How to break into the sports industry as a woman

Being a woman in sports is a challenging job. The stigma surrounding women in the profession is still prevalent, but some women are thriving in spite of it all. Mia O’Brien, Sports Multimedia Journalist for CBS 2 / FOX 28 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jenna Harner, Sports reporter and anchor at WENY News in Elmira, New York, and Kristen Gowdy, who will start her position as the Media and Marketing Assistant for USA Bobsled & Skeleton in September after a summer internship with The Seattle Times, offer their insight of how to be a successful woman in sport- and why the industry needs more girls like them!

What was your major in college? Any extracurriculars that prepared you for your career today?

Jenna: Television/Radio (TVR) major, minors in Journalism and Sport Studies. ICTV hands down, from reporting live at the football games to interviewing Cornell Hockey players to hosting a sports recap show, my sports knowledge grew immensely. It not only helped me develop a reel to show to future employers, but my interview skills grew, I developed my on-air presence and I gained a ton of confidence.

Mia: Journalism major, Politics and Sport Studies minors. I was extremely involved in our college television (ICTV) and radio stations: hosting, reporting, producing – you name it, I probably did it at least once. I also served as Senior Class President and was involved in Student Government. I also was a Student Leadership Consultant in the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs. Those latter three all enhanced not only my ability to lead but to be a self-starter (which is extremely important when enterprising stories).

Kristen: Journalism major, Sport Studies minor. Working with The Ithacan all four years in college is probably the extracurricular that most prepared me for my career… [it] greatly improved my editing, writing, teamwork and time management skills. Serving as Sports Editor, I learned to juggle managing a staff while planning a section and simultaneously collaborating with the other editors around me.

When did you decide you wanted to work in sport media?

J: I’ve always loved sports, growing up I played almost everything and they were always on in the house since before I can remember. I guess the passion was always there, I just never thought I could make a career out of it. I was always drawn towards news, and it ended up I didn’t get on any news shows [in college], instead I was pulled into the sports department. It sort of just all fell together from there!

M: At the age of 15 I knew for sure the career path was for me after attending the Bruce Beck and Ian Eagle Sports Broadcasting Camp. However, I knew for years I was gravitating towards the profession. I always loved writing, I always loved talking and I always loved sports – from elementary school on, I would wake up before school early to check the stats and scores from the night before, as well as my favorite sports columnists.

K: I’ve always been involved in sport as an athlete. So the sport part came first and then the journalism/writing part came in high school. During my senior year, I was serving as Sports Editor of the school newspaper and we transitioned the whole thing to online, which allowed me to go cover as many games as I wanted. That really taught me a lot about deadlines and developing stories because my advisor let me go out on my own and experience it.

Why do you think there are so few women broadcasters/journalists in sports?

J: I think it’s been a man’s dominated world for so long that there’s a sort of stigma attached with it. Its very frustrating because coming into the sports broadcasting world as a female, we already have a target on our backs. We are looked at under the microscope so much more because we’re females and how could we know so much more about sports than a male would? But it’s an exciting challenge to have to tackle, and I think more and more females should want to tackle that challenge.

M: The obvious answer is “Title IX’s impact hasn’t fully been felt” – which I do believe to be partially true (as I believe we are and will continue to see more female broadcasters in the coming years). However, the other part of it is that it’s a lifestyle that’s tough for raising a family/having friends/being “normal.” We work ridiculous hours for only a few minutes of glory. There are also less spots on-air in sports than “news” by pure numbers, thus making the process and incentive of climbing the corporate ladder all the more vigorous.

K: Before Title IX, women were all but shunned from competing sport and even since, inclusion has been improving, but it’s far from equal. It’s the same thing with the professional side of the industry. Women are slowly making their way into the field and I’ve seen a ton of improvement, but we still have a long way to go.

Why do you think there should be more women sportscasters and journalists?

J: Simply, because it’s an amazingly rewarding and a fun career path! And when there are more females, hopefully the stigma will start to disappear, and we will be looked at more equally with our male counterparts in the industry.

M: Just as has been seen with News during the last 20-30 years, having more female voices creates a different culture of reporting and in a newsroom. Women just naturally see certain things through a different lens than men. And, just as we strive to have a diverse socioeconomic and racial array of “lenses” to view stories through, why shouldn’t the same be said for the female lens?

K: Because women are just as good as men. You listen to the Rebecca Lobos, the Doris Burkes, or you read Christine Brennan or Nancy Armour, and they’re just as good, if not better, than many of their male counterparts. The women who know their stuff are just as good as any of the men in the business, and I think slowly the industry will continue to improve and diversify.

What is the best advice you were ever given (from man or woman) about being a female sportscaster/journalist?

J: I’ve definitely been told a lot of advice, but honestly it’s probably just to exude confidence. If you’re confident in what you’re doing, your work will come out high quality, and no one will question you as they would if you were scared.

M: Cliché, but just to “follow your gut.” There have been many times where I am about to make a decision and freak out about what someone else might say (i.e. when deciding on an internship: what will so-and-so say if I don’t take the one they personally referred me for?). Ian Eagle (of CBS Sports and one of my Camp Directors) was the one who, when I was faced with the aforementioned situation, said to me frankly “Mia, just follow your gut. It hasn’t failed you this far, has it?” Knock on wood, it still hasn’t.

K: Last year at the Association for Women in Sport Media conference, we talked about not letting non-constructive criticism get to you. Females in sport are criticized far more than males, and I think brushing off snide, gender-based comments from fans or athletes or other journalists is going to be a big part of my job no matter where I end up.

What advice do you have for women who want to follow your career path?

J: To believe that you can do it. Right now I’m still in shock that this is even happening and that I’m actually doing it, but here I am. It is possible and it’s amazing to see just how far one can go in this industry. Also, many boys/men will try to quiz you when you tell them you’re into sports and that you’re making a career out of it. Just because you don’t know who hit a home run on the third of September in the pouring rain in 1996 for the Mets doesn’t mean you’re not credible. Keep doing what you’re doing and keep pushing boundaries.

M: There is a fine line between “giving into the system” and “going rogue.” There’s going to be times when you have to take a back seat (female or not) to someone who is older and, nine times out of ten, male. That’s okay: because though that means you’ll have to do their “dirty work” (shooting the highlights instead of anchoring, driving hundreds of miles for a story), you’ll not only be able to transform that into a superior product (story), but you’ll be more than ready to succeed and seize that other opportunity when it is presented.

K: Intern. Most employers have told me that they’re looking for at least two quality internships for entry level jobs (plus extracurriculars and whatever else you’ve done.) The biggest thing for me was a willingness to go anywhere and try anything. It meant essentially sacrificing my summers, but the experiences I had made it completely worthwhile. I’ve learned more from my internships than I have in any class. Also, networking. I know that gets repeated over and over, but I’ve found that there are so many women (and men, for that matter) in the sports industry that want to help other women break into the business. Networking doesn’t necessarily have to lead to a job, and most of the time it won’t. For me, I’ve found some of my mentors through networking at conferences and internships. Stay in touch with the people who have helped you most, even if it’s just dropping them an email to see how they’re doing. It goes a long way.

Also, be able to out-talk the guys about sports. That’s the quickest way to gain their respect.