female sports radio host. But like Kremer said, it has to be organic, it can’t feel manufactured.
There’s a number of talented female journalists with aspirations for the sport media field just in this program alone. Many doors have been opened for them by individuals like Andrea Kremer and Naoko Fuayama, but there’s still more to be opened.
Christina Patracuolla posted on April 1, 2015 at 9:02 am
Like many Americans, I’ve spent many days in my life sitting around watching sports. As I’ve grown older and started watching with different crowds besides my family, I have noticed not the comments about the games and the players, but about the sideline reporters, particularly the women. Yes, the men get criticism as a side note, but it’s the women that fall victim to the roast more often than not.
What surprised me is that not only are there comments about every little detail of the woman’s outfit, her makeup, hair and body, but the comments are also being thrown by women watching the broadcast. The pressure is coming from every direction for these women and it takes a particularly strong person to be able to tolerate the heat coming at her no matter how perfect her performance is.
Andrea Kremer made it clear that all a woman in the sports journalism business can do is her best. I was truly inspired listening to women like Naoko Funayama and Andrea Kremer who face criticism from viewers via Twitter, Facebook and the endless social media sources that viewers hide behind and still have the confidence and vision to stay on their paths to success.
One thing they made clear was that no matter what, there are going to be critics out there judging your every move because your a woman and it doesn’t seem to be changing drastically anytime soon. It made me sad when Andrea said that women in sports are advancing due to the casualties suffered by the girlfriends and wives of violent athletes, however, I realized that that’s how the world works. Every equality movement, no matter how extreme, is pushed forward by eye-opening instances.
I don’t know how long it will take until women aren’t judged or getting jobs based off of their looks, but the seminar encouraged me that if you know all of your facts and are truly good at what you do, no one can bring down your success or keep you from reaching your goals. For that, I thank women like Funayama and Kremer.
Kelly Landrigan posted on April 1, 2015 at 4:37 pm
Like many of the other women in our class, this was the seminar that I was looking forward to the most. Borrowing from what someone else said in a comment, strong women like to empower other women. To be able to sit and listen to two of my idols share their experiences in the field was awe-inspiring. It’s extremely difficult being “the girl who wants to cover sports,” and sometimes, I’ve found myself shaken in my chosen career path.
I think what’s the most disheartening about the women in sports conversation is the fact that the criticism can come from those you know and those you don’t know. I didn’t grow up playing typical sports. I spent one year on the soccer field, and the rest of my time as a competitive cheerleader. However, it was my MOTHER that instilled my love of sports in me, specifically my devotion to the woeful New York Jets. Over the years, my decision to ultimately pursue sports journalism as a career changed my family dynamic. Suddenly, my father was interested in sports again because I WAS. Being able to share such a fun common interest with both of my parents has been awesome. However, as support as my family has been, I’ve also experienced the opposite with some of them. In an earlier post for a different seminar, I mentioned how I had to “prove” myself to my uncle when we were watching college football together over Winter break. To be asked by someone in my own family why “men should want to hear women talk sports” was devastating. I shouldn’t have to prove my “knowledge of the game” to anyone, especially my own family. I thought I’d almost rather hear it from a stranger, but it made me just as mad. When I was helping a friend film a package for class, I was chatting with the employee we had interviewed earlier. He asked me what I was studying, and when I told him it was sports journalism, he replied, “Oh so you’re looking to meet your future husband?” While I laughed off his comment because the argument wasn’t worth it, it shook me to my core. I was still fuming when I returned home hours later.
Despite these scenarios, a big takeaway I got from both Andrea Kremer and Naoko Funayama was that if you do your work and you do it exceedingly well, the supporters will outweigh the naysayers. I was lucky enough to experience this support the first semester of my freshman year, when I auditioned to be a part of “Off Sides,” the only pro-sports talk show on butv10. I remember walking into Studio West a bundle of nerves. To make matters worse, as I’m waiting with a mostly male group of upperclassmen, my dad calls me and my Monday Night Football ringtone went off. I left to take the call and considered walking out purely because of my embarrassment. However, when I went back inside, they all turned to me and said, “You haven’t auditioned yet, but we already know you belong.” Now, as one of the show’s executive producers, I try to do my best in empowering both the women and men on the show. To be told by younger girls that they want my advice because they hope to follow in my footsteps some day is very humbling and gratifying.
I’m confident that in our lifetime we will see prominent female sports analysts dominating the conversation on SportsCenter and not just tucked away for some late-night Sunday coverage. Like Naoko told us, regardless of our gender, we should always aim to add something new to the conversation and broadcast. As Andrea told us that men and women differ in interviewing styles, I couldn’t help but think of how different the conversations would be with more women in prominent roles. Yes, women in sports will be under the microscope more than our male counterparts. Frankly, it’s a challenge that I’m accepting with open arms.
Alex Hirsch posted on April 1, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Honestly, it is a real shame that we even had to have this class. Sure, it is a very important topic, but I wish we were at a point in society where this class would be unnecessary. Sadly, it is necessary and there is a lot to be learned from it.
One thing I really wonder is as journalists, what should we do? We want it to change, and so we hire more women for positions. But, our profession puts us in a unique position to call attention to this. What responsibility do journalists have in shedding light on the fact that this is even a topic? Maybe I am wrong, but I think we have a great deal of responsibility. The fact that we even call attention to the fact that a woman in commentating a game is terrible. Perhaps, if we stop acknowledging it as something different, and rather acknowledge it as the norm, we can help end this separation of sexes.
I think some people might find Andrea Kremer’s advice of saying she just put blinders on to the fact that she was the only female at her first job disappointing. I think some females want to know how to establish themselves in what is unfortunately deemed, “A man’s world.” I find it fascinating and inspiring that she had blinders on. She viewed herself as a person, rather than a female, and worked just as hard as the next person.
It is a real eye opener to have this seminar and even come to this school and learn about such things, because frankly as a young man, it is not something I often think about. But, immediately at this school it was brought to my attention from professors during class. When there is a problem brought to my attention, and I am not aware of it, than it means I am equally responsible for it. It’s time to use our positions to make a change.
Dylan Haines posted on April 1, 2015 at 11:21 pm
In an attempt to not write a full-on opinion piece on this seminar…
Simply put, women know sports as much, if not more than men in the sports journalism world. The seminar exemplified the type of women that are out there in the world, grinding through work to get the respect they deserve. The discussion is present in today’s day and age because women still fight subjective disadvantages in the work force. Despite all the progress, this issue still occurs.
The two women at the seminar are living proof that for the women aspiring to become journalists that it can be done, and hopefully will be done in the near future for all women.
More and more female anchors are showing up on numerous sports broadcasts. The issue, although it is not an issue for some of the audience, is that some of the women have a pretty face and can read a script but cannot do much else. It is not the fault of the women, the fault is at the hands of the corporations that hire these women to look pretty. This appears to be the common role of women in sports. Minimal opportunities outside of this role have been granted in the past.
When a woman decides to do more than this, flags are raised. Why?
This is not coming solely from the corporations either. Some fans and listeners of the sports broadcasts throw fits on social media if they see a woman interviewing a player in a locker room, on the court or on the sideline. Some players may even look at a female reporter a different way, as shown in past cases of inappropriate conduct.
At the end of the day, the content produced by female reporters is just as good as a piece by a male reporter. It is a truth that is foreign to too much of the country. Slow progress has been made, but the issue will not go away until the certain men of the sports world and culture let go of the ego they have about knowing more than women.
The bottomline, personally, is that the seminar’s purpose was to show the women of the class living motivation to keep doing sports journalism. It showed the men in class that the men before us have created an environment of testosterone in the sports world that needs changing. (Not all men, Professor)
Nick Garrido posted on April 2, 2015 at 12:05 am
I really hope that someday in the near future that this seminar will stop being offered because it’s truly unfair what women have to go through in the sports world and I don’t see why it should be like that. I would love to see a “progression of women in sports” be offered at some point. I’m not afraid to admit that I know some women that I think know more about sports than I do. It also shouldn’t be a scary thing for any guy to admit.
I have the experience of working with Alex Corddry over at Channel 7 and the knowledge she has is incredible. There are many women out in the field just like that. Andrea and Naoko are both incredible at what they do. Its sickening to hear that some of the things they both admit too, such as the shelf life for women is much smaller than men. If someone can’t get someone’s name pronounced right on the air, it should be the same punishment no matter who it is. People shouldn’t be looking at it in terms of oh its a woman she doesn’t know sports, when guys mis pronounce names all the time too
This seminar was important because while I think there definitely has been progress with women getting bigger roles in the sports market, there are still ways to go before its even close to being equal. This seminar was meant to educate us (guys and girls) that while the past can’t be changed, the future is still up in the air. It sure is possible that women can develop into play by play commentators. It’s all about the hard work you put into what you do. I really hope someday women will feel that they don’t have to put extra work than men do to be successful.
I remember reading about the Shannon Miller story, before I saw it on blackboard again. The stories I was told about the Minnesota Duluth program and how good it was under her were remarkable. It’s truly unfair what happened to her. This whole seminar “Women in Sports” goes beyond just women in the media.
Why aren’t there more women coaches? How about a professional league that women’s players can play in and not have to work another part time job in?
Andy Murray made headlines all around the world when he hired Amelie Mauresmo to be his full time coach and its proved to be a pretty successful partnership so far, although there is much left to be seen with their partnership. He has lobbied for equal prize money between the men and the women on the tennis tours before and he’s flat out said he wished there were more women coaching. There needs to be more players lobbying for women to get higher roles in the sports industry.
What I’m going to take away from this seminar mostly is how truly unfair women can get it when it comes to getting a job in sports. You have some women getting jobs just because they look pretty and then you have some super educated women not getting jobs they deserve and when you throw in the lack of women being hired all together, it adds up to a very frustrating situation all around.
Lee Altman posted on April 2, 2015 at 12:21 am
From the Olympics, to the World Cup, to the WNBA, there are dominant women athletes. Everyone is fixated on the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team and their pursuit of perfection… but wait… the Baylor University women’s team already did it, going 40-0 in 2012. And that was only three years ago. The Lady Bears beat the Wildcats to the punch. In all of the Wildcats’ tournament games this year, the broadcast announcers have consistently mentioned the University of Indiana Hoosiers team that went undefeated in 1976. But there hasn’t been one reference to that historic Baylor team.
Following their NCAA women’s championship, Mark Cuban said he would consider drafting Baylor’s star center, Brittany Griner. Cuban said that if the Mavericks did not draft her, he would invite her to play for Dallas’s summer league team. Griner ended up being drafted with the number one overall pick by the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and won a championship in the most recent WNBA Finals. If Griner had the opportunity to try out for the Mavericks, it would not have even been the first time a woman vied for a spot on an NBA team. In 1979, UCLA star Ann Meyers tried out for the Indiana Pacers.
At the start of the most recent NBA season, Greg Popovich, the coach of the San Antonio Spurs broke the NBA’s gender barrier and hired formed WNBA Star Becky Hammon as a full-time assistant coach. Former WNBA Coach Lisa Boyer had previously served as a volunteer coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2001-2002 season.
With all of the strides women have been making in the professional sports realm, the question is where are the female sports journalists to match? The answer is that they are already here, have been, and are just waiting for their opportunity. One female journalist who has broken real ground is Andrea Kramer. Kramer mentioned how she came up in the field around the same time as Pam Oliver. Both women have been journalistic stars, roaming the sidelines of NFL games.
One female sports journalist who I admired growing up was Jeanne Zelasko. In 2009, she became the first woman to call the play-by-play for a Los Angeles Dodgers game. I recall tuning in weekly to Fox’s Saturday Baseball Game and seeing Jeanne on the pregame show. At the time, I remember thinking how well she fit in with Kevin Kennedy, Joe Giradi, and Mark Grace. Furthermore, it did not occur to me that she was the female journalist in the group. The way she presented information and conversed freely with her co-hosts made her seem like she was just another member of the team. In retrospect, (especially after the most recent seminar) I realize just how impressive Zelasko’s work actually was.
I personally feel that sideline reporter, like Kramer and Funayama, are crucially important to a sports telecast. It is true that this has been a categorically “female journalist” position but that is not always the case. For instance, Gary Striewski proved to be a charismatic and entertaining sideline reporter for the Boston Red Sox this past season after he replaced Jenny Dell.
Women definitely have earned a seat at the sports journalism table. In fact, they have belonged all along. This sentiment isn’t only held by the new generation of sports fans. My father (who is in his 50’s) is a true Jackie MacMullan fan and swears that she is the greatest beat reporter of all time. MacMullan has a Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame to back it up too. I cannot say how or when female sports reporters will finally break through the gender threshold in sports, but I do know that is inevitable and well deserved. I believe a future where female sports journalist provide play-by-play and analysis is not very far away and I look forward to one day working with talented female reporters like Andrea Kramer and Naoko Funayama.
Joe Weil posted on April 2, 2015 at 2:25 am
I thought it was interesting that Andrea Kremer pointed out that there are two types of female sports journalists: One type are women who actually have a passion for sports. The second type are women that just want to get on TV. If that’s truly the case, it was great to hear from two extremely respected and battle tested female sports journalists in Andrea Kremer and Naoko Funayama. Andrea has been a trailblazer in her field, while Naoko is a beloved media figure here in the New England area. I admire how they attack their jobs and how they’ve been able to stand out in a male-dominated field. Their work speaks for itself. Watch either of them and any sane human being has to admit they are fantastic at their jobs. And as they talked about, they know, as woman, they’re under a larger microscope. Because of that they had to work a little harder to gain respect.
Full disclosure: I’m in Professor Kremer’s class and I can honestly say it’s one of the best courses I’ve taken. But even before that, I was a huge fan of hers. I loved her stories on HBO Sports and her work as a sideline reporter for NBC. What’s interesting though is that while I’ve always been a fan of her work, I never thought about how she’s been a trailblazer for female sportscasters. Or the fact she had to fight so hard to get to where she is because she’s a woman. Call me naive, but gender was never something I thought about. I just though she’s great at what she does, the same way I thought Frank Deford is great at what he does. But the reality of the situation is that she DID have to work harder. And as she stated, she was the first woman at a lot of her jobs.
I think progress has been made for gender equality in sports journalism, but this seminar reminded me that more work needs to be done. For instance, before last Thursday it never really dawned on me how few women are in play-by-play and sports talk radio (weirdly two fields that I hope to go into). I’ve interned at two radio stations and now a TV station and none of the sports anchors were women. It’s kind of a bummer, especially because the women I’ve heard in these fields are just as good as the men. The one time I listened to Dana Jacobson on WFAN she was awesome. Doris Burke is great when she gets the chance to do play-by-play. The examples are endless.
In an ideal sports journalism world, everyone should be judged equally. Hopefully in the near future we can live in that world.
Karly Finison posted on April 2, 2015 at 11:21 am
Part of the reason I wanted to study sports journalism in the first place was because I thought there was never enough coverage of women’s sports growing up. I wanted to watch March Madness both on the men’s and women’s sides as a kid, yet not until recently did ESPN begin broadcasting the women’s NCAA basketball tournament each year.
As I began to follow sports even more as a teenager, just as it was clear to me that women’s games were not gaining appropriate media coverage, there were also little to no women on the sidelines, in front of the camera and covering these games.
One of my peers described this seminar as “a breath of fresh air,” yet for me it was more a reality check. Naoko Funayama and Andrea Kremer’s visit to our class proved that strides have been made but at the end of the day women still face unique challenges in this profession.
Sports journalism is more than a pretty face. And though Funayama and Kremer candidly admitted that sometimes women are hired for looks, they also made it clear that in order to last in the business you must have more than that. Kremer noted there are two types of women in the industry: those who love sports and those who do it because it seems like a cool profession and want to be on camera. Yet Kremer’s longevity in the industry is rooted in her hard work, trustworthiness and ability to connect with players in the locker room- many of whom would only talk to her.
Even so, Kremer’s legacy in the sports industry did not develop overnight. Both Funayama and Kremer stressed the importance of setting yourself apart from others, always introducing yourself and finding commonalities, things that have been stressed in many of our seminars this semester.
I hope this specific seminar can take place in future semesters. As much as we wish that the inequalities between men and women in the workplace didn’t exist, the do. It’s something that each of us, male or female, will likely come across. Therefore it’s still worth talking about.