By Donald “Spider” Willis
Thanks to Jayne Kennedy for the new breed of sportscasters who are beautiful, blonde, buxom and a fixture on your television stations around the country. They are equipped with degrees in kinesiology, international affairs, while others
have been beauty pageant participants. Gone are the days of watching the all-American male sportscaster from Kansas with the Grecian formula hair dye that he combs in each night as he gives us his opinion.
Kennedy is one of the pioneers for this new wave of female sportscasters and sport reporters who resemble a centerfold playmate in Playboy. Kennedy got the NFL Today job in 1978 and fit the billing by being beautiful, articulate, and sexy and could go toe-to-toe with the best of them.
Executives and station managers are searching for the next Chris Berman wearing Via Spiga heels while competing with cable channels and social media to attract the 26-54 male viewers. Research departments has informed their executives that the generations of male viewers are looking for a hot body and someone who can talk about the west coast offense, and have a beer.
In the North Texas area, Gina Miller is that type of reporter. A sportscaster at KTVT and TXA21 is expecting her first child in October and is a very good reporter. At 5-foot, 11-inches tall, her height is a tall order of duties from sports anchoring and hosting the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks pre- and post-game shows on TXA 21.
There are others female reporters that have graced sports casts in the DFW including, such former Fox 4 reporter Nita Wiggins and former WFAA reporter Erin Hawksworth, who is now in Seattle.
Pam Oliver, who was born in Dallas, is one of the top reporters in the country as she continues to work for FOX Sports and TNT.
The newest addition to the area is NBC 5 sports reporter Rontina McCann, a talented brunette who worked in Cincinnati and had stops with stations in Birmingham, Ala.; Johnstown, Penn.; and Charleston, W.V. Her delivery is precise, enthusiastic, and you her feel the passion has she reports the topics. She is called an “out-of-the-box” sports anchor that comes from behind the desk so the viewers can see her body, dress code and warmth.
ESPN does a great job with this when it opens its show with Cindy Brunson’s short skirts and sleeveless tops. We hear about women being disrespected as sex objects but when it comes to sports reporting neither female anchors nor the American Civil Liberties Union are not complaining.
“You’ve come a long way, baby” was the slogan in the ’70s for women as they fought for women rights and equality. They are still looked at sex objects in the sports but now it’s accepted because the viewers are now their fans and the stations are making money.
You can listen to Dallas-area resident Donald “Spider” Willis on Sport Talk with Spider each Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. CST on fishbowlradionetwork.com For suggestion and topics call 469-335-6668 or email dwillisdw@yahoo.com.
LOL, Are you critical?