When someone asks me what I want to do with my life, I immediately come up with my answer. I want to be a sportscaster!
In the recent years, women have become very prominent in the world of sports and have given a whole new meaning to the respect that sports reporters get from their audience. There has also been some major criticism for women in sports. I'm not the first to say that women sports reporters are perfect, but men reporters aren't perfect either. People have always said that women don't have a place in sports and that they don't have a clue about what they're reporting on.
But...
This is the 21st Century. Women are perfectly capable of doing whatever they want to do, and I truly admire those women who choose to go into sports reporting. I'm sure it's not easy, and it most likely comes with a lot of frustration and struggle. Although it comes with hardships, women are truly making their mark in sports reporting, and every day more women are choosing to go into sports reporting because of those female pioneers who chose to take a leap and dive into the world of sports.
These five women have had a huge impact on my life, and they have helped me pick the perfect career path. I've always loved sports and being a sports reporter would truly be a dream come true!
1. Erin Andrews
Erin Andrews began her career as a freelance reporter for Fox Sports Florida in 2000. In 2004, she was employed by ESPN for "National Hockey Night." She later began serving as a sideline reporter for ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime. In 2012, Andrews left ESPN to join Fox Sports. She is a contributor for Fox NFL Sunday and serves as a field reporter for some of sports biggest events such as the World Series and the Daytona 500.
Erin Andrews has truly been my biggest influence when I decided to go into sports reporting. Although there has been some controversy surrounding her, I still believe she is one of the best on TV. I'll have to remember to thank her someday for showing me that it's perfectly fine to be a female sportscaster, that is, if I ever get the chance to meet her.
2. Heather Cox
Heather Cox has served as an ESPN and ABC Sports reporter since 1995. I was only one year old when she started her career! She has been a reporter for events in the NBA, College Football, NCAA Basketball, the WNBA and professional Volleyball. Cox replaced Erin Andrews on ABC's Saturday Night College Football Game of the Week. She also covers Volleyball for NBC during the Olympic Games.
I really love getting to watch Heather Cox on Saturdays reporting on all things football. Her interview skills and personality really drew me to her. The way she utilizes her skills and personality when reporting has shown me what it takes to be a sports reporter, and I would be lucky to have her skills someday.
3. Holly Rowe
Starting in 1998, Holly Rowe began her full-time sideline reporting career with ESPN. She reports on numerous regular season games and post-season bowls. Prior to working with ESPN, she was an ABC Sports reporter in 1995 and 1996. Rowe has also been able to report on women's college basketball games and women's college volleyball games during her time at ESPN.
The fact that she is pretty short drew me to her very quickly. It really showed me that my height won't limit me in my career and that I can do anything that I want to. I absolutely love getting to watch her during college football games. She has great interview skills and she's always nice to listen to. I would be lucky to have her skills someday.
4. Lindsay Czarniak
Lindsay Czarniak started out as an intern at WUSA in Washington, D.C. during her time in college. She worked for news stations such as WAWS in Jacksonville, FL, and NBC4 in the D.C. area before making her SportsCenter debut on ESPN in 2011. During this time, she covered preseason football games. She was also a pit reporter and studio host for TNT's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 2013, it was announced that Czarniak would be replacing Brent Musburger as the host of ABC's coverage of the 2013 Indianapolis 500.
Watching her on SportsCenter has been so wonderful. She is the first female studio reporter that I was drawn to, and she's really fun to watch. She's one of the main reasons that I love to watch SportsCenter, and she has really made a big impact on my life.
5. Krista Voda
Krista Voda began reporting on NASCAR in 2003, as co-anchor of Totally NASCAR on Fox Sports Net. She is a pit reporter for NASCAR on Fox and can also be seen as a fill-in sideline reporter for the NFL on Fox. In addition to covering NASCAR, Voda has covered college football, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and the PGA Championship.
Once I saw her reporting on NASCAR on Fox, I knew I would love to report on auto-racing someday. Although a lot of people don't like NASCAR and racing, I would love to report on it. Getting to report on drivers as well as information on the cars themselves and the race tracks would be really exciting, and I hope to follow in her footsteps.
Following in the footsteps of these ladies is a true dream of mine. Getting to watch them on TV and getting to watch their reporting skills has helped me to gain knowledge on the world of sports and how it's perfectly fine for me to want to go into sportscasting. These five ladies, as well as many others, have influenced me greatly and helped me to know that I'm making the right decision in my career path.
Maybe someday you'll see me reporting next to Erin Andrews or Heather Cox!
