...with
Lacee Collins.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...networking is important,
don't burn your bridges and keep in touch with the talent
you have worked with. But as a female sportscaster trying
to make it in a business dominated by males, I have a
difficult time meeting other women in the industry to
network with.
I watch Sportscenter every chance I get,
I can't get enough basketball or baseball and football
is my main dish on Sundays, but even with more females
working the desks and sidelines, there are still too few
to look up to. ESPN is solid, from Linda Cohn to Michelle
Tafoya, their female anchors and reporters are awesome,
but other networks struggle. I hate that many sports fans
think female anchors get the job as "eye candy"...
a fact which sadly, in some circumstances, may be true,
but there are also many of us who are both attractive
and know our stuff.
Quiz me...I can hang pretty good with
da boyz...and I am always studying the game...not just
football or hockey... but the game of sportscasting.
Still, I have questions. Questions on
anchoring style, wardrobe and other issues female sportscasters
deal with, including the old-school thoughts that women
can't do sports or that they are just something to look
at. Questions on how to prove that you are just as capable
as your male counterparts in your work.
Afterall, there is more for me to prove...I
can't give a wrong stat, or say the wrong name. One wrong
move becomes magnified ten-fold for females sportscasters.
I'll look like I don't know the correct information, but
males can play it off easier without losing their viewer's
respect.
Now, don't get me wrong... I love being
the minority. I like being pushed
and working harder, and I do get the respect from the
people I work with. I
am just looking for other women to talk with and cover
the issues that we
deal with. If you are a female sportscaster or know one
who would be
interested in "networking 102", have them check
this site out.
Class 101 is easy, I keep in touch
with as many former co-workers as possible, but with the
cutting back of sports in local news across the country,
men and women sportscasters should stick together.
Lacee Collins got her start in the
industry a sports producer/ photographer for the Orange
County News Channel, before becoming a sports reporter/photographer
in Lake Charles, LA. Two months ago she joined KYMA in
Yuma, AZ as the weekend sports anchor.
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