Twelve Women Who Pioneered the Era of Female

Sports Broadcasters and Journalists

Phyllis George1974 CBS

Jayne Kennedy replaced Phyllis George on The NFL Today in 1978, becoming the first African-American female to host a network sports television broadcast.

Leslie Visser, an accomplished sportswriter for the Boston Globe, came into national prominence when she joined CBS in 1984 as a part-time reporter.

Gayle Gardner began working for ESPN in 1983 as a SportsCenter anchor, becoming one of the first women to regularly anchor a nightly network sports broadcast.

Mary Carillo started working for the USA Network, working as an analyst for major professional tennis tournaments in 1980.

Gayle Sierens became the first woman to do play-by-play for an NFL football game in 1987

Robin Roberts began her career as a television sports journalist in 1983, working as a sports anchor for WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Hannah Storm was hired by NBC to report on a variety of venues, including the Olympic Games, NBA and WNBA basketball, and the NFL.

Cassie Campbell, a former Canadian female hockey player, started her career as a sportscaster with Hockey Night in Canada, becoming a rinkside reporter in 2006.

Doris Burke, a former basketball player and graduate of Providence College, currently works as a sideline reporter and color analyst for ESPN college basketball.

Lisa Guerrero, former Los Angeles Rams cheerleader, began her television career as a sports-anchor on Los Angeles' KCBS station in 1997.

Bonnie Bernstein has become one of the most recognizable and highly respected journalists in sports. Since starting her career in 1995 in Chicago, Bonnie has covered a variety of sports, working as a lead reporter for CBS for NFL and NCAA Men's basketball, and most recently as a host of College Football Live, and regulary substituting as a host for NFL Live and Outside the Lines.