Taking a Deeper Look at the First Female Sportscasters

According to ASA president Lou Schwartz, Jane Chastain, Donna De Varona, and Jeannie Morris are pioneers of womens' sports broadcasts. Chastain, who started her sportscasting career in the mid-60's, was the first female to be hired by a large network (CBS), and she was thought to be the first woman to do play-by-play. On multiple occasions, Chastain compained of co-workers being hesitant about working with a woman in the broadcast.
In 1976, Lesley Visser said this, "When women(sportscasters) are given greater responsibilities and prove that they can manage them, they build a good reputation as sportscasters." according the ASA internet database.
It is evident that the early implementations of women sportscasters were fairly widely disliked by male sportscasting partners.

With that said, it was not always the case; in 1980 the former voice of the Chicago Cubs baseball team and a now ASA Hall of Famer, Jack Brickhouse said this of the woman's contribution to a program, "Women have another dimension that men cannot give. They can give a female's insight into women athletes in swimming, golf, basketball, tennis, etc. How does a man know what problems a woman would have in a particular sport?"
A truly touching account, right?
Well not so much, considering that many women enjoy being members of crews that cover sports with men in them; major sports broadcasts, like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and men's college sports as well.
It was not until 1989 when CNN hired Hanna Storm, that a woman has been granted the title of 'Sports Anchor' on a program.

While I am going through my research on the early times of female sportscasters, I continuously find myself reading some bubbly writing that seemingly avoids many peoples disrespect for the female sportscaster. I have read plenty of nice, promising quotes - like the one I cited earlier from Jack Brickhouse - but they say things that promote their involvement in a minor sense; a sense that it much more minimal than that of a male's job.

Quick Bathroom break time,
Blog Master Nilsen