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Home • News

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love

By Yolanda Sangweni · Updated October 27, 2020
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01
Pam Oliver

This veteran reporter on FOX Sports is a fixture on the sidelines of NFL and NBA games. During her recent run-in with “the hair police,” Oliver gave a firm reminder of what’s important when she’s on the field. “You’re out there trying to catch players, get your reports turned around quickly, and I may or may not have time to put on lip gloss or powder my face,” she said.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
Doug Pensinger/ Getty
02
Lisa Salters

This former collegiate women’s basketball player was one of the first to get a comment from disgraced (ahem, racist) Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s wife this weekend. Salters has covered the NBA and NFL for over a decade.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
Al Messerschmidt/ Getty
03
Cheryl Miller

By now Miller is a staple on NBA sidelines. A two-time basketball Hall of Famer, she has covered, and coached, the game for over two decades.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
AP Images
04
Jemele Hill

This Detroit native lives and breathes sports, co-hosting both ESPN2’s Numbers Never Lie and the His & Hers sports podcast.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
Ilya S. Savenok/ Getty
05
Cari Champion

Moderating heated sports debates betwen Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless is no easy task. Champion has to do it every day on their lively daytime ESPN talk show, First Take.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
Gustavo Caballero/ Getty
06
Sage Steele

Steele has risen through the ranks of sports commentating, starting as a sports reporter at a CBS affiliate in Indiana to now co-hosting ESPN’s NBA Countdown. She’s also co-hosted SportCenter, and contributed to ESPN First Take and SportNation.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
John Lamparski/ Getty
07
Josina Anderson

The Emmy winner and former college track and field star covers the NFL and the NBA on ESPN shows like SportCenter and Sunday NFL Countdown.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
John Lamparski/ Getty
08
Kristina Pink

Pink is a sideline reporter for Fox Sports, covering the Los Angeles Clippers.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
Kristina Pink
09
Christy Winters Scott

A former college athlete and WNBA coach, Winters Scott covers the NBA, WNBA and NCAA for a variety of television and radio networks, including ESPN, Fox Sports, Raycom and CBS Radio.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
NBC Sports
10
Keli Fulton

Fulton, a seasoned sports reporter, currently works as an anchor and reporter for Comcast’s SportsNet Central covering the NFL and NBA. And she’s a proud member of #teamnatural!

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
NBC Sports
11
Maria Taylor

A former NCAA athlete (she played volleyball for the University of Georgia), Taylor now serves as an ESPN sideline reporter covering college football, basketball and volleyball.

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
Maria Taylor/ Facebook
12
Kara Lawson

When she’s not playing for the Washington Mystics WNBA team, Lawson is a basketball analyst on ESPN. 

Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
Kara Lawson/ Facebook
13
Taylor Rooks
25-year-old Taylor Rooks may be new to the sportscasting field but the talent is proving that she’s here to stay. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduate is a host, reporter and anchor for SportsNet New York. During the 2016-2017 college football season, she was named the sideline reporter for the CBS Sports Network.
Play By Play: 13 Black Women Sportscasters We Love
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