25 years and still going, even if...

I've had ups and downs during my sports broadcasting career. There have been a bunch of "not so nice" guys and a handful of awesome and supportive guys. Not many women have crossed my path over that time in sports radio and TV. The few with whom I have worked have stayed in touch; often we've become friends. Some of the closest allies in my work and in my life have come from this business. But, I would be lying if I said it was ever easy. I'd be lying if I said I would automatically recommend this career to any young females. Certainly things have changed since the late 1980s when I began... but how much? I don't know. From my perspective, you've got to be ready to hear horrible things, be in uncomfortable surroundings, and feel left out of the clique or group or club. Still, if this is what you really want to do with your life, then you've got to go for it and go big. Know more than anyone in the room. Be more prepared than anyone else around. Stay professional no matter how hard it gets. And, always dress conservatively. You'll want to stand up for yourself and protect your integrity, but there will be times when your patience is tested, when your credibility is questioned and when you just want to haul up and punch a boy in the face. But... but... but...if you can get by without losing your cool under pressure, you CAN do this. I 'm proof of that. I've been at it for 25 years. It all began in Syracuse, NY at a student-run sports department inside an NPR station on the campus of Syracuse University. And my days there were some of the worst I experienced. Why is this coming up? Why do I mention this now? Because recently one of my male colleagues made a mistake...a big one. I didn't hear it; I haven't listened to it. Who am I to judge? I know one thing. He's not the only one to say something controversial or offensive. But, if we find the lesson in the mistake, the blessing in the experience and something good to come out of it, we've grown. I don't agree with what he said, but my feelings aren't hurt. I learned about that long ago.