Shira
Springer:
She is the Celtics beat writer, she also writes articles for The Sporting News
website on the Celtics. The diminutive Springer is a prolific writer, and from
accounts at the Shaw's Summer League, a tenacious reporter who doesn't let possible
competitors butt in on her private interviews. Her reporting and writing skills
have improved since her early days on the job and she looks to have a long career
ahead.
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? Nine years in December.
What was your first job after college, and did you have a lot of help along
the way?
My first job after college was at the Globe as a general assignment
reporter in the Sports department. I met the Sports editor as a freshman in
college and kept in touch with him until I graduated. He looked at my clips
after I graduated and gave me a job.
Did you always want to be a sportswriter, if so what prompted your interest? I have been an athlete all my life-gymnastics, soccer, running, tennis, skiing, ice skating, etc., so it was a natural fit.
What struggles have you faced being a gender minority in your workplace? How have you dealt with those issues? I think the issues I deal with are not much different from those of other sportswriters. We all have good days and bad days, days when the story is easy to report and days when it's not for various reasons. The key is to always conduct yourself professionally and with respect for those you are covering.
Did your family play a big role in your career aspirations? Yes, when it came to my sister and I, my parents were very committed to raising strong, independent young women. They encouraged my sister and I to follow our own interests, and they enrolled us in educational and athletic programs where we were encouraged to compete against the boys.
How do you feel about the amount of media attention given to men as opposed to women? I think it's only natural given the fact that there are more men playing professional sports than women. While women may play a fundamentally more appealing game when it comes to sports like basketball and soccer, it is hard to interest fans in competition that is slower-paced with less high-flying acrobatics or drama. For better or worse, fans will gravitate toward female athletes in individual sports.
Are your hours typical everyday or do they change dramatically? One of the best things about the job is that every day is different. Sometimes you wake up and head to the office and you end up covering a story in Orlando that afternoon. (That really happened). Some days are long and filled with travel, others are just spent making phone calls from my home office.
Is there constant pressure to be perfect because there are few female sports reporters? I don't think there is constant pressure because I'm female, but because I want to have a good reputation in my business, I always make sure that I report and quote people accurately. You want to do your best regardless of gender.
What were some of your early struggles when trying to make it in the sports reporting world? I think there is always an adjustment period because you do so much of the job on your own, so you have a lot to figure out as far as travel and logistics and what schedule works best for you in your first couple years on the job.
Why is it so hard for women's sports to succeed? I think it will just take time. Women in their late 20's and 30's are the first generation to grow up with strong sports backgrounds, Title IX and all. The more women participate in athletics, the more fans of both genders will become accustomed to watching them and the more popular women's sports will be. But women's sports will never exceed the popularity of men's sports, not least of which because men can simply do things women cannot.
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? I don't know if I've had a defining moment. But being asked to cover a professional beat for a major daily paper is a big step. Also, I've won a number of awards for different stories from editors around the country. So, that kind of recognition is always nice.
The Women USA soccer wins the world cup, then a Female MLS league begins and tanks within 5 years, Why did this happen? The country embraced the Women's soccer then they won so why does a league not work? Part of the reason the WUSA (I believe that was the name of the female version of the MLS) failed was because there were not enough elite female players to sustain interest and the quality of the product was weak. During the course of the World Cup, I think fans became impressed with the caliber of play and drawn to some of the personalities on the different teams. But in the WUSA, the quality of play wasn't as high and fans quickly forgot all but a few of the top personalities. I don't know what women's sports need to succeed, especially in a sports landscape that is becoming more and more crowded.
How long have you been working at The Boston Globe? Nine years in December.
What was your first job after college, and did you have a lot of help along
the way?
My first job after college was at the Globe as a general assignment
reporter in the Sports department. I met the Sports editor as a freshman in
college and kept in touch with him until I graduated. He looked at my clips
after I graduated and gave me a job.
Did you always want to be a sportswriter, if so what prompted your interest? I have been an athlete all my life-gymnastics, soccer, running, tennis, skiing, ice skating, etc., so it was a natural fit.
What struggles have you faced being a gender minority in your workplace? How have you dealt with those issues? I think the issues I deal with are not much different from those of other sportswriters. We all have good days and bad days, days when the story is easy to report and days when it's not for various reasons. The key is to always conduct yourself professionally and with respect for those you are covering.
Did your family play a big role in your career aspirations? Yes, when it came to my sister and I, my parents were very committed to raising strong, independent young women. They encouraged my sister and I to follow our own interests, and they enrolled us in educational and athletic programs where we were encouraged to compete against the boys.
How do you feel about the amount of media attention given to men as opposed to women? I think it's only natural given the fact that there are more men playing professional sports than women. While women may play a fundamentally more appealing game when it comes to sports like basketball and soccer, it is hard to interest fans in competition that is slower-paced with less high-flying acrobatics or drama. For better or worse, fans will gravitate toward female athletes in individual sports.
Are your hours typical everyday or do they change dramatically? One of the best things about the job is that every day is different. Sometimes you wake up and head to the office and you end up covering a story in Orlando that afternoon. (That really happened). Some days are long and filled with travel, others are just spent making phone calls from my home office.
Is there constant pressure to be perfect because there are few female sports reporters? I don't think there is constant pressure because I'm female, but because I want to have a good reputation in my business, I always make sure that I report and quote people accurately. You want to do your best regardless of gender.
What were some of your early struggles when trying to make it in the sports reporting world? I think there is always an adjustment period because you do so much of the job on your own, so you have a lot to figure out as far as travel and logistics and what schedule works best for you in your first couple years on the job.
Why is it so hard for women's sports to succeed? I think it will just take time. Women in their late 20's and 30's are the first generation to grow up with strong sports backgrounds, Title IX and all. The more women participate in athletics, the more fans of both genders will become accustomed to watching them and the more popular women's sports will be. But women's sports will never exceed the popularity of men's sports, not least of which because men can simply do things women cannot.
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? I don't know if I've had a defining moment. But being asked to cover a professional beat for a major daily paper is a big step. Also, I've won a number of awards for different stories from editors around the country. So, that kind of recognition is always nice.
The Women USA soccer wins the world cup, then a Female MLS league begins and tanks within 5 years, Why did this happen? The country embraced the Women's soccer then they won so why does a league not work? Part of the reason the WUSA (I believe that was the name of the female version of the MLS) failed was because there were not enough elite female players to sustain interest and the quality of the product was weak. During the course of the World Cup, I think fans became impressed with the caliber of play and drawn to some of the personalities on the different teams. But in the WUSA, the quality of play wasn't as high and fans quickly forgot all but a few of the top personalities. I don't know what women's sports need to succeed, especially in a sports landscape that is becoming more and more crowded.