Nancy Marrapese-Burnell
She is the Bruins and NHL writer. Another nationally acclaimed Hockey writer, she also writes extensively for ESPN.com and appears on NESN to talk about the Bruins.

The topic of Media and the amount of women sports coverage landed us in a spot to interview a female sports reporter and see if her outlook on female sports was the same as ours. We used this information to get a better feel for if reporters really take into account the amount of female coverage being displayed by themselves as well as other media sourses. Below is our e-mail interview and her reponses following the questions.


How long have you been working at The Boston Globe? After 20 months at the Journal, the Boston Globe came calling. When the sports editor called me to ask me to come in for an interview, I thought it was one of my friends playing a sick joke. When he told me who he was, I said, ``Yeah, right,'' and he said, ``No, it really is,'' and I said, ``Sure,'' and he said, ``No, really.'' It was then that I realized it was true. I interviewed a few days later and got the job. I began work there in March of 1987 and have been there ever since. I started covering the Bruins in March of 1990 and have been assigned to them for now over 16 years.

What was your first job after college, and did you have a lot of help along the way? My first job out of college was freelancing for the Concord Monitor as well as the Franklin (N.H.) Journal Transcript, which was my hometown paper. After a few months of that, I was hired as the sports editor of the Gloucester (Mass.) Daily Times. I stayed there for 18 months and then was hired by the Providence (R.I.) Journal. I learned the art of copyediting and that helped me see the other side of writing. Learning how to edit, inevitably, made me a better writer. In reading other people's work, you realize the flaws in your own and you're more apt to correct them.

When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer? I started writing early on as a kid. I wrote poetry and music and had a lot of pen pals from summer camps I'd attended. That helped me hone my craft at a time I had no idea I was even doing it. As for being into journalism, I loved to read. We lived on a lake out in the suburbs in New Hampshire, quite a few miles from my friends from school so I had to learn how to amuse myself. Our next-door neighbors had a library in their basement and I would spend hours reading there. It was like having your own private space. Reading definitely helped me develop my vocabulary and helped me become a better writer because I had much more to draw from. I finally came to the conclusion I wanted to write when I took a journalism class in my first year at UNH after transferring from Northeastern. It was a news writing class with Don Murray, who was the Globe's writing coach at the time. He still writes a weekly column for the paper entitled ``Then and now.'' He was a wonderful inspiration. He encouraged his students to push past their boundaries and to take chances.

Have you always wanted to be a journalist? If not, what other occupations did you want to pursue? I went from wanting to do something in law enforcement (which is what my senior yearbook in high school said), to becoming a lawyer, to wanting to work in TV to finally ending up in print journalism. I do some TV but ultimately, it was far too insecure a profession for me to really pursue. I realize in the last 10 or so years, print journalism doesn't have the same security it did when I first started but it's still not bad compared to some professions.

Who would you cite as your biggest role model growing up? As for mentors, Don Murray continued to be that for me for the early part of my career. I would send him ideas or run some thoughts by him and he was an invaluable influence in the sense he was always honest with me. I remember during his class, a young male student was asking him about career choices and Murray said, ``Don't ask me what to do with your life. That's not my job. That's yours.'' He didn't say it to be unkind at all. It was something the kid needed to hear. It was something we all needed to hear, that we all need to take responsibility for our own choices and our own decisions. That's how you become independent and responsible. of the best pieces of advice he ever gave me was not to edit yourself as you're writing. He said there's plenty of time for that after the process. I still believe in that today.

What struggles have you faced being a gender minority in your workplace? How have you dealt with those issues? You're always going to run into obstacles in your life, whether they be personal or professional. That's just the way it is. What matters is how you cope with them. I've been pretty fortunate in that none of mine have been remotely catastrophic. I've never been fired, although some people say that their being fired was the best thing that could've happened to them, I like my job a great deal and I've met some amazing people along the way.

Are your hours typical everyday or do they change dramatically? One of the best aspects of the profession is that no two days are the same. I could never work in a 9-5 job. It's too rigid and confining. But with the freedom of a job that allows you to be a self-starter, you also have to be motivated. You have to make sure you do the work you're supposed to do. The downside of that is that you're on call a lot. If something happens, you have to respond to it and make yourself available. Obviously, if you're away on vacation and can't be reached, that's a different story but during the hockey season, I have the responsibility to cover the beat. Traveling nowadays in a mixed bag. Since 9/11, it's become more complicated but to me, that just means you have to be better prepared. Over time, you learn to pack, you learn what you really need and what you don't and you are able to fit everything into one suitcase. You learn to take care of yourself because you're traveling alone. Even though the team is on the trip, too, and in the same city, you're on your own. They do their thing and you do yours. If you're unable to spend a great deal of time by yourself, you'll have trouble in the profession because not only is writing a solitary exercise but traveling on your own can be lonely if you're not used to it or can't be alone. I've been astounded over the years by the number of people who have told me they could never do my job because they can't stand to be alone. I'm the opposite. I'm completely content on my own. In some ways, it forces you to reach out and maybe have a conversation with a stranger that you wouldn't have if you were traveling with a companion.

Do you think there is a bias towards men in the world of sports media? If so what steps do you take to avoid that bias? As for bias, I think those days are pretty much over. Newspapers and TV stations have tried hard to bring diversity into the workplace, this includes hiring more women and minorities. The women who came before me faced far more obstacles and adversity than I have in my career. I've been asked many times how it feels to be a female sportswriter. I've never been a male sportswriter so it's impossible to compare but I feel fortunate that I've been treated well, not all the time which is going to happen but for the most part, I have no complaints.

Do you think women’s sports will ever be popular? With regard to women's sports vs. men's, I don't think they'll ever be equal. I think women's sports have made great strides and that's tremendous but men's sports - particularly football and baseball - have such a stranglehold on the nation's consciousness. It's passed down from generation to generation and that's hard momentum to turn back. But I think as more women are athletes and have children, they pass down their own interests in sports and that will certainly help. I can't really speak to why the leagues haven't been successful. I guess you'd have to ask someone from those leagues. I don't know what their business plan was. Is it possible they were too ambitious too quickly? Should they have started smaller? I honestly don't know the answer.

Have any male players ever made comments that made you want to change your career? I've had very few problems with players. It's your obligation to remain professional at all times. There are players I've had better relationships with than others, that's just normal, but for the most part, I've been very fortunate. If you write something negative about someone, it's your obligation to show up the next day and face the music. That's part of being a professional. My standard line, which I've used very sparingly, is when or if a player says something fresh, I say, ``I've been here long before you and I'll be here long after you.''

Do you think it’s good for women sports that athletes like Michelle Wie and Danika Patrick are challenging men? I'm constantly baffled by those who root against Danica Patrick and Michelle Wie. I think they're both terrific young women with very bright futures. I root for them in everything they do, although I'm not much of a car racing fan. They should compete in whatever they want. They've shown they're both very capable. I don't really understand the mentality of rooting for someone to fail.

Was there a defining moment in your reporting career when you knew you were safe and had made it? I.e. major story coverage or a great article? Insecurity is a part of any reporter's job. It's somewhat of a motivating factor. You never really feel safe because you're only as good as your last story. You're never really done. I think every day is a defining moment. I guess getting the beat writer's job covering the Bruins was a pretty major deal. But you don't ever take anything for granted.

Were you an athlete growing up? If so, what sports did you play and how has that influenced your writing? I was also an athlete. I was a three-sport athlete in high school. I played field hockey, basketball and softball. I also was a member of the gymnastics team (which was a club sport).