Written by: Megan O'Neill PC09
"Wait, you know about sports?"
I wish I’d tallied every time those words were uttered to me. In most cases, I’m just getting involved in a conversation — something as simple as the lack of Mizzou’s offensive depth or the SEC’s draft stock this year. But yes, I do know “about” sports, and I can also tell you that the media landscape as it relates to the female voice in sports is bleak.
It’s scarce and frustrating, but most of all I think for the
gregarious groups of women in media, it is a
motivator. I cannot speak for everyone, but for me, it’s incentive enough to
create a voice in that arena and build the content I want to read, and especially want to produce.
I work full time for a publishing company in Chicago and get
home from work every day to do more work. That leads us to ZOUNation Magazine, a brand new publication that aims to tell the stories of Mizzou’s bolstering athletic
community. There’s a certain amount of access that media personnel have to the
athletes, coaches and alum who make up the athletic program. Our goal is to
share that access with our readers.
The first thing you’ll notice about the magazine is the quality.
I graduated from Mizzou with an emphasis in magazine publishing, and though
I’ve worked on a number of titles, this publication takes the cake: heavier paper stock, a
significant emphasis on photography and content to match. It’s meant to be
collected and celebrated. So while other magazines are trimming and slimming
down, we’re really catering to the fan who still enjoys holding and reading
print.
Being a woman gives me a different perspective through which I
can shape the magazine’s editorial path. But it doesn’t drive it. I work with
my publishers to create our editorial voice and strategy. The support we’ve had
is really incredible, and the future and potential is beyond exciting.
I look at the female sports media landscape that surrounds us,
and there are signs of progress that exist. Look at Alison Overholt,
editor-in-chief at ESPN The Magazine. She made history with her promotion to
that title in February — the first woman to be named editor of a major sports
magazine in the U.S. There are top-ranking female editors, writers, producers
and directors at major outlets. They frame the careers that are possible for
young women. But where a ripple effect of growth needs to happen, I think, is
within smaller channels and at lower levels.
There’s a bit of an Erin Andrews effect with sideline reporting,
although female dominated, is just a step in the ladder. As young women
recognize that, maybe 10 years from now, sports pages, programs and platforms
headed by women won’t be such an anomaly, right? That’s the hope, at least.
So go subscribe to ZOUNation, apply for careers in
sports media, and reach out to women in sports: coaches, athletes, and businesswomen.
Stand strong when someone at the bar is surprised that you like sports.
And, if you’re me, pass on that rhinestoned pink jersey.
