Panel: Broadcasting

By DaShawn Brown
2006 AWSM Intern with ESPN

Lesley Visser is a pioneer for women in sports broadcasting. Her career has included work along the NFL, NBA, and NCAA sidelines, in addition to coverage of the Triple Crown, U.S. Open, World Series and the Olympics – among others.

So it seemed a natural fit for Visser to sit on a panel for a Sunday afternoon general session about women in sports television. As she glanced at the others on her panel, she had a maternal moment.

“I think of you a little as my offspring,” she said with a smile.

Joining Visser on the panel were sports reporters Jeannine Edwards (ABC/ESPN), Jill Sorenson (Comcast SportsNet) and CJ Jackson (Fox 43, York, Pa.). Moderator and USA Today columnist Christine Brennan steered the discussion toward celebrating how far women have come in the world of sports journalism.

That moment was short-lived. Instead, there erupted a brainstorm of ideas to increase the number of women in front of the camera, as opposed to becoming satisfied with the present state.

“The way we increase our numbers is when people tell us no, we don’t listen,” Sorensen said.

Along with persistence, the panelists emphasized the importance of knowing the facts, preparedness, pursuing stories of substance, and having a plan with the prize in mind.

Although the ingredients for success for each panelist was the same, the road there proved different for each. For instance, Fox 43 weekend sports anchor CJ Jackson had dreams of becoming the first woman fighter pilot before deciding to enter sports journalism. Once there, she worked her way through the ranks, serving in a variety of newsroom roles. Jackson, like others, continues to defy the perception that women are incapable of covering a sporting event.

According to Christine Brennan, the perception no longer matters. “We don’t have to prove anything anymore,” she said.

Maybe not. But if women did, the proof was on the panel.

Back