Sports announcing: not just for men

Bristol, Conn.: I believe this to be the best place on Earth. This place is home to ESPN headquarters where I will do everything in my power to get employed after I graduate.

Being the only female out of my immediate family, I grew up riding the coattails of my dad and uncles and watching any kind of sport possible on the “tube.” Before the age of 10, I could honestly sit down and name the entire starting lineup of the 1993-1994 Philadelphia Phillies team.

Ok, so I guess you could call me a tomboy, but it’s what I loved to do: research statistics, rehearse my play-by-play from my living room floor and stump anyone with sports trivia that wanted to have at it.

Entering Cabrini College as a photojournalism major (I wanted to write and photograph for sports magazines) I found this to silence me a bit. As I was relaxing while watching the Philadelphia 76ers, I looked at Dei Lynam on courtside and realized how much she truly knew the game and didn’t even need the cue cards in front of her to do what she did best. I wanted her job. I started researching many ESPN anchors, starting with Rachel Nichols, being my favorite, and found that many of the women had it hard getting into the sports reporting industry.

Ask yourselves this: How many times did you hear a man say he would turn off the television because a woman just didn’t know anything about sports? Oh, I have heard it my entire life, so how dreamcrushing is that? This was even a bigger push to me. I was going to do this and people were going to see my true love for the game.

Would you believe my happiness when I received a call to my home from a secretary from ESPN in Connecticut? Yes, I screamed followed by tears. I was going to be phone interviewed for a possible internship for the summer. My job: I was to study up on all aspects of the sports world and be judged on my performance. I studied for days on end and felt like I knew more than ever before. To my disappointment though, I did not receive the internship and there was one strike against me as my confidence level was brought down a notch. Because of the small town I live in, many people knew of this opportunity that was given to me and I had to be the one to break the news to many of the Weatherlites that I wasn’t granted my dream.

Then, another instance happened to me this past weekend. I was bartending at my local firehouse and a man that I hardly talk to asked me what I was taking up in school. I told him of my aspirations to be a sports broadcaster and he would one day see this small town girl on ESPN. To my amazement, this man had the gall to tell me not to get my hopes up because it would be extremely hard to do such a thing. And once again, I had to hear: “I just don’t feel that women know as much as men do about the sports industry.” I looked at the man and said, “I will do it, you believe me,” and

RYAN KIRBY STAFF WRITER REK722@CABRINI EDU

Flyers win pivotal game 3

The Flyers brought the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to Philadelphia on Monday night to a sold out crowd, all dressed in orange. With the series tied at one game a piece, the Flyers scored three second period goals to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Montreal pulled rookie goalie Karey Price after the third goal and the game appeared to be in hand. However after a five-minute major penalty to Derian Hatcher for boarding, the Flyers surrendered two goals on the ensuing power play and barely held on for the 3-2 win. Goalie Martin Biron continued his spectacular play with 32 saves. Scottie Upshall, Mike Richards and R.J. Umberger all scored a goal a piece for the Flyers.

76ers Series Even At 2 Games

The Philadelphia 76ers took South Philadelphia by storm on Friday night April 25, dishing out a 20 point beating to the favored Detroit Pistons. Andre Miller scored 21 points for the Sixers while Samuel Dalembert added 22 and 16 rebounds. The game marked the first Sixers home playoff game since 2005. They led by as many as 24 points and finished with a 95-75 win. The Pistons came back strong on Sunday night April 27, with a series-tying 93-84 game four win. The series is now even and headed back to Detroit for game five.

Phillies drop final game in series with Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates avoided a series sweep on Sunday with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies drop to 14-12 on the season and remain in third place in the National League East, a game and a half behind the division leading Florida Marlins. Brett Myers took the loss and is now 2-2 on the season after giving up four runs and eight hits. Myer is winless in his career at Pittsburgh with an 0-3 record and pitches just five innings after going at least seven in his last three starts. The Phillies only had two hits, both in the fifth inning when Pat Burrell doubled and then scored when Eric Bruntlett singled to center.

Eagles 2008 Draft Highlights

The Philadelphia Eagles participated in the annual NFL draft last weekend April 26 and 27. After trading their first two picks, the Eagles selected defensive end Trevor Laws out of Notre Dame in round number 2 pick number 47. Just two picks later they took highly touted receiver DeSean Jackson out of California. Jackson had made headlines lately because of his close relationship and workout regimen with Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. The Eagles were scheduled to have pick No. 19 overall, but they traded it to the Carolina Panthers for three additional picks.

just walked away. I found this to be strike No. 2. Why would someone just so bluntly tell a 21 year old that their dreams are out of reach?

As I thought about what this man told me, my mind became pessimistic and I thought maybe I am not meant to be on television. Maybe all of this hard work would not pay off and I would be stuck in a career that has nothing to do with living in Connecticut and seeing my name on the bottom of the television screen. Does everyone really feel that a women’s place is to not be reporting sports because it’s a

“manly” thing to do?

As I shook these thoughts out of my head and came to my senses, I knew there would not be a strike three that would go against me. I WILL do this, I WILL see my name flashing on the bottom of the television screen and I WILL do what I was put on this Earth to do. I will live in the best place on Earth and I WILL be doing what I have aspired to do all of my life.

No matter what anyone else thinks, especially that man from the bar, they will one day hear me say, “This is Kasey Minnick reporting from ESPN.”