In 2023, I wrote my first sports article for my community college newspaper. After seeing the female sideline reporters on TV, I realized I could turn my love for the game into a career. It was then when I realized I belonged working in sports.
Fast forward about two and a half years later, I’ve become the head sports editor for a Division 1 university. My hard work and dedication to the craft has taken me far, but imposter syndrome still lingers.
As a petite young girl, I knew what I was getting myself into when I walked into the world of sports journalism. I knew that I was entering a man’s world.
According to ESPN, in 2021, 79.2% of the sports editors were white and 83.3% were men, while 77.1% of the reporters were white, with 85.6% being men.
Though it’s been very rewarding, it’s also been difficult at times to hold my head high in this position.
This isn’t my first rodeo as an editor either, as I have previous experience being the co-sports editor at my community college. This position came with the reality of having to work twice as hard as others in the room and the feeling of needing to prove why I’m good at what I do.
Not only am I a woman, but I am a woman of color. I don’t want to be seen and just thrown into a Spanish section – my ultimate goal is to be a beat reporter for Major League Baseball.
There have been numerous times here I’ve been dismissed or not given the time of day by my peers. Oftentimes I find myself having to put on a serious “bad cop” act just to get them to listen to me.
More often than not, I find myself surrounded by male coworkers who can either be the best supporters or insufferable to work with. At the end of the day, it gets lonely sometimes being one of the few, if not the only, woman in the room.
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey in 2022 on U.S. journalists and their beats. As if the numbers didn’t explain it enough, the end result was that men are far more likely to cover sports than women.
However, the saddest part is knowing that a lot of men are either going to sexualize me or criticize what I have to say.
My knowledge is often questioned – I mean, would a man ask a fellow male to name five players when he says he’s interested in sports?
On the other hand, the experience has been nothing short of fulfilling as I’ve been lucky to meet many people who do support me. I have been fortunate enough to interview countless athletes in multiple sports, all of which I’ve been able to tell a different story.
In these few years, I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer and as a person. Even though this job can be hard, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing.
