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
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
COM 215 Media Theories (cont.)
I have been doing some serious thinking about the theory from class, I think most clearly connects to my research question. While I would like to involve a little bit of presentism in my analysis, I have found it slightly challenging to consistently do so. NOW I would like to introduce the theory of archetypes to you all. After doing much research for my previous post on physical appearance, it dawned on me that these women are falling directly into different character archetypes that create a distinct change in overall style.
Of course my research question is actually asking how these women became fixtures in sports broadcasts...
I am beginning to see that it has been the change in terms of physical appearance that has created such a high demand for sexier, but still credible, female sideline reporters.
The three female archetypes are as follows:
Lilith - is the more imdependent woman
Mary - is the innocent, kindred spirit
Eve - is the sexual temptress
From the images I showed in my last post, Visser seems to portray the Lilith archetype, shwoing through her dress that she is hard-working, independent, and is well put together and organized. Andrews seems to have a stronger Eve sense within her dress. While she indeed looks innocent because of the sweater she is wearing, her leopard print and tan skin give her a more sassy look.
Could it be that the female sideline reporter's transformation from a Lilith to an Eve provoked a common necessity among sports networks that women sportscasters are important program features?
The Plot Thickens,
Blog Master Nilsen
Of course my research question is actually asking how these women became fixtures in sports broadcasts...
I am beginning to see that it has been the change in terms of physical appearance that has created such a high demand for sexier, but still credible, female sideline reporters.
The three female archetypes are as follows:
Lilith - is the more imdependent woman
Mary - is the innocent, kindred spirit
Eve - is the sexual temptress
From the images I showed in my last post, Visser seems to portray the Lilith archetype, shwoing through her dress that she is hard-working, independent, and is well put together and organized. Andrews seems to have a stronger Eve sense within her dress. While she indeed looks innocent because of the sweater she is wearing, her leopard print and tan skin give her a more sassy look.
Could it be that the female sideline reporter's transformation from a Lilith to an Eve provoked a common necessity among sports networks that women sportscasters are important program features?
The Plot Thickens,
Blog Master Nilsen
Physical Appearance (attire/make-up)
Being that she is the first and only woman enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and that she is the only woman ever to be assigned the sideline job at a Super Bowl (this according to the American Sportscaster Asscociation), I feel that Lesley Visser is a prefect basis for comparison to today's sportscasters. While Visser still does some work today, her pioneer status among sportscasters springs from her early days as the "first really big female on the sidelines", said Paul Farhi of the Washington Post.
Here is a picture of Visser at the Super Bowl Pregame coverage in 2003 (note: according to Eric Deggans - St. Petersburg Times, the trend of young, attractive reporters hit "full force" in 2005):
lesleyvisser.com
In this image, it is important to notice how Visser is wearing a women's sport coat, and is showing off very little of her neck line. Well hello...the Super Bowl is not played in cool weather, it is played in cities like Miami, FL so she has no need for long sleeves altogether. With that said, she is showing off her "professionalism and class", something that Jamie Skerski - author of the book, From Sideline to Centerfold: The Sexual Commodification of Female Sportscasters - claims Visser and other female sideline talents strived for in their dress during the 1990's and clearly into the early part of this decade. In the image, Visser's hair is fairly short - for a woman's standards - and is held up with hair spray, a trend that, according to paulmitchell.com was considered the the #1 most popular hair style among women in their 40's. Now, I am not trying to make rude generalizations about woman, or even unsult those who are near the age of my parents, but in 2003 Lesley Visser was 50 years old, and was clearly continuing a fashion trend that saw it's 'hay-day' in the '90's.
While I should obviously not discriminate age within my research, it is now possible that I can conclude that early female sportcasters focused moreso on a classy look rather than a more 'sexy' choice.
Up next I have an image of the lovely miss Erin Andrews, one of "the most sought after female sportscasters in America" according to Jessica Collins of Street & Smith magazine's, Sports Business Daily. Collins also claims that Andrews "is obviously the most popular female sportscaster among male viewers".
Notice in this picture of Andrews from ESPN.com, that she is wearing a lot of jewlery (bracelet, earings, and a necklace). Also notice that she has her hair down; it is long and wavey, giving off a Farah Fawcett on Charlies Angels type of vibe. She is also wearing a leopard print, relatively low-cut undershirt. Leopard print is clearly a sensual and seductive style of shirt to wear and surely gives off a much more 'sexy' look rather than a more conservative, Lesley Visser resemblence.
Another aspect of these photos that I chose to examine was each woman's choice of make-up use:
Clearly, Visser is wearing heavy amounts of light cover-up to make her appear blemishless within the view of the camera. However, Andrews chose to - in this particular instance - use a light amount of darker (tanner) cover-up with blush in order to make her cheeks seem more rosie, and thus make her look younger or more youthful.
From these photographs, I can begin to see a concrete difference in terms of clothing and make-up stlyes.
If I had to guess, I would say that a majority of American's in the teens, and early 20's (people in my cohort) can watch Lesley Visser and see her as less satisfactory due to her overall physical appearance, as compared to that of the sportscasters we see much more of these days (i.e. Erin Andrews etc.).
Keep reading, the ideas are a flowin',
Blog Master Nilsen
Here is a picture of Visser at the Super Bowl Pregame coverage in 2003 (note: according to Eric Deggans - St. Petersburg Times, the trend of young, attractive reporters hit "full force" in 2005):
lesleyvisser.com
In this image, it is important to notice how Visser is wearing a women's sport coat, and is showing off very little of her neck line. Well hello...the Super Bowl is not played in cool weather, it is played in cities like Miami, FL so she has no need for long sleeves altogether. With that said, she is showing off her "professionalism and class", something that Jamie Skerski - author of the book, From Sideline to Centerfold: The Sexual Commodification of Female Sportscasters - claims Visser and other female sideline talents strived for in their dress during the 1990's and clearly into the early part of this decade. In the image, Visser's hair is fairly short - for a woman's standards - and is held up with hair spray, a trend that, according to paulmitchell.com was considered the the #1 most popular hair style among women in their 40's. Now, I am not trying to make rude generalizations about woman, or even unsult those who are near the age of my parents, but in 2003 Lesley Visser was 50 years old, and was clearly continuing a fashion trend that saw it's 'hay-day' in the '90's.
While I should obviously not discriminate age within my research, it is now possible that I can conclude that early female sportcasters focused moreso on a classy look rather than a more 'sexy' choice.
Up next I have an image of the lovely miss Erin Andrews, one of "the most sought after female sportscasters in America" according to Jessica Collins of Street & Smith magazine's, Sports Business Daily. Collins also claims that Andrews "is obviously the most popular female sportscaster among male viewers".
Notice in this picture of Andrews from ESPN.com, that she is wearing a lot of jewlery (bracelet, earings, and a necklace). Also notice that she has her hair down; it is long and wavey, giving off a Farah Fawcett on Charlies Angels type of vibe. She is also wearing a leopard print, relatively low-cut undershirt. Leopard print is clearly a sensual and seductive style of shirt to wear and surely gives off a much more 'sexy' look rather than a more conservative, Lesley Visser resemblence.Another aspect of these photos that I chose to examine was each woman's choice of make-up use:
Clearly, Visser is wearing heavy amounts of light cover-up to make her appear blemishless within the view of the camera. However, Andrews chose to - in this particular instance - use a light amount of darker (tanner) cover-up with blush in order to make her cheeks seem more rosie, and thus make her look younger or more youthful.
From these photographs, I can begin to see a concrete difference in terms of clothing and make-up stlyes.
If I had to guess, I would say that a majority of American's in the teens, and early 20's (people in my cohort) can watch Lesley Visser and see her as less satisfactory due to her overall physical appearance, as compared to that of the sportscasters we see much more of these days (i.e. Erin Andrews etc.).
Keep reading, the ideas are a flowin',
Blog Master Nilsen
Monday, December 7, 2009
Connecting to the Theories of COM 215
As I had mentioned in my previous blog post, I have slightly altered the direction of my research question; a necessary action in order to angle my work in a more historical fashion. With that said, I wanted to tell you all about my constant thoughts on what theory, from Dr. Ryan's COM 215 class, most tightly knits with with the mesh of my question.
What did I come up with? :
The theory of presentism."
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, presentism "is a a mode of historical analysis in which present-day ideas and perspectives are anachronistically (pertaining to or containing an anachronism) introduced into depictions or interpretations of the past. Some modern historians seek to avoid presentism in their work because they believe it creates a distorted understanding of their subject matter."
After learning more about this theory I established that I would like to look more closely at the vision of the first female sideline reporters...
Presentism is involved in the vision of the female sideline reporters because it can show how people today may have a hard time understanding how the first female sideline reporters may have been different in style, or in terms of how the media audience saw them.
I have uploaded two photos for comparison (Lesley Visser in green; Michele Tafoya in blue).
I will dive more analytically into these images in my next post, but a key thing to note is how Visser looks much more laid back and somewhat pale, Tafoya looks sheik and sexy. Her skin is much darker and tan looking, and her oufit is much more unique and ditinct.
cbssportsline.com
I won't be gone as long next time,
Blog Master Nilsen
What did I come up with? :
The theory of presentism."
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, presentism "is a a mode of historical analysis in which present-day ideas and perspectives are anachronistically (pertaining to or containing an anachronism) introduced into depictions or interpretations of the past. Some modern historians seek to avoid presentism in their work because they believe it creates a distorted understanding of their subject matter."
After learning more about this theory I established that I would like to look more closely at the vision of the first female sideline reporters...
Presentism is involved in the vision of the female sideline reporters because it can show how people today may have a hard time understanding how the first female sideline reporters may have been different in style, or in terms of how the media audience saw them.
I have uploaded two photos for comparison (Lesley Visser in green; Michele Tafoya in blue).
I will dive more analytically into these images in my next post, but a key thing to note is how Visser looks much more laid back and somewhat pale, Tafoya looks sheik and sexy. Her skin is much darker and tan looking, and her oufit is much more unique and ditinct.
cbssportsline.com
I won't be gone as long next time,
Blog Master Nilsen
Monday, November 9, 2009
My Interview with Drew Rosenhaus and Selena Roberts
Oh boy do I have some great stuff to share with you all after the great opportunity I had last Monday afternoon. I was fortunate enough to meet (along with a couple of other students) with two tremendously influential figures in sports media today, NFL super-agent Drew Rosenhaus, and sports journalist Selena Roberts.
Drew Rosenhaus is an NFL super-agent (a term typically granted to those who amass over a hundred clients) and the founder of Rosenhaus Sports Management, based in Miami, Fl. As an agent, it is Drew’s job to represent his clients through their business, as well as some of their financial and legal standing. The media’s ticket to an athlete like Chad OchoCinco – a very popular and eccentric character in the NFL – is through Drew Rosenhaus. He manages what his players should and should not say to the media, and when his clients take ‘heat’ from the media, so does he.
Selena Roberts is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the New York Times. She is also a well-accomplished author. Roberts’ experience in the field of journalism alone will help me to gain a greater perspective on the potential necessity of female sideline reporters. She herself is a female journalist, making her a part of many similar demographics that the women I am studying are in. She has done work with many female ‘sideline’ reporters in her past including, Michele Tafoya, Nancy Smith, and even Erin Andrews – something she mentioned in her book A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez.
Going into this interview, nerves and worry had struck me so hard that I even - at one point - forgot what the subject of the interview was.
I was nervous both because of the magnitude of this meeting, and with the thought that these people may potentially not answer my questions the way I would like them to (I don't mean this in terms of the answers they may have given me, but in terms of their opwn personal fears of answering questions that they may feel to be 'too controversial'). With that said, I made sure, prior to our 4 pm meeting time at the Goggin Ice Arena, that I didn't make my questions elude to the sexual connotations I have hit upon previously in the blog.
As Rosenhaus kicked our session off by introducing himself in the intense and aggressive manner that he is so notorious for in recruiting clients, I could immediately tell that it was going to take some force on my part to make sure my questions were comprehended in the fullest.
Rosenhaus and Roberts had nevered met before, and they were quite an interesting combination, especially with regards to their opinions and notes on the female sports sideline reporter. Typically, a journalist and an agent would seem to be enemies, considering that the journalists goal is to dig up information (good and bad) on an agents prized clients.
Before I was even able to speak, Selena began to discuss - from her journalistic perspective - how "players today are product of title IX". She mentioned that players used to be extremely uncomfortable when she was trying to interview them simply because she was a woman and they would have a tough time relating with her.
Rosenhaus, added onto this, however he was more focused on stressing the importance of professionalism in sports media and management. Both Rosenhaus and Roberts have seen young and attractive women in their professions use their physical appearance and sex to get both stories and clients among other things within the respective businesses. As a viewer of sports on television I notice that a majority of the women working the sidelines happen to be quite attractive.
When it came time for me to state my actual research question, I had felt confident that I could arise some somewhat valid answers out of my subjects.
Boy was I caught off guard...
Here is the the transcription of this point in my interview:
Both subjects later went on to say that 'being nice looking' has almost become the quota of the female sideline reporter. The most groundbreaking thing that Roberts said to me was that these women are NOT needed, and "until they make their ways into the booth, they're nothing but somebody who is nice to look at an can read fairly well."
Early on in speaking with Selena Roberts, I heard her mention several times that she knows and respects personalities like Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber, and she felt that they were truly gifted media personnel. Both of these women were sideline reporters in the '90's and into today. If both Selena and Drew feel that the female sideline reporter position is unneeded today then it would appear to me that the job title has not developed into a necessity, rather it has deevolved from classy, intelligent women who exemplify professionalism in sports reporting, to typecasted young adult women wearing the highest fashion to magnify their unfurbished bone structures.
I truthfully expected to be bored with this interview. Not because I did not feel lucky to have these amazing people as interviewees, but because I was at a point in my research where I did not know what would come next. I had noticed myself through reading books and watching video clips that I had kept circulating around the same central themes of the topic: that women are being more universally accepted in the media, and that is why they appear in so many different sideline jobs. I also just assumed that due to the stature of these professionals that they would try to avoid saying anything confrontational to a student no less.
Well I was dead wrong. The fact that both subjects even agreed on answers shocked me, but the fact that they ravished the concept of sideline reporters altogether was astonishing. They did not care that more women were making their way into broadcast’s, they criticized both the structure of the position itself, as well as the women who get employed in these roles. This shocked me into my own personal ‘journalistic’ mindset and I finally realized that I had been dancing around the idea that female sideline reporters are emerging rapidly. What I need to realize is that they have already emerged and are in full force, the issue is that they are not necessarily a staple of the programs. From this I must change my question and ask, not “if” female sideline reporters are a necessity, but “how” they have become that way. It is only a minor change, but I feel that I have an all new purpose with my research because I am now able to look at my research in a more ambitious, but slightly negative fashion.
Don't shut off your PC...or Mac,
Blog Master Nilsen
Works Cited:
Roberts, Selena. Rosenhaus, Drew. Personal. Nov. 2, 2009.
Drew Rosenhaus is an NFL super-agent (a term typically granted to those who amass over a hundred clients) and the founder of Rosenhaus Sports Management, based in Miami, Fl. As an agent, it is Drew’s job to represent his clients through their business, as well as some of their financial and legal standing. The media’s ticket to an athlete like Chad OchoCinco – a very popular and eccentric character in the NFL – is through Drew Rosenhaus. He manages what his players should and should not say to the media, and when his clients take ‘heat’ from the media, so does he.
Selena Roberts is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the New York Times. She is also a well-accomplished author. Roberts’ experience in the field of journalism alone will help me to gain a greater perspective on the potential necessity of female sideline reporters. She herself is a female journalist, making her a part of many similar demographics that the women I am studying are in. She has done work with many female ‘sideline’ reporters in her past including, Michele Tafoya, Nancy Smith, and even Erin Andrews – something she mentioned in her book A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez.
Going into this interview, nerves and worry had struck me so hard that I even - at one point - forgot what the subject of the interview was.
Actually, let's say that this was more of a small-group Q & A session; a personalized press conference if you will.
I was nervous both because of the magnitude of this meeting, and with the thought that these people may potentially not answer my questions the way I would like them to (I don't mean this in terms of the answers they may have given me, but in terms of their opwn personal fears of answering questions that they may feel to be 'too controversial'). With that said, I made sure, prior to our 4 pm meeting time at the Goggin Ice Arena, that I didn't make my questions elude to the sexual connotations I have hit upon previously in the blog.
As Rosenhaus kicked our session off by introducing himself in the intense and aggressive manner that he is so notorious for in recruiting clients, I could immediately tell that it was going to take some force on my part to make sure my questions were comprehended in the fullest.
Rosenhaus and Roberts had nevered met before, and they were quite an interesting combination, especially with regards to their opinions and notes on the female sports sideline reporter. Typically, a journalist and an agent would seem to be enemies, considering that the journalists goal is to dig up information (good and bad) on an agents prized clients.
Before I was even able to speak, Selena began to discuss - from her journalistic perspective - how "players today are product of title IX". She mentioned that players used to be extremely uncomfortable when she was trying to interview them simply because she was a woman and they would have a tough time relating with her.
Rosenhaus, added onto this, however he was more focused on stressing the importance of professionalism in sports media and management. Both Rosenhaus and Roberts have seen young and attractive women in their professions use their physical appearance and sex to get both stories and clients among other things within the respective businesses. As a viewer of sports on television I notice that a majority of the women working the sidelines happen to be quite attractive.
When it came time for me to state my actual research question, I had felt confident that I could arise some somewhat valid answers out of my subjects.
Boy was I caught off guard...
Here is the the transcription of this point in my interview:
ME:
“Yes I would like to get both the male and female perspective on this, so could we just step back to the talk about women in you businesses, and well I am conducting research currently on the potential emergence of the female sideline reporter in broadcasts of sports – obviously, Drew I am sure you see this in the NFL -. Do either of you feel there is now a necessity for these figures on TV?”
DREW ROSENHUAS:
“NO way ugh!”
SELENA ROBERTS:
“ Oh Drew is right there is no reason to have these women down there, I assume you’re referring to like Erin Andrew, right – I mean I think she’s real smart - but what is she doing with that job. Yea it’s a great way to incorporate women, but they’re just going to get thrown right into the kitchen.”
“Yes I would like to get both the male and female perspective on this, so could we just step back to the talk about women in you businesses, and well I am conducting research currently on the potential emergence of the female sideline reporter in broadcasts of sports – obviously, Drew I am sure you see this in the NFL -. Do either of you feel there is now a necessity for these figures on TV?”
DREW ROSENHUAS:
“NO way ugh!”
SELENA ROBERTS:
“ Oh Drew is right there is no reason to have these women down there, I assume you’re referring to like Erin Andrew, right – I mean I think she’s real smart - but what is she doing with that job. Yea it’s a great way to incorporate women, but they’re just going to get thrown right into the kitchen.”
Both subjects later went on to say that 'being nice looking' has almost become the quota of the female sideline reporter. The most groundbreaking thing that Roberts said to me was that these women are NOT needed, and "until they make their ways into the booth, they're nothing but somebody who is nice to look at an can read fairly well."
Early on in speaking with Selena Roberts, I heard her mention several times that she knows and respects personalities like Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber, and she felt that they were truly gifted media personnel. Both of these women were sideline reporters in the '90's and into today. If both Selena and Drew feel that the female sideline reporter position is unneeded today then it would appear to me that the job title has not developed into a necessity, rather it has deevolved from classy, intelligent women who exemplify professionalism in sports reporting, to typecasted young adult women wearing the highest fashion to magnify their unfurbished bone structures.
I truthfully expected to be bored with this interview. Not because I did not feel lucky to have these amazing people as interviewees, but because I was at a point in my research where I did not know what would come next. I had noticed myself through reading books and watching video clips that I had kept circulating around the same central themes of the topic: that women are being more universally accepted in the media, and that is why they appear in so many different sideline jobs. I also just assumed that due to the stature of these professionals that they would try to avoid saying anything confrontational to a student no less.
Well I was dead wrong. The fact that both subjects even agreed on answers shocked me, but the fact that they ravished the concept of sideline reporters altogether was astonishing. They did not care that more women were making their way into broadcast’s, they criticized both the structure of the position itself, as well as the women who get employed in these roles. This shocked me into my own personal ‘journalistic’ mindset and I finally realized that I had been dancing around the idea that female sideline reporters are emerging rapidly. What I need to realize is that they have already emerged and are in full force, the issue is that they are not necessarily a staple of the programs. From this I must change my question and ask, not “if” female sideline reporters are a necessity, but “how” they have become that way. It is only a minor change, but I feel that I have an all new purpose with my research because I am now able to look at my research in a more ambitious, but slightly negative fashion.
Don't shut off your PC...or Mac,
Blog Master Nilsen
Works Cited:
Roberts, Selena. Rosenhaus, Drew. Personal. Nov. 2, 2009.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Getting Started...
When I began planning the foreground fro this research project, I continuously had this one image stuck in my head that I could simply not ignore. Now, when I tell you all about this image I would rather you did not get the wrong idea. This is because I could not get ESPN female reporter Erin Andrews' face away from me and she happens to be a stunningly beautiful woman (so why wouldn't any man have her image on their mind?). But being the sports nerd that I am, I was intrigued by her because of the impact that she has on sports media - at least through my eyes.
This was all sparked a few weeks back when a streaming internet video - which I will for obvious reasons not be posting a link to - of Ms. Andrews changing in her hotel room was placed on multiple internet sites. Long story told short, scandal broke out and it got me thinking as to why Erin in particular was targeted in such an awful crime; and more importantly, why was her video so popular - there are trillions of places you can see naked women on the internet!!!
And so here I am - if your not confused yet then I am glad - I am wondering to myself, the fact that Andrews works for a sports entertainment a company, her popularity among the male sports fan is without a doubt through the roof.
For those of you who do not know who she is, here is a news clip from ABC news that shows several examples of her in action on the athletic fields.
just click on the link above for the video
When examining the female sports reporter over the years, Erin Andrews has - since 2004 - been the first face that comes to mind because she seems to exemplify why I think the female sideline reporter has become a near fixture in sports broadcasts. This is of course pure opinion on my part, but I I feel that sports broadcasts become more tolerable both for men and women when an attractive, well-spoken women is interviewing different sports stars throughout broadcasts.
Now, the first question that I must ask is:
Who was the first female sports broadcast reporter?
According to write Paul Farhi of the Washington Post, ABC and ESPN associates Lesley Visser (a member of the pro football Hall of Fame), and Andrea Kremer were the first women to do sideline reporting on the "Monday Night Football Broadcast" - which according to Pamela J. Creedon, author of the book Women, Sport, and Media Institutions: Issues in Sports Journalism
Reporter Lesley Visser told Creedon that when she began working at The Boston Globe in 1974, "No women or children allowed in the press box." and she now feels "it's very comforting to me to say that women are sideline reporters now."
What I can see from this is that there is definitely some sort of comradery among female sports reporters, and that they have a common goal to become something of a necessity on sports broadcasts today. Since the 1970's, when sports were just starting to be truly emerged as a media jackpot, women has grown as sports reporters, thus leading me to believe that yes indeed women have become - at the LEAST more trusted among television producers and executives.
Farhi also mentions in his article that both Kremer and Visser have produced their own individual programs on both ESPN and ABC. This intrigues me because it may mean that their could be an emergence of more than just female sideline reporters, but an emergence of a greater population of women in sports media altogether.
While Erin Andrews stands out because of her physical features, as well as her presence in alternative media, her work only leads me back to her predecessors, making me curious as to how the male counterparts feel about the potential
more to come,
Blog Master Nilsen
This was all sparked a few weeks back when a streaming internet video - which I will for obvious reasons not be posting a link to - of Ms. Andrews changing in her hotel room was placed on multiple internet sites. Long story told short, scandal broke out and it got me thinking as to why Erin in particular was targeted in such an awful crime; and more importantly, why was her video so popular - there are trillions of places you can see naked women on the internet!!!
And so here I am - if your not confused yet then I am glad - I am wondering to myself, the fact that Andrews works for a sports entertainment a company, her popularity among the male sports fan is without a doubt through the roof.
For those of you who do not know who she is, here is a news clip from ABC news that shows several examples of her in action on the athletic fields.
just click on the link above for the video
When examining the female sports reporter over the years, Erin Andrews has - since 2004 - been the first face that comes to mind because she seems to exemplify why I think the female sideline reporter has become a near fixture in sports broadcasts. This is of course pure opinion on my part, but I I feel that sports broadcasts become more tolerable both for men and women when an attractive, well-spoken women is interviewing different sports stars throughout broadcasts.
Now, the first question that I must ask is:
Who was the first female sports broadcast reporter?
According to write Paul Farhi of the Washington Post, ABC and ESPN associates Lesley Visser (a member of the pro football Hall of Fame), and Andrea Kremer were the first women to do sideline reporting on the "Monday Night Football Broadcast" - which according to Pamela J. Creedon, author of the book Women, Sport, and Media Institutions: Issues in Sports Journalism
Reporter Lesley Visser told Creedon that when she began working at The Boston Globe in 1974, "No women or children allowed in the press box." and she now feels "it's very comforting to me to say that women are sideline reporters now."
What I can see from this is that there is definitely some sort of comradery among female sports reporters, and that they have a common goal to become something of a necessity on sports broadcasts today. Since the 1970's, when sports were just starting to be truly emerged as a media jackpot, women has grown as sports reporters, thus leading me to believe that yes indeed women have become - at the LEAST more trusted among television producers and executives.
Farhi also mentions in his article that both Kremer and Visser have produced their own individual programs on both ESPN and ABC. This intrigues me because it may mean that their could be an emergence of more than just female sideline reporters, but an emergence of a greater population of women in sports media altogether.
While Erin Andrews stands out because of her physical features, as well as her presence in alternative media, her work only leads me back to her predecessors, making me curious as to how the male counterparts feel about the potential
more to come,
Blog Master Nilsen
Welcome!
Hello Dr. Ryan's COM 215 class,Over the course of the semester I plan to chronicle my research study on a topic that has undoubtedly crossed the minds of Mllions of fans across the United States. I will be constructing this blog through a series of videos and images, but I will also be uncovering information that have found through my research, possibly leading me to some kind of overarching answer to my question. Of course I will also be asking the rest of the nation questions that may give me some general sense of how other fans (or non-fans) feel about the topic at hand. Okay, if I have not bored you all to tears yet, I would now like to actually know, has the female 'sideline reporter' come to be a common aspect of some televised.
The semester ends in December and I assume that I will be much further along with my research by that point. I hope to post at least once a week just so I can give you all a consistent update on my progress, along with my thought process that I bring along with this research study.
Some things to look forward to from the blog:
Feedback/coverage of a November 2nd Q & A session with NFL super-agent, Drew Rosenhaus and Sports Illustrated reporter, Selena Roberts.
I am extremely excited, and I assure you that my enthusiasm about sports and sports media will surely not be absent from this forum,
Blog Master Nilsen
The semester ends in December and I assume that I will be much further along with my research by that point. I hope to post at least once a week just so I can give you all a consistent update on my progress, along with my thought process that I bring along with this research study.
Some things to look forward to from the blog:
Feedback/coverage of a November 2nd Q & A session with NFL super-agent, Drew Rosenhaus and Sports Illustrated reporter, Selena Roberts.
I am extremely excited, and I assure you that my enthusiasm about sports and sports media will surely not be absent from this forum,
Blog Master Nilsen
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