It is no secret that sports media is a field typically dominated by men, but many strong women are not letting this stray them from pursuing something that they are passionate about. Taylor Bresnick, a WVU student, is one of those strong women.
HC: What is your major? What year are you?
TB: I’m a junior sport[s] and adventure media major. I just switched to this major at the beginning of this year. I came into college as a journalism major.
HC: What or who has influenced you to pursue a degree in sports media?
TB: I’ve been passionate about sports my whole life and working with a professional sports team has always been one of the only things I could imagine myself doing as a career. I think it’s super important to find something that makes you excited to wake up and go to work every day.
HC: What do you plan on doing with your degree following undergraduate schooling?
TB: I’m honestly not exactly sure what I’m going to be doing with my degree once I graduate. Even though I’ve always known that I want to work with sports, I still haven’t quite figured out where I fit in the picture. My life long dream has been to work as a beat reporter for the Houston Astros and work alongside the team/organization. I love writing and I love sports, so I feel like I’ll definitely find my niche soon enough.
HC: Being that this is a male-dominated field, do you feel that this has affected you in any way?
TB: I think the fact that sports media is a male-dominated field made me think twice about whether or not I really felt like I could succeed in the profession and if I’d ever really be taken seriously by my bosses and colleagues. Even though the sports writing world is evolving and more women are entering the field, it still seems like we have to work twice as hard to earn the respect of the professionals around us. I ultimately decided that my passion and dedication to becoming a better journalist would get me to where I want to be in the field. I also think that entering a male-dominated field could put me in a position to be a role model for other young women who dream of being a sports reporter.
HC: If you have not already, do you think that you will experience any gender discrimination when pursuing a job?
TB: I haven’t had any experience with it yet, but I don’t doubt that I’ll run into some sort of gender discrimination when I’m pursuing a job at some point. I don’t think I’ll know how to handle it until it’s right in front of me. It’s something I’m very aware of, and I’m willing to work extra hard to prove I belong.
HC: Although it is becoming more common for women to be involved in sports media, the industry is still minimally diversified. How would you propose we tackle this issue?
TB: This is definitely a difficult question to answer. I think a lot of people are hesitant to accept female sportscasters because they don’t trust her credibility. People think that just because a female reporter hasn’t played the sports she’s covering at all or at a high level, there’s no way she could know what she’s talking about. A reporter’s job isn’t to be able to play the sport, it’s to simply report fairly and honestly to your viewers. In reality, female and male reporters receive the same exact training and should be treated as such. I don’t know how to reverse the stigma, but I know that people need to be educated before they can have an opinion on whether a sportscaster should be male or female.
HC: As it becomes more common for women to have jobs in sports media, it is expected that there will still be a significant pay gap. What do you think of this and how do you think we could change it?
TB: It’s really upsetting to me. But, there is a gender wage gap in almost every profession. As disheartening as it is, it’s something that women have become accustomed to. There are endless examples of truly gifted female professionals that aren’t being compensated the way they should be. I don’t know how it could be changed, but I know that all the evidence we need to prove why women deserve equal pay to men is right in front of us in almost any field.
HC: What would you say to women who are interested in pursuing a degree in sports media, but are skeptical about the fact that it is a male-dominated field?
TB: Please don’t let this steer you away from following your dreams. You can do absolutely anything you put your mind to and it’s up to you to be a role model for the next generation of prospective media professionals. Also, succeeding after being told it was impossible is quite possibly one of the best feelings ever.
On November 19th, HC at West Virginia University will be holding a panel featuring local women in news to speak on being a woman in the field. Keep checking our social media outlets for more information!
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Edited by Madison Greer