For those of you who still may not know, I am the sports reporter at the Picayune Item.
I cannot begin to count the number of times I have heard the phrase, “You are a sports reporter? But you’re a girl!”
Yes, it is true the field of sports reporting is male dominated, and in a lot of cases, males do know more about sports than females.
However, that is not the case 100 percent of the time, and I think it is time for men to put aside the stereotype.
It does not make you less of a man to admit a girl may know more about sports than you.
I was raised in a household surrounded by men. Much to my mother’s despair, I was never interested in learning domesticated things such as cooking or cleaning. Ever since I can remember, I have loved sports.
During my college internship, I had a conversation with the sports director of the station where I worked in which he told me I would run into gender stereotyping a lot in this field and to be prepared. Looking back, I can say without a doubt he was right.
The way I see it, some men have a hard time working alongside a strong, independent woman because of some archaic view that women are only supposed to stay home and raise babies. For the most part, society has moved away from this perspective, but the stereotypes lives on, especially in the sports world.
Tracy Wolfson, a sideline reporter for CBS, is someone I admire greatly. Wolfson in my opinion is one of the best in the business, and has shown America just how relevant women in this business can be.
Sara Walsh, a sportscaster for ESPN, is another example of just how good a woman can be in the world of sports journalism.
The quality of someone’s work and what they bring to the table should always be considered over their gender…and I intend to prove I bring a lot to the table.