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Although the past few years have been defined by a marked improvement in diversity, aspiring female sports journalists facing pervasive discrimination in the industry. Even today, there are engineered ways to keep women out of fields that have historically been male-dominated.
ENTITY spoke to Lesley Visser, the first female NFL analyst on broadcast television, the first woman to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a well-known pioneer among female sports journalists, to learn how women can succeed in the “man’s world” of sports journalism.
For women like Lesley Visser, these are the hurdles they faced during their careers as female sports journalists.
For many women starting off in sports journalism, they are relegated to the role of a smiling Barbie reporting live from the football lockers. While they have come a long way, many female sportscasters are mainly limited to sideline updates and coach interviews. Because of the obsession with their appearances, they aren’t viewed in terms of their career achievements or growth.
For example, in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Spain suffered a 0-1 defeat by Switzerland in a competitive game. However, the fault of the loss was relegated to live sports journalist Sara Carbonero instead of the players, the defense or the goalie. Since she happened to be goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ girlfriend, the media reported that she must have been a distraction. She was described as unprofessional and too beautiful to be a real journalist.
When asked if men have hurt or hindered her progress to become the leading sports journalist in the U.S., Visser responded, “Some men were very difficult, not wanting any women around. Dale Murphey, a good man, said ‘If she comes in the clubhouse, I won’t talk to anyone,’ making me the bad guy. But most men have been doing their own job and if they could help me, fine. If not, their job came first as it should.”
Below are only a small selection of tweets that were directed at sports journalists Julie Dicaro and Sarah Spain. The tweets were so egregious that it prompted sports podcast Not Just Sports to create a video in which regular men read aloud these tweets to Dicaro and Spain. Most of them struggled to read them aloud, and some even refused to continue.
READ MORE: Women Sports Reporters Face Sexism in #MorethanMean Tweets
Some of the tweets were disturbingly graphic, such as “One of the players should beat you to death with a hockey stick” and “I hope your boyfriend beats you.”
Since the video’s release, however, social media has exploded with support for the women reporting on the sidelines and even calling attention to its continuing relevance in the industry.
Still relevant. Somehow.#MoreThanMean #2016Review https://t.co/i8sN88ePuy
— William Caldwell (@Will_Caldwell10) December 31, 2016
It’s not news that women are often prized for appearance over other attributes. But for women on camera, the criticism is even more harsh. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Erin Andrews discusses the double standard when it comes to commentary about physical appearance for men and women in the sports industry. While all eyes are on her, Andrews pointed out that no one seems to look at the wardrobe and appearance of the men on Fox Sports.
“They are wearing gorgeous suits,” she said. “They have a hair and makeup team there powdering them. Troy Aikmen. Joe Buck. They work out all the time. They’re beautiful men wearing beautiful clothes, no one says anything about it.”
And indeed, with the abundance of articles such as“20 Sexiest Sports Reporters of 2012” and “20 Hottest Local Sports Broadcasters,” it is evident that appearance seems to be the most valuable quality of women in sports, but not for men.
READ MORE: Serena Williams Gets Candid About Body Shaming and Sexism in Sports
Women interested in sports journalism enter the industry circumspect because of the lack of opportunity. In 2012, Associate Press Sports Editors released their annual report card for gender and racial representation in sports media—they received an ‘F’ for gender in the Sports Editors category. Sports editors comprise 90 percent white males; even sports talk radio shows are still overwhelmingly male.
Because of this lack of representation in the industry, Visser believes that mentorship is important, especially for women in male-dominated fields.
“We all need mentors,” Visser says. “I have never been hired by a woman (I began in 1974 and now in 2017, I still have male bosses), but I try to help all young women who seek me out. I wish I’d had that kind of help four decades ago. There have been men in my life who moved my career along and I am grateful to them.”
“We don’t see enough female executive producers but it is happening,” Visser continues. “Suzanne Smith directs NFL games; she’s the only woman to handle an NFL truck on Sundays. But there weren’t even ladies’ rooms when I started. So we’re making progress!”
An Indiana University Survey found that of 1,080 reporters, the median salary for women was $5000 less than male counterparts. According to the Washington Post, male staff makes 13.5 percent more than female staff at the same level. Experience improves work compensation, but inequalities still persist; men with 20 years of experience make 13.5 percent more than “women at the same level.”
In 2012, data from the International Women’s Media Foundation reported that 75 percent of high level management roles in newsrooms are occupied by men, which also contributes to the widening of the wage gap.
READ MORE: 5 Most Shocking Pay Gaps Between Leading Men and Women
Although women like Lesley Visser and Hannah Storm have been pioneers in the sports media industry, there is still much room for improvement, whether in terms of wages, lack of representation or the sexism many women face.
So how did Visser learn to deal with the obstacles as one of the few women covering sports?
“I used humor to get me past the dark days,” Visser says. “I realized that my job, my career, was unusual in society and not many people knew how to handle it. I though humor, not anger, was the way to go. It worked for me – I’ve lasted 40 years.”
