Women in Sports Broadcasting

SUMMARY: The field of sports broadcasting is changing to include more and more women in the roles of on-air talent. Advancement for women in sports broadcasting is difficult, involving not only hard work, but also starting at lower market levels and personal sacrifices. Women are making strides in the profession but they still have a ways to go.

There are very few women in sports broadcasting today, but the trend is slowly changing. There are five major networks in the Denver area and out of the twelve sports anchors, twenty-five percent are women. In addition, women announcers can be seen on national sports networks, such as ESPN or FSN (Fox Sports Network).

Ron Zappolo, a news anchor for Fox 31 in Denver, has seen many changes in broadcasting over his 30 years in the profession. Formerly a sports reporter for a different network, Zappolo encourages women to go into sports broadcasting, explaining, “Women have a great opportunity in this field to do well and it’s good and they should. And especially women sportscasters because there is not enough of them. If you’re a woman and you’re interested in sports and you have what it takes, there is a job out there for you.”

Having what it takes is part of the problem for women. Women aspiring to be sports broadcasters work extremely hard and can’t afford to make any mistakes. It is very difficult for women to advance in the profession because they have to start at a lower television market level and work their way up. Alanna Rizzo, a sideline reporter for FSN covering Rockies baseball and the University of Colorado basketball games, started her career in Wichita Falls, TX for very low wages before coming to the larger Denver market. According to Rizzo, "It takes a long time to to get to market 18 and be an on-air personality. And I’ve paid my dues… and I still have so much to learn.”

Paying their dues isn’t just about starting at low pay and low market levels. It also involves making personal sacrifices, according to Josina Anderson, weekend sports anchor for Fox31. Anderson, whose family lives in Washington, DC, states, “I’m constantly travelling, so I’ve sacrificed family time… in terms of being around my family [and] proximity. I’ve sacrificed personally because I’m a workaholic.” Rizzo is also constantly on the road during baseball season traveling with the Rockies to every away game.

Even with all the sacrifices and hard work, both Anderson and Rizzo agree with Zappolo that women belong in sportscasting. “It’s certainly a lot more acceptable now for women to be involved in sports in a variety of capacities whether it’s on the field doing sideline reporting or at an anchor desk or doing feature stories or as a primary interviewer” according to Rizzo. Women are definitely making strides in the sports broadcasting profession, but there is still a ways to go before there are as many female sports announcers as there are male announcers.