Top Women In Sports Media And Their Inspiring Career Journeys

Women’s sports is having a big moment and many media outlets are putting a special focus on the energy around watching women’s sports at all levels. In fact, according to research, interest in watching women’s sports has been evident from the 2023 NCAA tournament to the WNBA draft to the Women’s World Cup.

There are still challenges for women, especially in sports media, but there have been several leading women at the forefront of ensuring that their voices can be heard in sports media. Here’s more on a few top women in sports media and their inspiring career journeys:

Cari Champion worked in local television before joining ESPN in 2012 as the host of the debate show “First Take.” She later served as the hose of ESPN’s SportsCenter. In 2018, she founded Brown Girls Dream, a mentoring program for Black women interested in entertainment and media careers.

Champion also launched VICE TV’s “Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports” with former ESPN host Jemele Hill, where they interviewed powerhouses including LeBron James, Charles Barkley, and Dwyane Wade, among other celebrities and executives.

She has also launched her own podcast, “Naked with Cari Champion,” and led a self-titled Prime Video series. On the podcast, guests talk about life-changing experiences and events that helped shape them in their journeys to success. The show has featured stars including basketball Hall of Famer Lynette Woodard and WNBA icon and coach Dawn Stanley.

Iliana Limón Romero has served as the assistant managing editor for sports at the Los Angeles Times since 2021 and serves as the president for the Association for Women in Sports Media. She is the first woman, first Mexican American and first Latina to hold the role at the publication, according to the Hispanic Executive.

Romero’s work helped the publication win the Associated Press Sports Editors 2022 grand slam honors and she contributed to the Orlando Sentinel’s Pulitzer Prize finalist coverage of the Pulse nightclub shooting.

LaChina Robinson is an award-winning host and basketball analyst for ESPN who has covered 15 WNBA seasons and 12 college basketball seasons since 2009, according to ESPN. She is also the host of the weekly WNBA-themed “Around The Rim” video series on ESPN’s YouTube channel.

She is the 2020 recipient of the Giving Gracefully Award for her work with her nonprofit Rising Media Stars which trains and mentors young women of color who are interested in a career in sports media. She is also only the second woman to ever receive the Mel Greenberg Award, which recognizes media professionals who display a commitment to women’s basketball. Robinson traveled to Paris to cover women’s basketball in the 2024 Olympics alongside Dwayne Wade, who covered Olympics men’s basketball games.

Just Women’s Sports was created by Haley Rosen to boost the availability of women’s sports through news coverage, podcasts and digital content. The startup is funded by investments from Thirty Five Ventures and Drive by Draftkings and has the support of major athletes such as two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne.

On founding the platform, the former professional soccer player told Business Insider she saw an opportunity to make women’s sports easier to access. The startup has grown its audience on Instagram and TikTok, posting funny and relatable newsworthy content about women’s sports at all levels.

Natalia Astrain, former head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team and assistant coach for National Women’s Soccer League Kansas City, has covered historic performances during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand in 2023, according to Hola!.

She joined Telemundo Deportes in 2021 to cover the Olympics, and joined ESPN as a soccer commentator earlier this year. Astrain got her start in Spain, where she coached several semi- and professional teams before coming to the U.S.