“I Have to Work So Hard to Make Sure I'm Likeable While Getting the Job Done”: Examining the Politically Astute Negotiation of a Gendered Career by High-Profile Female Sport Broadcasters

Despite a rise in established, high-profile female sport broadcasters, enduring and significant challenges remain for women pursuing sport broadcasting careers. Climbing the career ladder to high-status positions requires more than just confidence and technical expertise; it necessitates strategic social skills that help female broadcasters navigate male-dominated networks, deal with discrimination, generate good impressions, and position themselves to capitalize on opportunities. This study's phronetic iterative analysis of in-depth interviews with six elite female sport broadcasters, from some of the most prestigious and wide-reaching global sports media organizations, produced novel insights into the politically astute skills that were integral to their career success and longevity. In the face of changing gendered complexities, their strategies included diligent preparation, careful cultivation and maintenance of productive relationships, and judicious decisions about how and when to engage in resistance. With implications for professional preparation and development schemes, the findings break new ground by highlighting the sophisticated relational acuity involved in productively negotiating a power-ridden, highly competitive, and frequently discriminatory (though changing) industry culture.