5 Black Female Sports Journalists You Should Know
Trailblazing Game Changers: 5 Black Female Sports Journalists You Should Know - Page 3
Women sports reporters have been around since the 1970s, and to this day, they still bring both beauty and brains to the sports world. Many trailblazing Black women are making waves in sports journalism and breaking barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field. And these women deserve their flowers and recognition, so the next time they pop up on your screen, you can let everyone know their name.
Here are five black female sports reporters who are reshaping the sports world one insightful analysis at a time.
1. Jemele Hill
Jemele Hill is one sports journalist who has never been afraid to speak the truth, no matter the consequences. She was a columnist and analyst and co-anchored SportsCenter on ESPN for 12 years. She then wrote a book entitled Uphill: A Memoir. In 2018, the National Association of Black Journalists gave her the Journalist of the Year award. Today, she has a podcast called Jemele Hill Is Unbothered. Hill has been working in sports journalism for about 30 years.
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2. Taylor Rooks
Taylor Rooks is known for being able to get thoughtful and interesting interviews from the athletes she interviews. She is not only an Emmy-nominated sports journalist but is also the host of Amazon Prime Video’s NBA coverage and the feature reporter for Thursday Night Football. Rook has an extensive resume and is also the host and executive producer of Take It There With Taylor Rooks on Bleacher Report. She is so respected in the sports world, she was even featured in GQ‘s Men of the Year issue and given major props by the New York Times.
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3. Maria Taylor
Maria Taylor is not the two or the three, but the one. She is the first full-time female host of NBC Sports’ Football Night in America. Whether it’s College Game Day, the Super Bowl, the NBA draft, or the NBA Countdown, Taylor has hosted staple sports events throughout her career. She received a Gracie Award for Outstanding Broadcaster in 2022, and Adweek included her in their “Most Powerful Women in Sports.” She is so passionate about sports journalism that she is currently the executive producer of a documentary for NBC Sports on the history of Black quarterbacks.
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4. Cari Champion
You know who Cari Champion is if you have watched any sports report within the past two decades. Champion is a sports media anchor and personality who has hosted several staple shows, including SportsCenter, First Take, SportsNation, TNT’s The Arena, and the Cari Champion Show. She has co-anchored Tokyo Tonight for NBC’s Olympics coverage and even made history with Jemele Hill as the first Black women to host a late-night cable show called Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports on Vice.
5. Chiney Ogwumike
Chiney Ogwumike is not new to this sports game, but true to it. She is a two-time WNBA All-Star who made history as the first Black woman and WNBA player to host a national ESPN radio show. She also hosts NBA Today and NBA Countdown on ESPN. However, she is also a force outside of basketball and was appointed to the White House Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement.
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