The sports industry has been dominated by men since sports became popular. For years, women have been trying to join the conversation and level out the playing field. For too long have they felt the need to prove themselves worthy of doing what men can, if not better.
With severe underrepresentation and lack of visibility, it only adds to the struggles they may face on a daily basis. Three remarkable young American University alumni help pave the way for other women who dream of breaking down these barriers. From the National Hockey League to Little League Baseball, to the broadcasting booth and the writing desk, women are continuing to make their mark in the sports world.
History of Women in Sports
Women began working in the sports industry in 1894 when Sadie Miller became the first American sports writer for the Baltimore Orioles. To conceal her gender, Miller bylined her articles with S.K.M. It wasn’t until almost a century later that women would be allowed into the MLB clubhouses.
Sports reporter for the New York Yankees, Melissa Ludtke, sued the baseball commission for denying her access to the clubhouse during the 1977 World Series. Ludtke’s fundamental right to pursue a career under the equal protection and due process clauses guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. She went on to win the lawsuit the following year and ultimately opened the door for many women, not just into the clubhouse, but into the world of sports.
Fifty years ago, the Education Amendments of 1972, also known as Title IX was passed. It protected people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities. It allowed equal access to athletic programs mandatory, which led to the creation of female athletic programs. However, the question stands: Does this equal opportunity in sports reflect the equitable environment of a career in the sports industry?
Gender Disparities
Despite the increased success in women’s sports over the recent years, frustration and anger linger as those who are reporting or working to support these athletes are not equally represented.
Deputy sports editor at The Los Angeles Times, Iliana Limon Romero, told The Guardian, “Dating back to 2002, we’ve been having these conversations about why it’s important to have diversity of gender, race and class, really in all facets in news and sports media. And yet, we haven’t made a substantive difference.”
While little action is made in regard to equal representation, women are breaking through the industry and creating successful careers of their own.
According to the GIST Case Study on gender inequality in sports media, editors and producers point to low viewership and attendance at women’s professional sports games to make the claim that running lead women on sports programs will not increase viewership. While that does not realistically reflect the outcome of a woman’s presence, it does show the internalized sexism within the sports industry. The problem isn’t fixed by simply hiring more female journalists and editors. What we really need is a cultural shift.
Lindsay Muri, an Associate Director at Optimum Sports stated that she believes women are very well represented at media agencies, “but when you drill down to who specifically works directly on sports-related media, I do think it is male-dominated.” Not only are women underrepresented in media agencies, she tells me that most of the media clients and broadcast partners she works with on a daily basis are men.
“I see women in nearly every role imaginable, but based on discrimination and judgement, there is more work to be done,” said Rachel Hopmayer, a multimedia journalist and sports reporter for Spectrum News 1 Buffalo. Growing up in Boston, she was lucky to watch some great women on NESN, such as Kathryn Tappen, Jamie Erdahl and Jenny Dell.
Hayley Salvatore, a high school sports reporter for the Washington Post, believes that women need to be in more visible roles within sports media. “I grew up, and still watch, a lot of male analysts calling games, whether that’s the MLB or NFL. The female sports reporters were always, and unfortunately still are for the most part sideline reporters who would be cut to for a quick shot or a post-game interview.”
The visibility of female reporters in sports coverage has been found to be under 10% in content analysis, according to a study about Gender Byline Bias in Sports Reporting published by SageJournals. Visibility is a large piece in inserting more women in a traditionally male field to increase trust, but also prove that they are just as capable of providing news as their counterparts.
“Women need to be allowed opportunities to learn and grow at every level of sports, media or not, in order for them to be hired and qualified for the same opportunities,” said Hopmayer.
At Optimum Sports there is a major initiative to promote women in sports, through agencies, broadcasters, sideline reporters and even those who participate in the various levels of sports.
“The problem lies within the female representation at all of the levels. It is a daunting task to break through and make an impact with confidence,” Muri said. She says because of this problem, Optimum Sports is launching an internal task force to combat gender inequalities in sports.
Muri wants to combat myths when it comes to women in sports, such as the idea that there is no demand for women’s sports, they lack popularity and influence and are not profitable. Her work disproves this day by day.
A particular way that her work is making a direct impact is by changing the ways brands and advertisers view women’s sports. Muri works on the investment team and negotiates and purchases national ad space for sporting events.
Through education and pushing revenue towards women’s sports to attempt to close the gap, this money can help benefit its players and the league. Ultimately, the more money that is spent, the more money is generated for the broadcast networks and provides more leverage to write bigger contracts.
By facing discrimination and underrepresentation, women often feel like they need to work harder to earn their place somewhere. Hopmayer doesn’t feel she needs to compete with her male counterparts because she is confident in her abilities to provide different perspectives and has a keen interest in digital storytelling.
“Have I experienced sexism? Absolutely. But that cannot distract you from your passion,” Hopmayer said.
At Spectrum News, she believes her employer provides equal and equitable opportunities and offers the empowerment that helps her grow and succeed. It is easy to feel incompetent or unqualified when working in a field where your identity is underrepresented. Identifying the struggles that many women face in the industry and working to implement initiatives that provide them with equal opportunities is crucial in creating equity.
Salvatore recalls this feeling being an everyday occurrence for her – but as she gets older and grows professionally, “that feeling will go away.” However, she has not experienced gender discrimination but feels that her age is sometimes a deterrent. When colleagues have conversations or debate about sports, she is hesitant to chime in because she doubts herself.
“Although I am almost 23, I admit that I do still look like a high schooler. Oftentimes when I am at games to report, coaches will make comments about how young I am which can give me a bit of imposter syndrome,” said Salvatore.
Muri, who has been working in the industry longer, takes a different approach to this question. She knows the feeling is common, which brings her comfort. The best way to approach this is to focus on your own tasks and do the best work you can do – day in and day out.
“I learned early on in my career that you have to be your own advocate because if you don’t do it yourself, why would anyone else believe in you?” said Muri.
Regardless of advocacy, gender discrimination is still alive and well. Thirty-eight percent of women experienced active discrimination because of their gender, compared to 72% of men who said they saw no instances of inequality in the workplace, according to a 2018 study titled “Beyond 30 percent – Workplace Culture in Sport.”
Additionally, the study found that 30% of women had experienced inappropriate behavior from men. The study highlights issues such as the gender pay gap, feeling undervalued, lack of opportunities, and a culture that supports an “old boys” club. There is a dire need to address the gender imbalances within the industry and bring meaningful change to traditional workplace atmospheres.
Muri recalls the struggles she feels when speaking up in a male-dominated workplace, whether it is about sports or not. She felt it was easier to let her male counterparts handle it while she took a backseat.
“It wasn’t until I gained some confidence in my role that I knew I could be doing the same work just as well if not better,” said Muri.
In inspiring confidence for these women in sports media, trailblazers which I grew up watching on my local sports networks play a major role. Salvatore’s inspiration is Samantha Pell, Capitals beat reporter for the past five years. Pell began as a high school sports beat reporter, just like her.
“Pell is honestly the coolest person ever. Despite working for the same company, I have never met her personally, but admire her so much from afar,” Salvatore said.
Trailblazers in the industry such as Kathryn Tappen and Jamie Erdahl led the way to Hopmayer fulfilling her dreams. She checked off one of her bucket list items; live coverage at the NHL draft. As someone who really enjoys covering hockey, she was also able to cover the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship when the Washington Capitals took home the win.
Additionally, Hopmayer covered the 2019 World Series where the Washington Nationals took home their first World Championship. She is now back covering the NHL and the NFL, reporting on her two favorite sports growing up and is excited to see where the future takes her.
Hopmayer’s end goal is to be a hockey features journalist for the NHL Network or the NHL television rights-holder. She wants to be the Michelle Beisner Buck of hockey, who is a reporter for ESPN covering Monday Night Football and its pregame show.
While Muri works behind the scenes at the media agency, she loves to see her work come to life. Attending the amazing sporting events during the year is certainly a great perk, but seeing that your work makes a difference is one of the best, according to Muri.
Progress is not linear nor a fast process. However, through interviews with young women working in the industry, it is clear that there are more opportunities and less prejudice than women have experienced in the past.
Salvatore, Hopmayer and Muri are prime examples of women who recognize the obstacles they face but choose to persevere and focus on their own success rather than compare themselves to their male counterparts. With increased visibility and opportunities for upper mobility, the male domination associated with the sports industry will slowly fade, creating equity.