Christine Brennan

CHRISTINE BRENNAN is a famous figure in the sports world because of her best selling books, her career as sportswriters, her TV and radio appearances on sports show and her genuine interest in sport related issues. Working with Washington Post and USA Today, Brennan has been relentlessly following and covering sports events all over the world, which is, she is often considered a trusted name in sports journalism.

However lately she has been charged with biased reporting and her books have come under attacks for exposing the dark inner world of figure skating. Brennan is an award-winning writer. Having earned her undergraduate and Master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University in 1980, she joined Miami Herald as their first ever woman sports writer. She worked with the Herald for four years from 1981-1984 during which she covered various sports events but it was not until she joined Washington Post that Brennan became a famous figure in the sports world.

She has won the prestigious Capital Press Women's "Woman of Achievement" award four times and also wrote some best selling books including 1998 book Edge of Glory: The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating's Olympic Gold Medals that won her the Ohioana Library Association Book Award. She has also been honored a place into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame. She has also written another bestseller, which touches upon some controversial issues and is titled 'Inside Edge: A Revealing Journey into the Secret World of Figure Skating'.

Brennan has also worked for the promotion of sports and has been relentlessly trying to bring in more women into the sports arena: In 1988, Brennan was elected the first president of the Association for Women in Sports Media. As president of the nationwide organization, she initiated a scholarship-internship program for college-age women that now honors six students annually." (1) fairly long career with Washington Post won her many accolades and also increased her presence on national TV networks.

She was a regular contributor to ABC News when the channel was covering Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 1996 and 1998 respectively. As an analyst, she appeared on ABC News when the International Olympic Committee scandal was being investigated and helped the channel cover 2000 Summer Olympic Games, which were helped in Australia. Apart from this she has also "appeared on ABC, NBC and CNN during the 1999 Women's World Cup soccer tournament and was ESPN SportsCenter's Olympics reporter for the 1998 Games.

She has commented on the Olympics and other sports issues on Nightline, Good Morning America, World News Tonight, CBS Sports and Turner Sports. A commentator on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, Brennan has made various appearances on NBC's Today, Meet the Press, Lifetime Television and a variety of CNN shows.

She appears regularly on ESPN Radio and weekly on WMAL Radio in Washington, D.C." (2) Throughout her illustrious career as a sports writer and author of some bestsellers, Brennan has been attacked often by the media, sports agencies and sports personalities too for her biased views on various events. For example when she wrote about the world of figure skating, she did not objectively discuss the hard work that goes into winning Olympic gold.

Instead she gives her own colored opinion on this sport, attracting the world's attention to growing trend towards homosexuality in figure skating. Brennan also wrote that a meaningful career in figure skating is almost over after the Olympics. However this is not true and her comments offended a few great figure skating stars who criticized Brennan for her inability to view the sports world objectively.

In response to one such biased commentary, Scott Hamilton wrote: "Brennan portrays the professional skating world as a place to "kick back" and "take the easy way out." She even went so far as to equate turning pro-with "joining the circus." Professional skating has done nothing but advance the sport while promoting its growth both artistically and technically, not only within the skating community but with the general public as well.

I doubt Brennan is even aware that the last triple axel landed in any ladies' competition was by Midori Ito at the World Professional Figure Skating Championships... Christine Brennan has stepped over the line. Based on her experience and ability as a writer supposedly in support of figure skating, she should take a hard look at her unwarranted cynicism and narrow-mindedness.

Otherwise, her opinion has no place in either the sport or this newspaper." Brennan has also made some blunders in her predictions and analysis of events, which only led to more problems for her in the sports world. For example in one of her columns in 1997, she predicted that Tara Lipinski couldn't possibly win unless Nancy Kwan did something disastrously wrong. However Lipinski proved her wrong the following year and Brennan had to take her words back.

In the world of sports, where Brennan has carved a name for herself, it is also important not to view situations with colored spectacles because it can only lead to lack of credibility. However Brennan has more than her fair share of claims to fame, which is one reason, she has survived in the ruthless world of sports journalism. Brennan has done a lot for women in the sports world especially by diverting the attention of sports agencies to issues of gender discrimination in this arena.

We know that sex discrimination is a serious issue but it has hitherto been ignored in the world of sports. However Brennan and some other journalists have made a commendable effort in addressing the issue. Brennan was the one to raise the issue of sex discrimination in golfing events. During an interview, she said: "I certainly never sought an active role, but as an opinionated journalist -- a columnist -- I'm thrilled that sex discrimination in golf has finally become an issue.

It's a very good dialogue for the sport to be having." Apart from that Brennan has also been quite vocal about some non-issues. For example, she was the one to criticize the use of word Lady with women names in basketballs matches. However this is done due to respect and not discrimination. But Brennan turned it into a major issue for which she did attract some mild criticism from those who believe we have more.