It may be easier for a woman to enter a traditionally male dominated profession. Soccer is the biggest sport in the world outside the U-S. The overwhelming majority of journalists who cover the men’s teams, are also men. For the last two weeks, Real Madrid C-F, one of the best teams, with the top, most expensive players like Cristiano Ronaldo, and their new coach, acclaimed Jose Mourinho, have been training at the U-C-L-A and played two friendly games here in California.
While sitting in a press conference with Mourinho, I noticed that the women were the clear minority. In the press box with all the writers at the Rose Bowl the day of the game, only eight of 55 writers were women; down on the field with the photographers and videographers, even less. Breaking into the “old boys network” can be intimidating for women who want to enter the sports reporting field as journalists. Fortunately for anyone who plans to pursue a career in reporting, one British reporter from The Sunday Times covering the Real Madrid-LA Galaxy game noticed a significantly more relaxed and friendly rapport between journalists in Los Angeles, as compared to the cutthroat competitiveness he experiences in London. Though disturbingly, he explains that female journalists in the U-K who secure key interviews are often rumored to be having relations with players.
Instead of being put off by being one of the only women present, I took the opportunity to flip it to my advantage, and turn the extra attention, into access. Never underestimate the power of a smile to disarm people. With good energy, people are more willing to share advice, experiences, good quotes, and contacts; everything one needs to enter and succeed in the field of journalism. On the field, the A-P photographer lent me one of his camera lenses so I could procure better photos, something he admits never having done before. In the mix zone, where reporters fight for post-game interviews, I was able to conduct the only interview with Pepe, one of the Real Madrid players.
Working as a sports journalist is a highly competitive field, but there is a space for women to enter and bring a new perspective and experience to reporting.
