Fox Sports personalities reveal offensive question all female sport journos asked
Some of the biggest names in Australian sport media have revealed the insulting question they all still have to answer.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Fox League host Yvonne Sampson still gets the question 20 years into her career as a sports reporter.
The star presenter has partnered up with fellow Fox Sports female reporters to make a powerful statement about issues at the centre of the Australian sporting media landscape.
Sampson and Fox League colleagues Lara Pitt and Hanna Hollis have become some of the most popular figures in rugby league with their careers blossoming after years of struggling to break through the infamously blokey culture in some sections of the industry.
However, the trio have now revealed there is still one question that erodes all of the progress they have made as industry trailblazers.
Sampson, Hollis and Pitt have told News Corp’s Insight they are still asked if they even like sport.
Watch every match of every round of the 2023 Toyota NRL Telstra Season LIVE on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
“Often the question when I first started was - and it wasn’t from people that I worked with - it was from people that would see me as games and people that I would come across in my real life, they’d be like, ‘Do you really like sports? Do you really like rugby league?’” Pitt said as part of the special report celebrating International Women’s Day.
“And they’d be a bit shocked and you’re like, ‘Yep’ and laugh it off.
“But I think the people that I’ve always worked with have always respected that if you work hard and you know what you’re doing and you hone your craft and you work hard to build up credibility, you gain respect from your peers, as it would be in any organisation.
“So I think naturally people would ask you that silly question and it can come across as sexist, right? Because they’re like, ‘Do you really like sports? What would you know about rugby league?’
“And you know what? Maybe that comes from the fact that not many girls were playing rugby like when I was growing up. Now that’s obviously changing. So the role of women across the board in rugby league has just gone through the roof.”
Hollis also shared her frustration at the question that won’t go away.
“When I first started I used to get asked ‘Do you really like sport?’ Hollis said.
“And it’s so disappointing because I’d sit there and think, ‘I’m finally living my dream but do people not believe me? How can I change that?”
Sampson has revealed she also dealt with the sexist stereotype throughout her career.
“I’ve been fired a bunch of times and told that I wasn’t suited for sport primarily, and not suited for TV,” rugby league host Yvonne Sampson said.
“And I’ve found myself going back to the drawing board saying, ‘Maybe they’re right, maybe I shouldn’t pursue a career in TV or sport or journalism at all’. And I did leave TV altogether when I was about 25 and went travelling and worked in the thoroughbred industry and thought I’m never going to go back to TV, but I’m so glad that I did.
“So by the time I was about 27, I went straight back into a sports department. And I think the challenges are different. It’s funny, I never saw myself as a female trying to be a sports reporter. I just wanted to be a reporter. I wanted to be a sports reporter.
“I wanted to be able to have access to contacts. I didn’t want to be treated like I didn’t matter, or that my stories were insignificant compared to some of the male journalists.
“And I didn’t want to be scoffed at, at press conferences, you don’t want your questions to be laughed at.
“It’s a huge responsibility when you walk in and you are the only female in the room. But I never felt like I was the only female. It’s only when someone would bring it to my attention or, people say, ‘You know, you do a good job for a woman’.”
She says she faced another career-defining moment after moving to Sydney where she struggled financially and again nearly gave it all away.
“I arrived here with a suitcase and about $80 in my account. And no friends, no family, nowhere to stay.
“But lucky enough, I just got straight to work. In those early days where you are stretching the budget, you might get takeaway one night and make it last two, it’s all those little struggles that make it worth it.
“That could have been a turning point, but it was really difficult to walk away because I would have been professionally unfulfilled. I always would have wondered what if, and I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about that now because I pushed on and what I found on the outside was incredible.”
— You can read the full list of the most influential women in Aussie sport in News Corp’s Power 100 rankings
More Coverage
Originally published as Fox Sports personalities reveal offensive question all female sport journos asked
Intimate Fowler photos tell us everything
Reality has hit for loved up couple Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary with new photos answering recent questions asked about them.
NRL Pre-season Casualty Ward: Panther’s injury prognosis
Tongan international Paul Alamoti has received positive news after sending a huge scare through the Panthers camp when forced from the field in Sunday’s Pacific Championship final.