Amanda Chisolm ‘21
Contributing Writer
The evening of Sept. 11 was a historic moment in the sports broadcast industry. Beth Mowins became the second woman in history to call a regular season NFL football game.
Despite this progressive step being made in a male dominant field, this moment did not resonant well with avid sports fans who turned to Twitter in order to negatively express their opinions specifically on Mowins’s voice. According The New York Times, one fan tweeted, “Hey @espn, I commend you for giving Beth Mowins a shot … but her voice is annoying to listen to on #mnf.”
Unfortunately, female sports journalists often receive destructive criticism pertaining to how they perform their jobs. The Women’s Media Center released a study in 2014 titled, “The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2014” which revealed that the field of sports journalism was estimated to be 90 percent male.
While there is a small presence of women in sports journalism, sideline reporting is a common job for women. Sideline reporters have the task of mainly assisting sport broadcasters by providing them with sideline news such as injuries or information from the interviews they conduct with the players. Since men are often in the spotlight obtaining high-ranking roles, women continue to remain behind the scenes in sports journalism.
Highly qualified female sports journalists like Beth Mowins and Doris Burke are criticized for fulfilling these high-ranking roles. The New York Times article reported that in response to the backlash that Mowins received for commentating on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” NFL reporter Andrea Kremer said, “I have no doubt that ‘hating the sound of her voice’ is code for ‘I hate there was a woman announcing football.’” Kremer also said Mowins is “blessed with some great pipes,” as Mowins could be heard through a noisy stadium. So, if Mowins possesses the extensive knowledge, impressive skills and the experience, where does the issue lie?
Kremer’s point on Mowins’s voice shows that the issue is not about simple journalism skills but about gender. An ESPN article offers insight into the issue by presenting several reasons for the disapproval from male fans. These fans often perceive the world of men’s sports to be a masculine domain, which leads them to believe women do not have the appropriate experience and credentials to be a sports commentator for sports such as football.
Days before Mowins’s first night as a “Monday Night Football” commentator, she was interviewed by Richard Deitsch for Sports Illustrated. When asked about the scrutiny she has experienced in response to accepting this role, Mowins’s said “I consider myself a play-by-play announcer first and foremost. I am much more interested in the craft of the job as opposed to anything gender. That to me is secondary to the role and craft and skill of the job.”
As sports journalism, which is a traditionally male-dominated field, becomes more diverse with the presence of women, it is crucial that these female journalists who are entering the field have the same mindset as Mowins.
