Who Let Them In?

Reviews / Votes

Journalist Lannin charts the progress female sports journalists have made over the past 70 years in this brisk and inspiring account. Her profile subjects include Mary Garber, whose coverage of Black high school sports "helped desegregate the sports pages of the [North Carolina] Winston-Salem Journal" in the 1950s and '60s; Lesley Visser, who "became the story" at the 1980 Cotton Bowl, when University of Houston coach Bill Yeoman ordered her out of the locker room in front of TV cameras; and Suzyn Waldman, a former Broadway singer who has been the color analyst and commentator for New York Yankees radio broadcasts since 2005. Stories of discrimination and harassment from male coaches, players, and fans abound-Waldman, for instance, "received used condoms, toilet paper with feces on it, and vile letters, some of which included death threats" from Yankees fans when she first started covering the team-as do episodes of encouragement and support, such as when California Angels manager John McNamara talked newspaper reporter Lisa Nehus Saxon out of quitting. Lannin also delves into the role that ESPN played in providing more opportunities to women and examines how the #MeToo movement has affected sports. With an appealing roster of profile subjects and a trove of insider details, this is a must-read for young women looking to break into the field. * Publishers Weekly * Pioneering sports journalist Mary Garber began her career in the 1940s when women weren't even allowed to sit in the press box. After decades in the male-dominated field, she earned numerous honors, including induction into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2008. This book honors her legacy as well as the careers of women who followed in her footsteps like Lesley Visser, Claire Smith, Robin Roberts, Suzyn Waldman, Doris Burke, and Christine Brennan, journalists who have covered collegiate sports, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the NFL, NHL, and MLB. Lannin, a former Portland Press Herald staff writer, delivers a well-researched, no-holds-barred account of the obstacles and sacrifices these women made to follow their careers, pointing out that while women sports journalists have come a long way, there's still further to climb to achieve gender balance, inclusivity, and diversity, not to mention navigating the changes to traditional news outlets. An important contribution to women's studies and sports history. * Booklist * This descriptive work illustrates the lives of successful women in sports journalism and the struggles they faced.... Recommended. General readers. * Choice Reviews * What makes Who Let Them In? a splendid read is discovering what these pathbreaking women did once they got inside-after pushing past the barriers, physical and emotional, which men put in their way whenever they showed up to write and broadcast sports. -- Melissa Ludtke, award-winning journalist and plaintiff in Ludtke v. Kuhn (1978) I worked with Joanne Lannin at the Portland Press Herald in the 1980s and quickly came to admire her as a dedicated, professional, inquisitive, and thoughtful journalist with a flair for telling stories. All those attributes are on display in her new book. It's an homage to all the women who dreamed big dreams and broke barriers in a world that wasn't as open-minded or welcoming as it should have been. This book is a necessary read for aspiring journalists or anyone with an interest in the history and evolution of the sportswriting profession. -- Jerry Crasnick, sportswriter, baseball executive, and senior advisor to the Major League Baseball Players Association It's all here in Joanne Lannin's terrific book, Who Let Them In?: Pathbreaking Women in Sports Journalism. Read the history of the fearless, authentic, undaunted women who had a passion for sports and the talent to express it. The Boston Globe gave Jackie MacMullan and me a chance to do what we loved more than 40 years ago, about the time we met Joanne Lannin-we're all grateful for each other. -- Lesley Visser, Hall of Fame sportswriter and sportscaster Jo has given readers a wonderful book that is part history, part story-telling, and all perseverance. This book is an extension of Jo's own journey and her extraordinary access brings the reader into the careers, hearts, and minds of some of the most impactful women sports journalists of our time. Women who, Jo accurately says, 'stuck it out and climbed the ladder'. Jo Lannin's due diligence shows in tremendous fashion and the result is a marvelous, impactful book. -- Ann Schatz, veteran sports broadcaster and speaker Chances are you know all about Jackie MacMullan, Lesley Visser and Suzyn Waldman. But now, thanks to Joanne Lannin, we have an opportunity to learn more about Mary Garber, Claire Smith, Karen Guregian and other women sports journalists who refused to accept the press box as a male domain. Lannin's writing is lively, anecdotal and, yes, important. -- Steve Buckley, senior writer, The Athletic