Jackie Mac
By Staff Writer
Kevin Covington
Jackie MacMullan is a nationally recognized journalist that works for ESPN.com and is a former columnist and associate editor for The Boston Globe. She was one of the first female journalists in sports and her accomplishments in her career have made her arguably the best.
She was born October 7th, 1960. MacMullan graduated from the University of New Hampshire where she also played basketball for four years, including leading the team in scoring her sophomore year and being named captain of the team as a senior. She graduated from the University “cum laude.”
In 1982, MacMullan began her career with the Boston Globe. She covered many major sporting events including the 1986 World Series, 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, the 1988 Olympic Games and many Final Fours and NBA Finals. From 1995 to 2000 she worked with Sports Illustrated as a senior writer and from 1996 to 1999 she was a regular contributor for CNN and also makes appearances for New England Sports Network, ESPN, and WHDH-TV in Boston.
While Googling “female sports reporters” the first few results that came up were “20 hottest sports reporters,” “World’s hottest female sports reporters” and mentioning Ines Sainz, the reporter that was criticized for using her looks to get her story. What this shows is that female sports reporters are better known for their looks instead of the stories they put out. Jackie MacMullen goes against these stereotypes and is better known for her work.
For example in 1999, she worked with the Boston Celtics legendary hall of famer Larry Bird on his autobiography entitled “Bird Watching: on Playing and Coaching the Game I Love.” In 2003 she published “Magic and Bird: Basketball Odd Couple,” a book about the rivalry Magic Johnson and Larry Bird shared in their playing days playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. In 2006 she wrote “Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection,” a book about the University of Connecticut’s head women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma and player Diana Taurasi. More recently she wrote “When The Game Was Ours,” which is another book that focuses on the rivalry with Bird and Johnson.
Female sports reporters weren’t allowed to enter the locker room until 1978 after a federal court ruling. Almost immediately after the ruling, she entered sports journalism, opening doors for other female reporters. Because of Jackie MacMullan, one of the first, she has created opportunities for others in her field such as Pam Oliver, Erin Andrews, and Hannah Storm. Her covering major sports and being on the ESPN show “Around The Horn” almost daily make her one of not only the biggest female sports journalist, but one of the biggest sports journalists in the United States.
No Comments