If you ask them, they’ll tell you.
It hasn’t been an easy road to get here -- being a woman in the sports broadcasting industry comes with its own set of challenges -- but on Monday, it was all about the women at Chase Center. Seven of them were on the mic calling the Warriors game and doing the pre and post game shows.
"There's a sense of triumph, because there are so many hurdles,” said ESPN Analyst Lachina Robinson.
She and A’s play-by-play announcer Jenny Cavnar were calling the game. And NBC Sports’ Laura Britt and Kerith Burke, former basketball player Zena Keita and former Stanford star Jayne Appel-Marinelli hosted the pre and post game shows while Kylen Mills co-hosted “Dubs Talk Live.”
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“I think it's really exciting that women are having their opportunity in journalism, being able to call the games, equal opportunity for everybody, it's awesome,” said Warriors fan Jenei Peterson.
Monday's broadcast came during Women’s History Month, and at a critical point in the season, as the Warriors make a run for the playoffs.
“It feels great. If you can talk basketball, you can talk basketball. The players don't care. If you know the game, you know the game so we wanna show we know the game and we love it as much as anyone,” said Burke.
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But they don’t want this to happen on just one night.
“I want it to be all the time, I don't want it to feel like a pat on the head, ‘yay women,’ no. And I feel like I'm in a good supported area with a lot of women around me,” said the NBC Sports Bay Area reporter.
“There's a lot of work to do in our society when it comes to equity and equality for women whether we’re talking about equal pay or healthcare,” said Robinson. “If anything, I hope that today shines a light on the value of women.”
Shining a light on Monday, but also paving a way for future generations.
“It gives us an opportunity to take a pause and say what are we doing to impact the next generation of women to ensure they have more opportunities,” said Robinson.
