I remember the moment I fell in love with sports.
One day, I was playing hide and seek with my younger sister, but instead of actually trying to hide from her, I chose a spot in plain sight — behind a chair with a direct view of the TV. I didn’t care if my sister found me; I just wanted to watch the NFL on a Sunday afternoon with my parents.
I’m not sure when exactly that moment was. I’m guessing I was around 7 years old, but that's when sports became a fundamental part of my life.
I first knew I wanted to pursue a career in sports media in middle school, and it’s stuck with me throughout high school and now through two years of college.
In middle and high school, I knew women in sports faced backlash. People think women aren’t qualified to talk about sports because it's a male-dominated space, and I knew that. I saw it online all the time and even received the classic "Name five players” challenges from peers.
At times, I internalized those negative comments. I questioned my place in sports media, whether my work ethic would be enough, whether I would ever be good enough to make way in a male-dominated field.
But then I looked at the women who worked in sports before me — Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson, Mina Kimes. Those women were — and still are — my role models. They’re the epitome of hard work and what that dedication can bring.
Last week, an AI video of ESPN reporter Holly Rowe getting slapped by University of Texas at Austin head football coach Steve Sarkisian circulated social media. The clip came after Sarkisian walked away from Rowe in a postgame interview after Texas defeated Ohio State.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning referenced the video in a press conference two days after the win. The junior laughed about the artificial clip, and so did the reporters in the room. Inside Texas reporter Evan Vieth posted the clip on his X account, labeling Manning’s answer as “gold.” And, as one would imagine, the clip went viral.
Vieth later apologized for posting the video, but he never took it down. His post garnered over 36.4 million views, 2,000 comments, 3,900 reposts and 21,000 likes as of Sunday. Manning apologized, too, and Rowe responded with grace.
I think there are three main issues with the reaction to the situation. The first is surface level, a room full of people laughing at the concept of a man physically assaulting a woman. That, in itself, is wrong. But two other issues arose in the aftermath of the artificial video.
Some people defended Rowe, demanding respect for a trailblazer, Stage IV cancer survivor, mother and daughter who recently lost her mom.
Others, well, let’s just say they weren’t so kind, which is where the two other problems lie.
Some people saw the situation as an opportunity to bash Rowe personally, mostly about her talent and her physical appearance. Others used it as a chance to say women shouldn’t be allowed in sports. Real harm can come from this situation, especially to young girls who want to work in sports.
Women belong in sports. Women belong in sports media. And it’s important for them to be there.
Women provide a different perspective in a male-dominated field. They see things that might otherwise go unnoticed. Sports aren’t exclusive to men and that equality should be reflected in the personalities we see on social media, hear on TV or read in the newspaper.
Some of my favorite sports reporting has been told by women. Rowe has consistently given women’s sports the attention they deserve. When Mina Kimes worked for ESPN The Magazine in 2016, she wrote a beautiful long-form story about former Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller that helped me fall in love with journalism.
But when women see the harmful comments online, it can deter them. They see people saying they don’t belong in sports media, and once they become successful in the industry, people bash them for not being talented enough or because they don’t find them physically attractive.
I know there was a time when I would have taken the comments about Rowe personally. I would have seen my role model degraded online and questioned my own worth. And because I’ve been through it, I know there is someone else who is.
Sports have been my safe space for years. I’ve made so many friends through that shared love, both in person and online. I’ve laughed, cried, yelled and argued. I have always heard negative comments about whether I belong in that space, but it’s still been my haven. And if that community were ever taken away from me, I would feel hopeless. If I wasn’t able to pursue my passion, I would feel hopeless.
Sometimes I still feel hopeless. Not for myself, nor for other women in the industry or who want to be.
I feel hopeless that there will never be a time when women are fully accepted in the sports world. That there won’t be a time when people choose to look at my hard work and dedication over my outward appearance. That no matter how hard I try, there will always be someone thinking I don’t deserve what I have earned because of my gender.
The question about whether women belong in sports has been around for a while, and I’m almost certain those discussions will continue. That shouldn’t be the case, but it is. Holly Rowe was just the latest example.
And while there is widespread negativity, I think the best thing the situation offers us is a place to reflect, to really think about why women deserve to be in sports. If not because of equality, then because of hard work.
The negative comments don’t hurt me anymore, but I know they might hurt someone else. I’ve grappled with the reality that there will always be someone out there who doubts me because I’m a woman. It’s just my choice whether I let their words have power in my life. They don’t.
I know the only thing I can do is keep going and keep working to be the best I can be. Because I know success is the sweetest revenge.
Savannah Slone covers Indiana volleyball and women’s basketball for the Indiana Daily Student. You can follow her at @savrivers06 and contact her via email at srslone@iu.edu
