Last week, I attended the sports panel event, Beyond the Box Score: The Female Voice in Sports Media,” which was held by Medill and Northwestern Athletic department at McCormick Foundation Center Forum. Before attending this event, I have heard and read a lot of stories about stereotypes and gender issues that abundant female journalists confront in sports media. Thus, I decide to attend the sports journalism symposium because I feel it is extremely crucial and indispensable for me to comprehend perceptions of the media influence on gender roles and stereotypes.

The highly respected female journalists (including USA Today Christine Brennan, ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth, Fox Sports’ Pam Oliver, and CNN’s Rachel Nichols) discoursed with public audience about why they were frequently looked down by society. Clearly, sexism is an issue in sports journalism. Fortunately, although female journalists face stereotypes in the male dominated sports industry, they found ways to overcome the gender barriers gradually. The good news is that the number of female sports journalists, reporters, sportscasters, and broadcasters is growing and thriving each year.

Throughout the event, I genuinely relished the opportunity to learn and listen to the story of each panelist about how they overcome gender barriers in sports media. Lastly, since I aspire to work in the media industry as a sports business journalist, one of the most important advice I learn from Oliver is to have a profound “passion and heart” for journalism, not just ambition to be on television. Brennan also added, “Stay focused on what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” I intend to write a blog about communication and gender in sports media in the future.