Women of color may not be accustomed to feeling “other” in primarily white environments. There will always be something uncomfortable about entering a room full of individuals who don’t look like you. Although you’d think the experience would be obsolete by now, it’s nevertheless common in almost all corporate jobs in America. Black female sports writers can relate to this emotion more than anybody else. They go into a far bigger space than a typical conference room—a stadium or arena with tens of thousands of spectators. They come into contact with actual light that has a considerably greater wattage.
Despite this, black female sports reporters went on to become well-known figures. It’s difficult to avoid wondering how they manage to succeed in a field when there are so few others like them. Here are 15 black female sports reporters that are admired not just for their good looks but also for their enthusiasm for and expertise in sports.
1. Malika Andrews
This young journalist went from being a fellow with The New York Times to being one of ESPN’s NBA beat writers this season, mainly concentrating on the Central division of the league. This whole journey took place for over a year and a half.
As with Shams Charania, a 24-year-old reporter for the NBA who covers breaking news, Adrian Wojnarowski, the ultimate sources expert, praised the job Andrews has done. Recently, Malika Andrews authored an article on the fact that Chicago Bulls player Jabari Parker was removed from the team’s rotation a few months after signing a two-year, $40 million deal.
2. Pam Oliver
Pam Oliver is an American sportscaster who has won several awards for his remarkable performance on the sidelines of different National Basketball Association and National Football League events. Pam’s father, John Oliver, served in the United States Air Force, and she was born and raised in the great state of Texas.
Oliver, widely recognized as a trailblazer in the sports media industry, has been one of the most prominent sports reporters on network television for a long time. She consistently produces reports that are both pertinent and significant as a consequence of her straightforward and honest approach to interviews, and as a result, she has gained the respect and gratitude of all alliance participants.
3. Lisa Salters
Lisa Salters is a female collegiate basketball player who pursued a career in journalism in the United States. Since 2000, Lisa has held the position of reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC. She is also a reporter for ABC, covering the O.J. Simpson murder investigation, and she was a reporter for WBAL-TV in Baltimore from 1988 to 1995.
This former NCAA women’s basketball player was one of the first people to get a remark from Donald Sterling’s estranged wife. Sterling is the owner of the notorious (hum, racist) Los Angeles Clippers. Over a decade, Salters has covered both the NBA and the NFL.
4. Meghan McPeak
Even though there are just a few women working as in-game commentators, fewer women are working as play-by-play announcers for sporting events. In October, during a preseason game between the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons, Meghan McPeak broke history by being the first female play-by-play announcer for an NBA game in over 30 years.
Additionally, she is the first and only female play-by-play announcer in NBA G-League history, calling games for the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards’ affiliate club.
5. Cheryl Miller
Cheryl Miller, an American former basketball player who won a gold medal and now works as a coach, was born and raised in Riverside, California, in United States. In addition to that, Miller worked for the NBA and ABC as a sideline reporter and sports announcer. She has a role in the HBO documentary Women of Troy, which is now airing.
Miller is currently an established member of the NBA Conference. She is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and she has covered the game and coached it for over twenty years.
6. Josina Anderson
A lady named Josina Anderson has the potential to excel in her industry. She now commands respect in the profession since she has made a name for herself. Josina is one of the most ardent journalists, much like Carol Costello.
She is an American citizen with a wide range of skills. Josina is a successful reporter and possesses a wide range of intriguing abilities. Tell us more about the incredible Anderson. She has become well-known for breaking big national sports news stories. As a result, she started working for Fox 31 as a reporter, anchor, and producer. She also served as a reporter for Inside NFL.
7. Jemele Hill
American journalist Jemele Hill is the co-founder and former editor of Lodge Freeway Media and The Atlantic. She has been with the sports media giant ESPN for nearly a decade, during which time she has hosted ESPN’s His and Hers and contributed a column to ESPN.com’s Page 2.
In November of 2006, Jemele Hill became a contributor to ESPN.com as a national reporter. The Sports Reporters, ESPN First Take, and Outside the Lines are just a few ESPN shows where you can see her daily, and she is a staple on SportsCenter. As a sideline reporter, she also covered college football games in 2012 with Carter Blackburn and Rod Gilmore.
8. Candace Buckner
Candace Buckner is an extraordinarily gifted journalist and writer. She was skilled at making ordinary tales enjoyable, and she often surprised other people with a different way of telling a narrative that worked better than they had anticipated. Her laid-back demeanor belies her devotion, and she has a terrific sense of humor that makes coworkers and sources comfortable.
There is little doubt that Candace Buckner is among the most talented beat reporters in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Applause is warranted on its own for Buckner’s combination of social media updates, game recaps, and feature pieces, as well as his ability to cover the several themes associated with the Washington Wizards.
9. Cari Champion
When “sports journalism” is used, some people immediately think of Cari Champion. At ESPN, she anchored the network’s flagship show, SportsCenter. Along with hosting ESPN2’s First Take, the television personality has also served as a reporter for the Tennis Channel.
Being tasked with mediating tense sports arguments between Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith is not an easy task. Champion is required to do so daily on their exciting noon chat program on ESPN, First Take.
10. LaChina Robinson
LaChina Robinson is the best commentator in the whole women’s basketball league. The former Wake Forest center can provide a comprehensive analysis of any women’s team competing in high-major college basketball or the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Robinson will give it to her throughout every live hit, regardless of whether she is at the scorer’s table providing color commentary, on the sidelines, or in the studio.
11. Sage Steele
Sage Marie Steele, often known as Sage Steele, is an American sports commentator and television host. She currently shares hosting duties with another person on ESPN’s 6 PM Sports Center (ET), which airs just before big sporting events like the Super Bowl and The Masters. Before that, Sage presented NBA Countdown for four seasons, from 2012 to 2017, on ESPN and ABC.
Steele worked as a sports reporter for an Indiana CBS station before moving up to co-hosting ESPN’s NBA Countdown. He has since progressed through the ranks of sports commentary. She has also been a part of ESPN’s First Take and SportNation and co-hosted SportCenter.
12. Taylor Rooks
Her editorial-style end-of-show presentations at SNY, like the one that disputed the popular perception of Lamar Jackson as a quarterback before this year’s selection, and her interviewing abilities helped her gain a job at Bleacher Report, where she has since become the face of the organization.
She’s been able to do her interviews on-location thanks to Turner Sports and Bleacher Report like she did when she visited the Boston Celtics’ practice facility to speak with Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum or when she visited Manchester United player Romelu Lukaku’s home for a private interview. As cliche as it may seem, Taylor Rooks‘ skills and the tools she has gained at Bleacher Report will enable her to do anything.
13. Kristina Pink
After joining the FOX Sports team in 2012 as an NFL reporter, Kristina Pink soon earned the respect of NFL players, coaches, general managers, and other league insiders for her in-depth knowledge and insightful questions. The 2013 season was the first time she contributed to FOX Sports’ college football coverage as a reporter.
In addition to providing in-game and post-game interviews for the broadcast team consisting of play-by-play announcer Adam Amin and analyst Mark Schlereth, Pink also provides news, notes, and stories for the FOX NFL pregame programs FOX NFL SUNDAY and FOX NFL KICKOFF when he is requested to do so.
14. Christy Winters Scott
Christy Winters Scott is an NBA, WNBA, and NCAA analyst for several television and radio networks, including ESPN, Fox Sports, Raycom, and CBS Radio. Before her career in broadcasting, Scott competed at the collegiate and professional levels of women’s basketball.
In addition to that, she is the play-by-play announcer for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. She has hosted the pre-and post-game shows for the NBA’s Washington Wizards on NBC Sports Washington since 2012. In addition, she has acted as an NBA Analyst for the Wizards on NBCSW.
15. Rhiannon Walker
This year, Walker further elevated her status as a rising star. The young reporter for The Undefeated has used her social media following to bring attention to some of the challenges she experiences daily as a member of the LGBTQ community, in addition to covering major Black stories in sports, such as the passing of Perry Wallace, the first Black basketball player to integrate the Southeastern Conference.
Rhiannon Walker strikes a beautiful mix between covering pop culture, baseball, and HBCU football topics. Regarding her Twitter account, she is just as likely to post jokes as to raise attention to severe societal issues.
16. Maria Taylor
American presenter and commentator Maria Taylor works for the SEC Network and ESPN. Maria features collegiate sports, including basketball for men and women and collegiate volleyball.
Before joining the IMG team in 2012, Taylor spent the previous three years working as a reporter & presenter for the IMG College program at the University of Georgia. Additionally, she made appearances on several studio programs, including SportsNite, Dawg Report, and SEC Men’s Basketball Tonight.
Taylor covered the Orange Bowl for the second year in 2013, working as a side reporter for the college football telecast that aired on ESPN2 on Saturday nights.
17. Kimberley A. Martin
This past year, Kimberley A. Martin shone as one of the only Black women working as an NFL journalist anywhere in the nation.
In the article “Tyrod Taylor Unfiltered,” written by a reporter working for the Washington Post at the time, the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills shared his thoughts on what it’s like to be a Black starter in the NFL. This article was regarded as one of the year’s most insightful works. A month had passed after the feature’s debut when Taylor was sent to the bench for seven days.
18. Ros Gold Onwude
This past summer, the well-known journalist who had previously worked as a sideline reporter for the Golden State Warriors was hired by Turner Sports to work in the same capacity. Ros Gold Onwude is proud of her Nigerian heritage, as shown by the fact that she had bright red braids when appearing on the broadcast the previous week.
In terms of her celebrity status, she is most known for attending the inaugural NBA Awards in 2017 with Drake as her date. She was a member of the Nigerian national basketball team that competed in preparation for the Olympic Games in London in 2012. She continues to get invitations to play basketball professionally in other countries.
19. Elle Duncan
During her first year working at ESPN full-time, Elle Duncan unequivocally left her imprint. When discussing race topics, both on and off the air, the formerly employed sports reporter in Atlanta and Boston did not pull any punches.
Reportedly, Duncan turned down the opportunity to replace Jemele Hill on SportsCenter in September. Duncan’s refusal to take Hill’s place was met with widespread criticism. Duncan was also quick to criticize the Miami Dolphins for passing up the opportunity to sign Colin Kaepernick in favor of Jay Cutler.
20. Kara Lawson
Kara Lawson is now working as a basketball television commentator for ESPN and the Washington Wizards. She formerly played professionally. Her time playing defense for WNBA clubs such as the Sacramento Monarchs and the Washington Mystics brought her the most notoriety.
At the Olympic competition in Beijing, China, in 2008, she was awarded the gold medal. In 2015, Lawson decided to resign from the WNBA to concentrate on his career in broadcasting.
In recent years, Lawson has been a part of sports broadcasts throughout the WNBA season, commentating on collegiate basketball games for both men and women and events involving the Sacramento Kings.