Sports journalism is one of the most rewarding and humiliating jobs in the country. You can either be scolded and yelled at by Nick Saban or be hated by the entire Alabama fan base like Verne Lundquist. It requires you to be professional in often times unprofessional environments (cause we all know what is really being said in the stands). It is also your responsibility to inform the sports savvy world about the latest players and contribute to fantasy leagues. Not only are you a sports journalist, but you are a reporter, researcher, consultant, and informer. On top of the game right now is The Jump's very own, Rachel Nichols.

Rachel Nichols is currently the host of The Jump on ESPN. There is also a podcast for it, and it features several NBA Insiders and former (and sometimes current) NBA Players.

There are a lot of great female reporters and host, but the boundaries that Rachel Nichols has been able to break through is profound. She has access to players and information that keeps people wanting to come back to The Jump. Within hours of the Minnesota Timberwolves team report about Jimmy Butler, she was interviewing him and getting a response. To get an interview done with an NBA player within hours of them getting out of practice was unheard of way back when. Not only did she get the interview she also had him in the studio in a face-to-face conversation. She has merit and prestige and it is reflected in her work and the connections that she has made. You can name any type of sports journalism job and Rachel Nichols has probably done it. It is known wonder she was named to Hollywood Reporter's "Ten Most Powerful Voices In Media." She is transcending the condescending notion that woman in the workplace should be behind the scenes.

Powerful women are everywhere across this country. There are more women like Rachel Nichols who deserve just as much praise and adoration. She is an inspiration to women across the United States. I hope that we all can come to appreciate what she is doing and the boundaries that she is crossing that women couldn't cross before. She is not taking advantage of an opportunity because there wasn't an opportunity. She is creating an opportunity and it is becoming prevalent in more and more industries across the world.