An inspiring look at the women who broke the glass ceiling in sports journalism. Women in sports journalism have faced an uphill battle to succeed within the "old boy" world of sports. The early trailblazers faced colleagues who ignored them, athletes who tried to humiliate them, fans who ridiculed them, and executives who kept them from doing their jobs--challenges many still face today. In Who Let Them In?: Pathbreaking Women in Sports Journalism, Joanne Lannin recounts the stories of the tenacious and resilient female sportscasters and writers who paved the way for those that followed. Exclusive interviews with such pioneers as CBS Sports' Lesley Visser, NFL Today's Andrea Kremer, and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Claire Smith reveal the many challenges these women faced as they sought to break down the gender-based barriers that kept them from press boxes, locker rooms, and broadcast booths. And while great strides have been made in the sports world to correct the gender imbalance, Lannin discusses how misogyny and sexual harassment continues to permeate the industry even today. Who Let Them In? offers compelling insight into how women sports journalists broke into this male-dominated field and managed to stay there, despite the many obstacles put in their way. It shows the sacrifices and commitment it takes to succeed in sports journalism and discusses what the future may hold for women in a media landscape that continues to evolve almost daily.
Joanne Lannin is a freelance writer and editor. She was a staff writer for the Portland Press Herald in Portland, Maine, for 22 years and was the paper's first and only woman sportswriter for three years before transferring to the features desk. She teaches English and journalism at a secondary school and is a columnist for Maine Women Magazine. Lannin is the author of Billie Jean King: Tennis Trailblazer, A History of Basketball for Girls and Women, and Finding a Way to Play: The Pioneering Spirit of Women in Basketball.
Foreword: By Jackie MacMullan Introduction Chapter One: Why Mary Garber Matters Chapter Two: Lesley Visser Leads The Way Chapter Three: Prying Open the Locker Room Doors Chapter Four: Claire Smith: Hall of Fame Baseball Writer Chapter Five: Pioneers in Sports Broadcasting Chapter Six: ESPN: Game-Changer for Women Chapter Seven: Robin Roberts: Her Roots in Sports Chapter Eight: Pam Oliver: Sideline Reporter in a Class by Herself Chapter Nine: Having it All Chapter Ten: Karen Guregian: Having it Her Way Chapter Eleven: Play by Play: The Final Frontier Chapter Twelve: Suzyn Waldman: Pioneer in the Broadcast Booth Chapter Thirteen: Doris Burke: At the Top of Her Game Chapter Fourteen: #MeToo Comes to Sports Chapter Fifteen: We've Come A Long Way
I worked with Joanne Lannin at the Portland Press Herald in the 1980s and quickly came to admire her as a dedicated, professional, inquisitive, and thoughtful journalist with a flair for telling stories. All those attributes are on display in her new book. It's an homage to all the women who dreamed big dreams and broke barriers in a world that wasn't as open-minded or welcoming as it should have been. This book is a necessary read for aspiring journalists or anyone with an interest in the history and evolution of the sportswriting profession.--Jerry Crasnick, senior advisor at the Major League Baseball Players Association, former sportswriter for ESPN What makes Who Let Them In? a splendid read is discovering what these pathbreaking women did once they got inside--after pushing past the barriers, physical and emotional, which men put in their way whenever they showed up to write and broadcast sports.--Melissa Ludtke, award-winning journalist and plaintiff in Ludtke v. Kuhn (1978)
