Читать книгу Playing Ball with the Boys - Betsy Ross - Страница 6

I didn’t realize it at the time, but it seems as if I’ve always had this book in me.

As I started the research into the women who have made a difference in sports, I found that I already had a lot of the material in my files: Clippings of the New York Times article on Gayle Sierens; columns from USA Today’s Christine Brennan; research articles on why more women weren’t involved more in such-and-such aspect of athletics. There are many people to thank who helped me get this book out of my files, out of my head, and onto paper.

The inherent fear, of course, is that you won’t name everyone who has played a part in this project, like the Oscar-winning actress who forgets to name her spouse. So if your name isn’t here, please don’t think of it as an oversight, or a slight of any kind. I just have had so many people who have helped me develop this book and this research, that it may be nearly impossible to list everyone who has touched my life.

First, of course, are the many women who have gone before us in the field of sports and made a difference. I’ve had the opportunity to interview a number in this book, but there are many more, be they famous or anonymous, who have worked to make it better for the next generation. Those with whom I had the privilege to talk were gracious to give their time and were eager to tell their stories, and I thank them.

Knowing to whom you want to talk is one thing; actually finding them is another. That’s where these people come in: Jeremy Martin in the University of Cincinnati sports communications office; Mollie Busam from Impact Basketball Academy; Dana Rieger, director of basketball operations for the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team; Michael Anderson from the Cincinnati Reds; Don North, WFLA, Tampa; Rebecca Cox, Nationwide Racing; the Association for Women in Sports Media for its research and member networking; Robin Gehl, Kevin Reynolds, and the staff at WVXU-FM for letting me conduct many of these interviews for my “Front Row” radio interview segment; Vicki Blackwell Morrison for your encouragement and your contacts; Joe Jareck from the Los Angeles Dodgers; Bill Tavares, media relations manager for the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun; and Bill Keating. Your help made these amazing interviews possible, and I thank you for your information and your contacts.

Those who encouraged my pursuit of a profession in sports also deserve a nod, including the sports staff at the South Bend Tribune who gave me my first sports break and let me cover high school sports while I was working on my master’s degree; Phil Lengyel, my first news director at WSJV-TV, who let me fill in for the sports anchor and fueled my dreams of doing it full time; Darrel Burnett, my colleague at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, who got a job as a sports anchor at Sports Channel America and suggested I do the same (which I did); the staff at NBC NewsChannel, who gave me the amazing assignment to cover the Olympic trials and 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; Al Jaffe, who gave me the opportunity of a lifetime at ESPN, and Pat Casey (and later Steve Ackermann), the news directors at WXIX-TV in Cincinnati, who continue to keep me involved in sports. Each of you has played a role in helping me pursue my passion.

Next, thanks to my unofficial posse of “editors,” including Jackie Reau, Suzanne Vanderhoef, and Dr. Linda Schoenstedt. Anyone who works on a project knows you can get a little too close and a little too possessive, and they were able to give me perspective. Their writing and editing skills went a long way in the construction of this book.

Thanks as well to the real editor of the book, Jack Heffron at Clerisy Press. He was the one who looked at my idea and envisioned its possibilities. I saw a small business book, but Jack saw a book that could have a much wider reach. He helped me broaden my expectations of what I could do and those I could reach with it. I appreciate his vision and his guidance in making this possible.

And while my mother encouraged my love of sports, my teachers encouraged my passion for writing. Mrs. Crawford and Miss Brantley at Connersville High School taught me to write to my own style and spell correctly (most of the time), and Mrs. Lee gave me my first opportunity to see my name and columns in print in the high school newspaper, the Clarion. I’ll never forget the thrill of seeing my first byline.

None of this could have been possible without all of you and your support. I thank you, and the young women and girls who I hope will be inspired by this book. Thank you.