FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Philadelphia – When the Claire Smith Center for Sports Media was established in 2021 at Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, it had a particular focus on breaking down barriers of gender and race in sports media. On Friday, October 18, the center will hold its first-ever Claire Smith Women in Sports Media Symposium at Temple, featuring both the pioneers who – like Claire Smith herself – blazed the trail for women and the women who are thriving in the field today. 

The day-long symposium will take place at Mitten Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is required. 

Smith, a 1979 Klein College alum, is the first woman recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame for her work as a sportswriter. In 1984, while working for the Hartford Courant, Smith was kicked out of a major league locker room for being a woman. A particular focus of this symposium will be: 40 years after that shameful day, what has changed and what has not for women in the field?

Smith is now the center's founding executive director and a Klein College faculty member. She noted that the symposium will bring together industry leaders, scholars and aspiring professionals to engage in dynamic discussions, share insights and honor trailblazers who have made significant contributions to the field.

 “I’m proud of the caliber of speakers and panel presentations that will be featured at this inaugural symposium,” Smith said. “Although we’ve come a long way, we still have far to go in achieving equity and gender parity in the sports media field.” 

The symposium’s opening session, “Breaking Through the Barriers,” will feature a viewing of a segment of an ESPN documentary on the women pioneers of sports journalism, entitled Let Them Wear Towels. The segment will be followed by a discussion moderated by Marsha Cooke ’87, vice president and executive producer for ESPN Films, with Smith and groundbreaking journalist Melissa Ludtke. 

The next session will be a panel discussion entitled “What’s Changed and What Hasn’t?” featuring young female sports journalists. Moderated by Smith, the panel will feature Alexa Ross ’18 of CBS4 Indianapolis, alongside Bella DiAmore ’21 and Gina Mizell from The Philadelphia Inquirer.  

An awards luncheon will spotlight three honorees:

• Shakeia Taylor, deputy senior content editor at the Chicago Tribune, will receive the Claire Smith Bright Light Award, sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), for her groundbreaking contributions to baseball journalism.

• Doris Burke, a commentator for ESPN and ABC and the first woman to call a championship final game for the National Basketball Association (NBA), will receive the inaugural Claire Smith Trailblazer Award.

• Steve Garvey, former Major League Baseball star, will receive the Claire Smith Allyship Award, sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Garvey’s support of Smith during a pivotal moment in her career exemplified the power of allyship in advancing inclusion. 

Following lunch, Smith will interview Burke, Temple women’s basketball coach Diane Richardson and public relations executive and gender-equity advocate Pam Derderian ’82 about the progress of women in the field. 

Next will be a session on the role of men as allies in this pursuit, with Smith interviewing Garvey and then a discussion featuring Inquirer Managing Sports Editor Michael Huang, NBC Sports Senior Vice President Jon Slobotkin and journalist Lisa Nehus Saxon. 

The symposium will conclude with a student conversation with the professional participants. TUTV—Temple University Television and the Kal and Lucille Rudman Media Production Center will sponsor the conversation. Additional sponsors of the symposium currently include the Philadelphia Phillies and "15 Minutes" Inc. co-founders Derderian and Nancy Becker ’82.

About the Claire Smith Center for Sports Media

The Claire Smith Center for Sports Media at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication is a world-class academic center focused on teaching, training and research in the areas of sports journalism, advertising, public relations and production.

Contact:

Lisa Simon

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Media Relations

Klein College of Media and Communication