I’ve been watching sports with my dad since I could sit up. Once I could actually kick a soccer ball, pass a basketball and understand the rules of a game, this hobby became an obsession.
As I watched, I found myself drawn to sports reporter Erin Andrews. Seeing this confident woman on the television screen, talking game strategy with all the men, I quickly decided that I wanted to be a sports journalist.
Today, as The Huntington News’ sports editor and former co-op at Boston.com’s sports desk, you could say that I am on my way to becoming Andrews.
But this isn’t the reality for many other women in journalism. Today, when I cover college games or events, I am usually one of the only women in the press box. This needs to change, and the first step is advertising and uplifting women in sports media.
Not too long ago, women were barely given space in professional sports — even as athletes. The Women’s National Basketball Association, or WNBA, was not created until 1997, 48 years after the NBA was established. Until 1997, WNBA games were not shown on television. There were no professional women hockey leagues. And girls playing football? Forget it! Now, as women’s sports flourish, people only seem to notice the women playing on the court, not the ones standing next to it.
As I cover events ranging from the Beanpot to club lacrosse games at Northeastern, I continue to notice the lack of women reporters in men’s sports. Countless times, I’ve sat in the Matthews Arena press box to watch the Northeastern men’s basketball team play, only to realize that I was the only one there without a penis.
As other industries reach out to girls to introduce them to male-dominated fields like STEM, the sports journalism industry needs to follow suit.
Small efforts have been made: Feb. 4 is celebrated nationwide as National Women and Girls in Sports day, the one day a year where each sports-affiliated news outlet tries to prove that they respect diversity, equity and inclusion. We have also seen a rise in women in sports media, with the percentage of female journalists in the field increasing from 11.5% in 2018 to 14.4% in 2023.
But this is not enough — and it isn’t solely the job of women in the industry to encourage girls to enter the field. There needs to be a collective and large-scale effort, one in which media and educators join together to expose women to the industry and its possibilities.
These efforts can happen at Northeastern by strengthening the sports journalism program and better advertising it to prospective female students.
Northeastern currently offers a sports journalism elective, but it should start bringing in sports journalist professors to intro-level journalism classes. This would encourage prospective students to sign up for it — especially female students who have not yet been introduced to the idea. Northeastern could also follow other universities’ lead by allowing for a specific sports journalism concentration within the journalism major.
Once women enter the field of sports journalism, current reporters need to do more to ensure they are welcomed and treated as equals. At a game, I’ve had a fellow male reporter quiz me on Northeastern and NBA players — not out of confusion, but because he wanted me to “prove myself.” That moment transported me back to middle school, when I had to “prove” my sports knowledge to the boys in my class.
Being subject to condescending questions while trying to prepare for the game would make anyone feel annoyed and belittled, and it might be a reason why women do not want to enter the field. While I am open to joking around and debating about players and teams, I often find that too many male reporters make condescending remarks.
Finally, another way to encourage more female representation in sports journalism is, ironically, advocating for men to report on women’s sports, sending more male reporters to female games and encouraging them to stay on top of these games and key events. This move will help normalize reporters covering teams of the opposing gender.
It should be self-explanatory, but the sports journalism world needs a reminder: Just because I have two X chromosomes doesn’t mean I can’t discuss the game play of a team filled with X and Y chromosomes. It’s time to add more female journalists to that 14.4% — and let young girls know that becoming Andrews is not far out of reach.
Elli Einset is a third-year journalism major and sports editor for The News. She can be reached at [email protected].
If you would like to submit a letter to the editor in response to this piece, email [email protected] with your idea.
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