Broadcasting ‘Like a Girl’

Women in Media and Their Impact on Sports

Photo courtesy: Ash McDaniel

Murphy in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the ​2018 Olympics.

ASH McDANIEL

The 2018 Olympics in South Korea was a ​down year for team USA. Ranking fourth in ​medal count – just 23 total and only nine ​gold. But that year’s games stand out to ​Samantha Murphy. It wasn’t because of the ​medals won or the freezing temperatures ​she found herself in for 10 hours a day at ​the biathlon facility. But for the opportunity ​to be a field producer on sport’s biggest ​stage.

“It’s invigorating to be in a male-dominated ​industry paving a road for women,” said ​Murphy, now the director of broadcast ​production for the PGA TOUR. “When I first ​started in sports, I never thought about ​how I was one of a few women working on ​a weekly basis – all I thought was how cool ​is it that I have the opportunity to cover a ​sport.”

Photo courtesy: Ash McDaniel

Five members of a production crew from the ​woman-led group producing the LPGA’s Chevron ​Championship.

Photo courtesy: David Sherman / Getty Images

Devin booker in a WNBA hoodie.

Against the Odds

Murphy is a part of the relatively small proportion of women who work ​behind the scenes in sports broadcasting. According to the job site ​Zippia, under 14 percent of sports producers are women. The disparity ​doesn’t end behind the camera, either. According to a report from The ​Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), only 14.4 percent of ​sports reporters are women.

“Just a few weeks ago, I was in a situation where I was the only woman on ​our crew for the week,” said Katie Szklinski, a sports graphics producer. ​“Being a woman who covers sports can sometimes be a challenge, but ​overall, we're all there to do a job. And when everyone works together, ​regardless of their gender, that's when the best product is produced.”

All in this Together

There have been efforts to increase parity in the field through ​organizations such as the Association for Women in Sports Media ​(AWSM) which brings together women from around the world of sports to ​celebrate accomplishments and place women in sports jobs.

“AWSM connected me to an incredibly supportive group of friends and ​mentors who helped me navigate challenging times throughout my ​career and ultimately become the first woman to serve as sports editor at ​the Los Angeles Times,” said Iliana Limón Romero, now the president of ​AWSM.

Women’s Sports Leagues Helping to Make Strides

Women’s sports leagues themselves have been prominent in changing ​the conversation around women in the sports realm. With a mere five ​percent of sports coverage for women’s sports, according to a USC study, ​there have been campaigns such as the golf promotion “play like a girl” to ​NBA players showing off WNBA hoodies.

“I’ve made it a point to … support the WNBA as a whole. A lot of the things ​they do go unrecognized and they need the treatment they deserve,” said ​NBA player Devin Booker. “I’m inspired by them, which made it easy to ​wear the hoodie and give them the support they deserve.”

From women behind the camera, to the women reporting in front of it, to ​the women competing in sports themselves, the gender gap remains ​large, but some see positive changes.

“Can it get better? Of course,” said Christine Brennan, a sports columnist ​for USA Today. “Today is the greatest day to be a woman in sports ​journalism – until tomorrow. Every day gets better.”