A Journalist Strives for More Women in Sports Media

From an early age, Grace Chirumanzu dreamed of becoming a star sports reporter. Quite a dream for a young girl living in a country where no female sports reporters existed. According to Grace, sports journalism is a field that many women avoid. In the newsrooms, women are either harassed or dismissed, which “discourages many women from trying.”

Currently, Grace is one of only four female sports reporters/journalists in the country. Through her blog and newspaper outlets, she continues to push for an increase in the quantity and quality of sports coverage for women and girls. “Women deserve to have their voices heard. I want to be the voice for the voiceless. I want to become the first female sports editor in Zimbabwe.”

As a reporter, Grace prides herself in uplifting female athletes, even when they have poor performances. “It is not my job to destroy someone’s personality, but to be constructively critical and to build them up.” The media has to highlight and inspire other women to take up sport and that won’t happen through condescending commentaries.
Grace encourages other female reporters to “look past the laptop on which they are typing to the lives and the people that are going to receive it.”

Grace wants to become the first female sports editor in Zimbabwe and we know just the person to help her achieve this dream. With a media production and editorial background, Senior Coordinating Producer of ESPN Tina Thornton is a perfect fit for coaching Grace to the top. Tina has extensive experience in production, but also in sales and revenue generation. If Grace is to become the editor of her own newspaper, we believe exposure to all levels of business will be critical to her success.