Fox Sports biggest names reveal the sexism and hurdles they endured to succeed in sports media

They’re the faces you see on sports television every day, but do you know the hurdles they were forced to jump? Inside the stories of these fiercely driven women leading the way at Fox Sports.

Lara Pitt, Isa Guha, Megan Barnard, Yvonne Sampson, Hannah Hollis, Jessica Yates, Cath Cox. Photo: Brett Costello photography

From being fired, to having their passion questioned, juggling babies and careers, and transitioning from professional sport to calling it, some of our leading female sports commentators have been through it all.

The stellar line-up of Fox Sports presenters have endured differing journeys to get to the top, but some common threads remain disappointingly familiar for women in male-dominated circles.

“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.

Lara Pitt, Isa Guha, Megan Barnard, Yvonne Sampson, Hannah Hollis, Jessica Yates, Cath Cox.

“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’.

“When I lost my job in Queensland, I easily could have given up the industry then, but instead I sent my resumé out and got on the phone and ended up landing a job in Sydney.

“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.”

DO YOU EVEN LIKE SPORT?

Fellow league presenter Hannah Hollis also had a fight-or-flight moment.

“I applied for a job and I missed out and I remember crying in my bedroom thinking that was it, the dream was over, I can kiss it goodbye,” Hollis said. “But I spoke to my folks and they helped me see the bigger picture.

“I look back on it now as such a seminal moment in my professional journey, because that could have been a time where I just went, ‘You know what? I’m not really seeing anyone that looks like me or sounds like me doing this job, now someone else has got the job. Maybe I’m dreaming too big.

Hannah Hollis almost gave up on the industry

“A friend once told me ‘feel the emotion, process the facts, move on’ which is what I did and it motivated me to be better, work harder so I don’t lose out to someone else again.

“My family in particular was critical in creating that clarity for me and being able to see a pathway forward.

“I realised ‘the dream’ doesn’t have to be right now, opportunity can present itself in a year, five or ten years from now but we’ll get there.”

But still, there is a question that is often asked of Sampson, Hollis and fellow NRL reporter Lara Pitt.

“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?”

Pitt relates.

“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.

“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.”

BEING A MUM AND A SUCCESS

Motorsport expert Jess Yates revealed her greatest pressures have come since having two children.

“What’s been really challenging for me as I progressed through my career is finding that work life balance, especially as a working mum,” Yates said.

“You question yourself all the time. We spend a lot of time on the road away, we work weird hours, we work a lot of weekends.

“And so I’ve really had to ask myself, ‘Is this worth it? Can I manage, being a mum of two with my family and my work?’

“But at the end of the day, I love what I do. I’m really passionate about it and I’ve never ever considered walking away from it at all. As challenging as that might be, sometimes when you find yourself in a difficult situation, whether it’s with someone you’re interviewing or with anyone that you work with, when you really passionate about what you do, you always find a way to overcome those challenges.

“I can honestly say every time I stand in front of the grid or, the lights come on and the cameras are on in the studio, I’m doing exactly what I want to do. I just absolutely love it.

“I really want to be a mum and have a family. But I also really want to be a sports broadcaster and work in this job. So I’ve had to navigate my way through that. And it’s not easy.

Jess Yates, Lara Pitt and Hannah Holli

“And every day you say, ‘Oh my gosh, how am I going to manage this?’ Especially when I have to be away from my kids over the weekends or I’ve got to travel overseas or interstate. I couldn’t do that without the support of my family, particularly my mom and dad and my husband.

“So I think it’s all about just being really honest with yourself that some days the cup will be full and some days the cup will feel a little empty. But if you want something badly enough, you always find a way.”

When Yates began reporting on V8s and Supercars, she cut a lone path.

“One of the early experiences that I had in my career was as an on the road reporter and turning up to press conferences and being the only woman there, so any of the PR people that worked for whatever sports club, all the athletes, every other person, cameramen, journos, soundies (sound technicians), were all men,” Yates said.

“And I was acutely aware of being the odd one out. And I can recall someone calling me out, ‘Oh, Jess, you’re the only girl here, you can be the first invited to the barbecue’.

“I remember thinking that didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t want to be kind of singled out because of my gender, because I was as credentialed as anybody else to be there.

“And so what’s been really wonderful as my career has progressed is that I’m not the only woman at any of those things anymore. In fact, when I look around the room, there are just as many women as there are men. And I don’t think my gender is the first thing that people notice about me anymore.”

TRANSITION FROM ATHLETE TO TV

Former Australian netball star Cath Cox went from being the athlete in focus, to covering the careers of those who have come after.

“I think you need to find the people that are involved in TV, and ask questions,” Cox said.

“That’s the one thing I think I was a little shy to do at the start because I didn’t want to be in this new environment and sounding like the dummy. So I just tried to fluff my way through it.

“But it’s so important to ask questions, to understand what you’re doing, to understand why you’re doing it, but also say yes to opportunities.

“It’s not something I ever thought I’d be doing, and I’m so lucky, it is the best job in the world. I’m still involved in the sport I love, get to travel, still get to see all my friends and cover this great sport.

“But if I hadn’t said yes to some of those opportunities along the way, I wouldn’t have been here.

“I love the fact that I’ve got a six-year-old daughter and she doesn’t know what a boy sport is. There’s no such thing as a boy sport anymore; girls play cricket, they play AFL, they play soccer or football.

“So it’s great to be in an environment at a time like that, it’s really positive for the future in terms of where women’s sport is heading and certainly being part of the broadcast and where that is going as well.”

With the profile of being a television presenter comes public attention and scrutiny, as league, cricket and combat sports presenter Megan Barnard has discovered.

“Whether I think of myself like this or not, I suppose I’m a role model and people look at what you do and what you’re about. It’s about setting a good example for other people,” Barnard said.

“I think there’s definitely more of an interest in your life, isn’t there? When your profile becomes bigger, people want to know more about you.

“And social media plays a part in that, too. People want to see what you’re doing and what you’re about. And it’s up to you whether you give people that sort of access.

“But definitely there’s more of an interest in who you are. And in some ways it’s good because you can set an example and be a good role model for other people.”

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Originally published as Fox Sports biggest names reveal the sexism and hurdles they endured to succeed in sports media