Black Women in Sports Broadcasting

Black women are grossly underrepresented in most professional settings. When Jayne Kennedy made her debut on NFL Today in 1978, she changed the game for black women. Black women saw the possibilities of participating in a male-dominated world of sports. As time passed, the presence of a black woman on a sports network would become more popular. However, as black women made progress other factors would hold them back. The traditional image of a women on air seemed to be one look; tall, blonde and preferably blue-eyed. Fighting to meet this expectation, black women are forced to change features about themselves that makes them who they are. Some of these women have been turned away from jobs because they don’t meet the “look.” The purpose of this project is driven by the need to address one of the most disregarded and disrespected creatures in this world. Due to organizations like the National Black Association of Journalist and the persistence of black women in the industry, the presence of black women continues to get noticed and take strides. With the lack of studies on black women, much of my research comes from personal experiences of black women on different journeys in the sports broadcasting field