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When Women Report on the Most Watched American Sport

Stephanie Ressler
Journalism & Society
Fall 2015

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Introduction
This study will look at the representation and portrayal of female journalists that
report in the NFL. It will also research the experience of a female sports reporter and
what kind of content they produce. This topic was chosen as a result of the clear
domination of male sports reporters in TV coverage of sports, and was further broken
down to NFL coverage, because football is the most watched sport in America. While the
male domination in the football industry may be attributed to the fact that it is a male
sport, female reporters have struggled for years to have the same respect and portrayal as
men in this field. There have been only a few female reporters to make it big in this
industry, compared to the hundreds of male reporters. There are even less female
executives in this industry. To fully understand the experience and portrayal of women in
NFL coverage, it is important to look at history of the feminist movement, which
occurred in the same time period that women were first incorporated into sports
reporting. This research will consider the past, present and future of women in this
medium.

Methodology
Through a qualitative research this project will identify the ways in which women
are being represented on TV when reporting on the NFL. This will be done through an
analysis of the history of women in sports, how they were first incorporated into NFL
coverage, and how women are being represented now. This will be accomplished through
primary source interviews with media personnel currently working in this industry. A

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content analysis will look at exactly how women are being represented in the NFL
coverage on CBS Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports, and what content they are
producing. This will also look at the formula of how national news outlets are covering
football. This research hopes to contribute an understanding of the portrayal of women in
the American sport of football that will explain why women accept their marginalized
role in this industry, and how that affects what content they produce.

Women in Sports History and Literature Review

The first women sports personality was Phyllis George, the winner of the 1971
Miss America pageant. She was invited by CBS to join the network as a sportscaster in
1974. She worked there for almost ten years from 1975 to 1984. Actress Jayne Kennedy
replaced Phyllis George on The NFL Today in 1978, becoming the first AfricanAmerican female to host a network sports television broadcast. She was also first
African-American celebrity to grace the cover of Playboy magazine. Phyllis George came
back in 1980 to reclaim her role as the only female talent for The NFL Today. Leslie
Visser, an accomplished sportswriter for the Boston Globe joined CBS in 1984 as a parttime reporter. She is the only sportscaster in history to have worked on broadcasts for the
Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Monday Night Football, the Super Bowl, the
Olympics and the U.S. Open. She is also one of the first female sports reporters to have
acquired her broadcast job through her impressive skills in reporting. Gayle Sierens
began working for ESPN in 1983 as a SportsCenter anchor, becoming one of the first
women to regularly anchor a nightly network sports broadcast. In 1987, Sierens became
the first and only woman to do play-by-plays for a major network covering the NFL.

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The history of women in sports highlights the fact that the first women
incorporated into football solely based on their appearance and sex appeal. It took nearly
decades for a woman with sports knowledge and journalism skill to become the face of
sports for a major network. Relevant to that time period was the feminist movement in
the late 1960s through the 1970s. Women had to fight and protest for equality in the
workplace.
In the article, Sports reporting and gender: Women journalists who broke the
locker room barrier by Tracy Everbach and Laura Matysiak, the authors look into the
history of women and how they have endured harassment and adversity to have equal
rights as male reporters, and therefore gain access to locker rooms for post-game
interviews. This article specifically looks at how the feminist movement in America
really encouraged women to break boundaries and prove their equality, especially in the
workplace.
However, while the feminist movement did help the integration of women in the
sports industry, there are still many challenges for women who report in sports. Female
sports journalists in 2005 continued to face harassment and discrimination in their
workplaces and even accepted their own marginalized status as part of the job,
(Everback & Matysiak, page 2). It has been years of fighting for equality in this male
dominated industry, and women have accepted their marginalized role. This article also
employs quantitative research methodology that shows statistics on gender roles in the
workplace. For example, in 2007, women earned 80 cents for each dollar a man earned.
This information is useful in a study of women in broadcast sports because it shows
statistics and facts that support that gender inequality is still present in the workplace.

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Another article, Women sportscasters: navigating a masculine domain by Max
Grubb and Theresa Billiot, explores similar issues and challenges that are faced by
women sportscasters. While this article looks at challenges of women reporters in sports,
it also takes the perspective of how they fit into sports, a tradition that serves as a
continual validation and commemoration of manliness. Women sportscasters stated that
they felt pressure to maintain their appearance, constantly prove their credibility, confront
inequitable treatment, work longer hours for promotions, and tolerate the networks
informal policy of hiring beauty over intelligence, (Grubb & Billiot, page 89). This
shows that hegemony is a clear factor in how women are portrayed on sports media,
because it is all about physical appearance and appealing to the opinions of the elites.
One concept that was developed by feminist film critic, Laura Mulvey, in her
1975 essay entitled, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema is the Male Gaze. This
theory is not related to sports or female reporters, but rather how the media takes on the
perspective of the heterosexual male, by use of camera angles and cinematography that
that portrays women as sexual objects to look at.
This theory was created the same time the first female sportscasters were breaking
into the industry. These first women in broadcast sports were all given this opportunity
because of their appearance, which fueled an all looks, no brains connotation of
females in sports. The Male Gaze theory is true in coverage of football because women
were added to the medium to visually satisfy the male viewer.
Not a far cry from the early women in broadcast sports, the current female faces
of sports reporting are strikingly beautiful. Erin Andrews is one of the most famous

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female football reporters right now and currently works for Fox Sports, covering Fox
NFL Sunday.
In 2008, a stalker filmed Andrews nude through the peephole of her hotel room
door, at the Nashville Marriot. This footage went viral in July of 2009. The stalker was
arrested and another instance of the same violation, videotaping her nude in a hotel room
was found on the mans computer. Erin Andrews is a perfect example of how being a
high profile woman in this field is not easy. Many times these reporters experience
discrimination and disrespect, whether in their private life at a hotel room, or in the
industry when trying to get the post-game interview, where the players and coaches are
located after the game, the locker room. The locker room is one boundary that women
have broken, but women still face disrespect and sexism in that environment.
Gaining access to the athletes in the locker room is a status symbol in the sports
reporting world from which women sometimes are shut out. Hardin and Shain found that
women in sports media seem to accept discrimination and harassment as par for the
course of what they must endure on the job. They accept their own marginalization
willingly and operate within the male-dominated structure of sports, (Everback &
Matysiak, page 5). This quote shows how other researchers acknowledge that women
have accepted their role as a minority, and therefore succumb to this position that allows
for discrimination.

Content Analysis
This content analysis includes three consecutive weeks of NFL coverage on the
major networks, CBS Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports. This will show the

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modern portrayal of females reporting and will contribute a large role to the conclusion of
this research.

NFL coverage

CBS Sports

NBC Sports

FOX Sports

ESPN

Play-by-plays

2 Males

2 Males

2 Males

2 Males

Host / Anchor Desk

5 Males

5 Males

5 Males

5 Males

Sideline Reporter

1 Male

1 Female

1 Female

1 Female

In this content analysis it is noted that women dominate one aspect of this
industry, and that is the sideline. This may be symbolic in that the phrase on the
sideline generally means uninvolved and not part of the action. However, a sideline
reporter is the most coveted position for a woman in sports. Also, when reporting on the
sideline, women are often not seen until the end of the game. This also subliminally says
that their role is less important. The anchors at the desk always introduce the female
reporters. This small act asserts superiority over the women by giving them their bylines.
A common theme for female sports reporters is that they produce content that revolves
less around game play, and more on what could be affecting game play, such as injuries
or weather conditions.

Primary Source Interviews

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Rosie Woods is currently an anchor and sports reporter for ABC 57 in South
Bend, Indiana, and is early in her broadcast journalism career. She graduated from Boston
University and moved out to Idaho for her first job in broadcast. My original
background was entertainment, I worked at iHeartRadio, and did that kind of stuff. I
actually had a lot of experience with sports in Boston, meeting with athletes and
professionals. I was always in the entertainment realm. One of my professors was a huge
sports journalism guy and called me into his office after I anchored a show and he told
me I should stick to entertainment. It seemed more like because I was a girl than anything
else. There was no reason why I couldnt do sports. I was the only girl in the class, and he
just didnt think I was cut out for the class. Of course, I went to the bathroom, cried,
brushed it off, and kept going, said Woods.
She listened to her professor and decided to continue with entertainment. So I
went into entertainment for a while, and then sports kind of fell onto my lap. I dated a
hockey player on the Boston Bruins and started hosting online stuff, put a decent reel
together, and then went to Idaho for my first job after college, they really didnt have
much going on there besides football, thats really all we covered. A lot of football. So I
had to get my Football for Dummies book, and learn was I was talking about. But even
then there was this underlying feeling that people were thinking, does she really know
what shes talking about, because shes a girl, said Woods. She also explains the
differences she sees when working on field in national coverage compared to local
coverage. Here I am the camera guy, the editor, the reporter, Im doing it all by myself.
When I go to these events the national networks have everything they need, a camera

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guy, make up, and they look adorable in heels and Im over here in flats struggling to get
it all in on time, said Woods.
She believes it is easier for a male to go into broadcast if once a professional
athlete, because they are seen as a more credible source than someone who does not have
that experience. However, she believes now is the best time for women to break into this
field. Being a pretty girl now is the best time for getting into the sport. These days you
see these pretty, tall, stick figure girls that dont need college degrees they just need to
look good, said Woods. Because of this, she admits that she is often skeptical to trust a
women sports reporter. Sometimes Ill be watching these shows and I will see these
pretty girls explaining something and be like, she doesnt know what shes talking about.
Its like, how could she know shes if never been out there, said Woods.
When reporting on sports, she tries to avoid commentating or including any of her
opinions. She sticks with the hard facts to avoid falling under this assumption that she
might not know what shes talking about. As journalists we have to be the eyes and ears
for the viewers, but how can we be the eyes and ears if we never actually did it? I try to
stick to play-by-plays and statistics because I can see it and tell people what happened.
With play-by-plays in national coverage its always a guy because he can probably
deliver it better, he knows what hes talking about. If you cant deliver you cant get the
job, which is why women end up on the sidelines, said Woods.
She thinks there are advantages and disadvantages for both genders involved in
this industry. It is a double edged sword. A guy would have a harder time getting a job
on the sideline as a pretty girl would, and girl would have a difficult time getting a job as
an anchor or commentator, but thats just the industry, said Woods.

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Patrick Little is an anchor and TV personality in Southern New England. He
worked in sports journalism for almost 20 years and worked as a sports reporter, sports
anchor and sports director. I did a variety of reporting, traveling, anchoring and hosting
sports shows, specials, live specials from the Super Bowl, World Series, or even just from
the studio. Ive covered five Super Bowls, three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals,
two Daytona 500s, Roger Cups, all sorts of stuff, said Little. Part of the field for many
years, he witnessed the change in the industry as women took on more positions of
power. When I first started it was different, my first Super Bowl in 1996 it was
predominantly men everywhere. My last one was in 2001 and I could really see the
difference. There were more men at the desk and women out on the field covering the
teams. As the years went on it became much more even and pretty balanced. There were
just as many women in the field and anchoring, said Little. Though this opinion may be
contrary to the content analysis, Little looks at sports reporting from a local perspective.
I think women are getting opportunities anywhere. Its becoming more equal maybe 60
to 40 men to women, nationally. Locally, its becoming closer to half than ever, said
Little.
He recognizes the need for female reporters to appeal to the male viewer. He
believes that actually gives women an advantage when looking to break into this industry,
its easier for women to get into sports because its supposed to appeal to men. Even
though she may know less than I do she is more appealing to look at. It matters less what
they know and more what they look like. If I applied for the same job as a pretty women
25 or 26 years old with less experience than me, she would probably get the job because
she is more appealing to look at, said Little.

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It is interesting to note that both of these sports media personnel believe now is
the best time for women to break into broadcast sports, but they have very different
opinions of where the industry is right now. Woods still sees a very male dominated
industry, while Little believes the gap is nearly closed. The content analysis leans toward
the opinion of Woods when it shows the domination of male reporters, however Littles
statements agree with the direction of history in that women have visibly emerged much
more in the industry.
Conclusion
Since the pivotal era of the feminist movement, women have constantly pushed
the boundaries of what they are capable of. If the industry continues the path that it is
currently on, the future for women is limitless and women will continue to infiltrate into
male dominated workplaces to eventually be seen as equal to their male counterparts.
After 40 years of women working in this industry, there is still uncertainty. It is still
difficult for the viewer to trust a female over a male. Before this research it appeared that
it would be easier for a male to get into this industry, more so than a female. However,
this research shows that women are actually more desired in this industry, even though it
is visually clear that women are the gender minority in coverage of the NFL. This is
partially attributed to the fact that networks compete with other networks for the best
ratings. In this field where ratings mean everything, the network will do what it takes to
appeal to the viewers, even if it means hiring more women. Unfortunately, women have
accepted their role in this field and until they challenge the standard of women only
reporting from the sideline, they will continue to experience gender discrimination in this
androcentric industry.

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References
Etling, L., & Young, R. (2007). Sexism and the authoritativeness of female
sportscasters. Communication Research Reports, 24(2), 121-130.
Everbach, T., & Matysiak, L. (2010). Sports reporting and gender: Women journalists
who broke the locker room barrier.
Goldfarb, C. B. (2011). How changes in the economics of broadcast television are
affecting news and sports programming and the policy goals of localism, diversity of
voices, and competition. Journal of Current Issues in Media &
Telecommunications, 3(2), 111-144.
Grubb, M. V., & Billiot, T. (2010). Women sportscasters: Navigating a masculine
domain. Journal of Gender Studies, 19(1), 87-93.
Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema.
The Associated Press. (2010, Andrews, ESPN reporter, files suit. The New York Times,