Diversifying Sports Media Representation with Jenny Chiu

Seeing yourself represented is just as important in sports as it is in the media behind the scenes. CBS reporter Jenny Chiu joins Meg and Mon to explain how sports media has a long way to go to be inclusive. Jenny discusses her unexpected (and inspiring!) path from playing on the Mexican National Soccer Team to becoming a reporter on CBS. As someone who is mixed race, Jenny shares the strengths that come with being a bilingual broadcaster, how media executives can be more inclusive with their decisions and how skin color and size also should be a factor in diversifying spaces. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's blaze our own lane here. We don't need to
fit into this picture perfect, little tiny box because everyone can.
You know, if we all tried to do that, we
wouldn't be exceptional at our jobs. What has helped me
is like just being me throughout this and I encourage
everyone to do it because you bring different things to
the table that if you're just trying to fit into
the box, you're just another one in the box. This

(00:23):
is Sweat the Details, a collaboration with Under Armour and
I Heart Radio, a sports and training podcast made for
women by women that puts our success in challenges at
the front and center. I'm Monica Jones, I'm a fitness coach, boxer,
business owner, and you a athlete. And I'm Meg Boggs.
I'm a powerlifter, author, body positivity advocate and mother. Every episode,

(00:44):
Monica and I will talk to athletes, trainers, and experts
and learn more about how the body mind work together
in training and competition. Fit Fan Today, we're getting real
about the world of sports journalism with CBS soccer reporter
Jenny Chu. Before becoming a journalist, Jenny was a member
of the Mexican national soccer team and a d one
soccer player at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

(01:04):
She is so incredible and has had an amazing career
both as an athlete and a broadcast journalist reporting from
the sidelines. Jenny grew up in a multicultural household with
Chinese and Mexican parents, and today she has committed to
uplifting diverse voices in sports and giving a platform to
athletes that we rarely ever hear from. That's right, Meg,

(01:24):
and the field of sports news and media has traditionally
been dominated by white men, so for a woman of color,
it can be really tough to break in and make
a name for yourself. Jenny is sharing her journey and
career path with us and hopes it inspires more women
to pursue a career in sports journalism and bring with
them their unique and much needed perspectives. She really is,
you know, paving the way for so many women who

(01:46):
have maybe never even thought that it was possible to
not only have a career in sports journalism as a woman,
but also as a woman of color. I feel like
in the rare instance that we see women represented in
sports media, it's actually even rarer that we see women
of color. It's absolutely unacceptable and it's about time that
women like Jenny are given these opportunities because hopefully, now,

(02:07):
just by her presence in sports media, more and more
women will see the possibilities, you know, to pursue their dreams.
And it's just it's inspiring. Yeah. It's one thing to
speak on something that you believe in that you really
want to see and to embody it. But when you
hear somebody go hard and really say with their chest,
that for me is like she's not afraid to literally

(02:29):
say that. I feel more comfortable wanting that and wanting
to be a part of it because it's not timid,
it's just very certain and I appreciate her for her presence. Yeah. Absolutely,
I'm just excited to get this conversation out there. Yes, ma'am,
are you ready for our interview with Jenny to Meg
let's go all right, welcome back, Bam. We're so excited

(02:50):
to have Jenny ch on the show. She is a
sports journalist focused on soccer at CBS Sports. Jenny, thank
you so much for coming on with us. Thanks for
having me, guys, so I'll jump right into it. Your
sports journals at CBS sports covering all things soccer. Can
you tell us about your role in your day to
day work. Yeah, so anything that pertains to soccer, I
am like all inclusive, So that includes and WSL Champions League,

(03:14):
Europa League. We just acquired Saria and we're getting more
and more rights as we go along, So we're kind
of new to the soccer space, but we're starting to
get a bunch of rights, and I basically do anything
that we have the rights to. UM. I'm mostly an
on field reporter and I'm starting to make my rounds
in a different way as well. I do twitch streams, UM,

(03:37):
I write sometimes I just try to do it all
in the soccer space. That's exciting. That sounds fun like
being like on field, there's definitely passion there. So before
you were a journalist, so you actually played soccer competitively.
What role did sports, you know, play in your life
growing up, you know, especially soccer? Yeah, I think. I
mean I started playing all sports and then I kind

(03:58):
of narrowed down into soccer and swimming and then eventually
picked soccer. Um, but it was everything. I mean, I
don't remember a time when that wasn't the most important
thing in my life, which you know, there's potential for
that to be a bad thing. But um, after college,
I knew that that was the one thing that I
knew about my career or what I wanted to do

(04:18):
in my career was to be in the soccer space.
I'm not sure exactly, um what, but that's what I
wanted to do. Very cool. I'm just so excited to
be having this conversation. Yeah, I mean it's so cool.
I played soccer when I was younger, and it's just
amazing what you can do if you're agile and you're
really about it. So, Jenny, you played with both teams

(04:39):
USA and Mexico, but ultimately you decided to stay with
the Mexican team. Can you tell us more about your
international soccer career, Like how did you choose the team
you would represent in the international stage. Yeah, I think
it's it's all complicated, you know. Um, at a certain age,
I was pulled in. I think I was twelve years old,
pulled into my first Mexican national team camp amp and

(05:01):
at that point, no one else was my age. Everyone
is like at the under twenties, so they are nineteen
years old. They're so much older, And it was almost like, um,
you're going to take the torch one day, so we're
just gonna keep on bringing you into camps even though
you're not going to play in a tournament. For many years, UM,
so I kept getting called in and it was a
great experience and you know, really connected me with my

(05:22):
Mexican side, Um, growing up on the border. I'm I'm
kind of split. And then the US side. I did
the same thing that all soccer players in our age group,
and you know, you do the state team, the regional team.
I mean you said you played, so you probably know
like the normal route that everybody goes through, and then
I eventually made the national pool. I dreamed of that route,

(05:45):
but it sounds like, you know, rather than you choosing,
you were the chosen one. And that's really dope. I
haven't thought about it like that, but yeah, I think
you know, when when that all happens, it's such a
cool experience to get to experience both sides because there
were the same We are young women, you know, at
the same age, and the experience is completely different on

(06:05):
both national teams. I think the reason or a huge
reason as to why I am where I am in
my career was due to those experiences that I had
as a player very interesting. So you got to experience
like both. That's really cool. So you're from El Paso, Texas,
not too far from me, how I was growing up
in a border town. Did growing up there influence your
passion for Mexican soccer? Growing up on a border town,

(06:28):
I think is played so much of a role into
my whole career and the fact that I am so
soccer heavy. Um, Texas is known for me like a
football state, but as you would know from Texas, but
El Paso is not. El Paso is like soccer, soccer, soccer,
soccer soccer, which is just like the culture I grew
up around was like soccer was the most important thing,

(06:49):
and obviously like being on the border. You know, my
mom lived in Mexico for like the majority of my
life when I was a kid, and splitting that is
why I'm so passionate about like Hispanic Latino stories, um,
because I relate to them. And why I played with
the Mexican national team was like so natural because my
mom lived there. You know, we grew up halfway there,

(07:10):
halfway here. So the split makes so much sense. When
you're born in a border town. I love that. I
know exactly what you're talking about, though, because I grew
up in South Texas, So yeah, I grew up in
a town full of Luckinos, but the experience is very
different than being in in Dallas. Oh yeah, once I moved.
I moved in eighth grade and it was so interesting

(07:31):
because I didn't speak much Spanish growing up, so I
was considered like the white Mexican and then I moved
and suddenly I was like, just this Mexican. That's all
anybody saw and don't now your identity. Yeah, it was
just interesting that moved, so I completely understand. But even
now I feel like people don't even know that I'm

(07:52):
a hundred percent Mexican. Like people just assumed that I'm white.
I'm just like, my last name is Bogs, yeah, because
I married a white man and then I have his
last name, so it's like, and I'm a light skin
type Mexican, you know, so people just assume, and I'm like, no,
I'm actually Mexican. I know that I've always think that
I'm just black, or that i'm black and white and
not black in Filipino. You're black in Filipino. Oh my god,

(08:14):
that's beautiful. Yeah, so we're like all like, oh my god, yeah, everybody. Yes,
Sweat the Details is female produced and we are diverse
a f so that's beautiful. Like what guys, which about
manifested this conversation? Yeah, but like see someone at under

(08:35):
Arm or someone at I Heart Radio decided to give
you guys voices in this and decided yes, yes, that
doesn't always happen. We determine the narratives. Man, why did you,
you know, ultimately leave the soccer field to become a
sports journalist. What was that transition? Like I had a
really bad injury before the twenty what is it twelve

(08:56):
World Cup? Like that year is an overtraining thing apparently,
But I had a back injury with like three bulging disks,
Like my whole spine was messed up, and I didn't
know how to rest, which is something that I now
think that we have the resources to tell people, like
when you're an athlete, you need to rest some, you
need to recover, and these things matter. In the community

(09:16):
that I was in, That's not something that my parents
ever told me, Like it was go go go. You
play on three four different teams, you practice as much
as you can so that you go and you get
these experiences, and I never stopped. You know, I did
play on three four different teams every weekend, um, and
I didn't know that that was wrong. So I had
a back injury, and then that kind of was like
the demise of my career because for someone that you know,

(09:38):
the Mexican national team was trying to build the team
around and trying to make captain and trying to have
all these grand ideas for I could no longer perform
to that because I was always injured. I couldn't do this.
I would cry in the middle of training sessions because
I was like, something's wrong, Like something's very wrong. When
we finally figure out like what it is, which I
feel sad that I couldn't figure it out earlier. You know,

(10:00):
I didn't have the resources to know what it was,
and maybe my career would have been different. Um. I
took a year off soccer and eventually, I mean I
was still committed to U n C. I luckily went
in after my year off, and that completely changes the
dynamic of everything. From someone that was like on top
of the world and like the best player in every room,

(10:20):
I walked in too. I am the bottom of the
bottom underneath that. So that kind of changed my my
experience at U n C. And then the realization that
I wasn't going to go pro, like I was never
going to be the player that I was supposed to
be after that injury, and yeah, the transition was hard.

(10:40):
I think everyone has that like difficult moment. I'm not
sure if you guys couldn't talk about that moment when
you're like, oh, what I thought I was going to
be I'm not going to be now what? Yes? Yes,
I mean I feel that like like I'm like, I know,
I could talk about that all day, right, I'm like, wait,
what's the episode about. Seriously, how has your experience as

(11:01):
a competitive soccer player informs your journalism practice. I think
it's everything. And as a reporter, I have been in
those shoes. So when I talk to players, when I
talked to coaches, I've been, you know, in that the tunnel.
I've been in the locker rooms. I understand the film
sessions that they have just been in and the amount
of hours it takes outside of the field, the nutritional aspects,

(11:23):
like all of those things. I've done it. I've been
away from my house for three months at a time
to prepare for a World Cup and then go to
one and not see your family in that entire space
of time, which is hard for someone who hasn't experienced
any of that to to really empathize with, to really
be like, I know what they're probably going through mentally
right now because they haven't done it. And you know,

(11:43):
that's not a knock on anyone who hasn't played at
a high level, and it's a reporter. It's just the
fact that I think being able to empathize with it
is so important, um and being able to say I
I can put myself in your shoes and even if
you haven't done it, just to kind of like put
yourself in their shoes and be like, I understand why
I all of this is in the media right now
that you're struggling and you're not having a good time

(12:04):
and well, no, duh, you haven't seen your family in
three months and you just had a baby, and you know, like,
there's so much that goes into it that people don't
think about off the field that if you were an
athlete you have to think about. That's so true. I
guess there's like a there's a very big difference between
imagining what it could feel like and remembering what it
looked like. Right, you know, I think of soccer, and

(12:26):
it's just something that I imagine, what would it be
like to be on the field. I have no clue.
I've never played soccer, no experience in it, and so
what I'm imagining is probably nowhere near what you're remembering.
So now, when you're going through all of this and
you're trying to, you know, decide what is the path
I'm going to take next, were there any like sports
journalists that inspired you and you know, made an impact

(12:46):
in your career. I think so it's important to to
kind of mention that I didn't mean to get into
sports broadcasting, like I kind of kept falling into it. Um.
You know, I I graduated with a broadcast journalism degree
with the thought of, you know, maybe because I don't
know what else I'm good at. I hate science, i
hate math. I'm like not great at anything really. Um,
And I feel that all that so deeply. Okay, I

(13:11):
got it, But UM, I had like incredible anxiety being
on air that I was like, I know, I don't
want to take this route. Um, So I went to
go play in Australia after my experience at U n C.
And while I was there, I met someone that was
like producing that needed a Spanish speaker, and I was like,
that's me. I speak Spanish and I can do these
interviews for you. I did the interviews for them, and

(13:32):
I felt like so good after the fact, I was
like maybe this is something that I can maybe do,
but still not like fully diving into it. UM. Came
back to the States applied for internships in soccer, all
of them like like I think I applied to be
a mascot as well. Like I was just like, put
me back on, just get me near the field. Um.

(13:54):
And I finally got an internship with the one of
the mls M and NWSL teams in Portland as a
social media intern and my first day was the reporter's
last day. And then they find out, you know, I
have a soccer background, I'm knowledgeable, I have a broadcast
journalism degree. Like I click all these boxes that are
needed for the reporter position and they were like, can

(14:16):
you just like try to do our postgame interview because
we need someone And that's how it happened. This is
the road I've been man it was like a windy road,
but you got there. Yeah. That's why I like when
people are like, how how did you do this? How
did I'm like, everyone's experience is going to be completely different,
Like I can tell you mine, but it's not gonna
be yours because we're all going to have very different roads.

(14:41):
Yours is yours. Yeah, I'm curious. Was there anyone that
you kind of looked up to or that you notice
that was like kind of gave you that inspiration? Yeah?
I think what's what's hard is like something that we
touch on a lot is the lack of diversity in
in on camera. So for me to be like I
want to be that person, I lacked that because no

(15:02):
one looked like me in the soccer space that like
was exactly what I wanted to be one day. Um,
So no, I can't really point to someone and be like,
that's exactly what I wanted to do now, I do
you know? Kate Abdo is a coworker of mine. She
works on our show. I admire her to the depths
of this universe. Um, but she's also someone who comes

(15:22):
from like similar backgrounds and like has those aspects that
I see in her. I see in myself. But it's
harder when all of the people that are on television
that are in those rules look the same and you're like, no,
that's not even a possibility for me. Why would I
even look that way? So that makes total sense, And honestly,
I think that it's great when you can find someone

(15:43):
that she can relate to or that inspires you. But
it is equally, if not greater, when you can do
that for yourself and you can pay it forward and
pay it forward. So you've been traveling a lot thanks
to your current job, including Europe and Latin America to
cover major events like the World Cup qualifiers in the
Champions League. Could you tell us more about your preparation

(16:05):
for these events and how you get ready to cover
international championships. Yeah, it's different. It's different because when it's
the Conker Calf, which is the World Up qualifiers I'm
currently covering next week, I'll be on the road for
that as well. It's something that I'm very familiar with,
Like the style of play in Conker Calf is is
is what I grew up on. You know, I watched

(16:26):
USA Mexico every chance I got when it was happening
in my upbringing. But the Champions League is not something
that I got on my television growing up. Like that's
just the reality of where I grew up, our socio
economic status and we didn't have those channels and you know,
it was harder to access on television than it is now. Um,
So that's a little more alien to me. This whole

(16:48):
Champions League thing that I'm covering. It's harder. So that
preparation is completely different because I'm starting from zero. You
have to you know, go through the teams and luckily
we have you know, people that help us with some
of the resources. But it's a lot of watching games
that you never or thought you could get. Um, you
never thought you would watch in these like tiny stadiums somewhere. Um.
But the concert half stuff is more comfortable for me
because it's something that I grew up on and I

(17:10):
understand the storylines. I've watched them my whole life. I
played with Mexico in the US, and um, I understand
why they matter. You know, these these stories and these
players I've I've grown up watching my whole life. So
but it's a lot of time, a lot of watching soccer,
a lot of breaking it down a lot of reading articles,
watching different analysts that have more of an expertise in
the European game. When I do Champions League like Sky

(17:31):
Sports and BBC and seeing what they have because there's
already storylines and narratives there. That's so cool. I mean
it's hours of research, I know, I can imagine, but
it has to be fun, right. Oh yeah, So, Jenny,
as a bilingual journalist, you've really advocated for having Spanish
speaking players featured in English media. Could you tell us
more about this aspect of your work? What challenges have

(17:54):
you faced, you know, trying to make this happen. So
I was the sideline reporter for you know, a couple
of teams in MLS, and consistently the narrative was that
we don't want to hear from them because people won't understand. Um,
but they're the best players in our league. In MLS,
the best players in our league are Spanish speaking players.
So we were consistently having like postgame interviews with players

(18:16):
who really had nothing to do with the game's results.
You know, they weren't the goal score, they weren't the
big shot stopper. You know, they weren't there. And it
didn't make sense, and so it was an idea. It
was like, we have Spanish speakers on the talent team,
let us do something around these players, let us talk
to them. Um. And in meetings, I remember going into

(18:36):
meeting and saying like, we should do this story and
then saying, we have done the research and MLS told
us that it's not there, the numbers aren't there. You
don't need to put resources into this because they're not
gonna watch it. They're gonna watch it in Spanish. They're
not gonna watch it. Like how dismissive. And I pushed
and I was like, well, let's just try it. And
those pieces of content and those interviews got the best

(18:57):
reception because they had never heard from those players. They
didn't know those players stories. They didn't know that one
of the players had left their home at ten years
old to pursue being a professional talk ten years old, UM,
and he had been in the league for a couple
of years, and nobody had done the story because you're
you're told that that's not what matters, and it does. Like,
the reason why we do what we do is because
we want to tell human stories. That's what you guys

(19:18):
do on your podcast, you're you're telling people's stories, but
you're completely overlooking this whole demographic because you think that
it doesn't matter. But it does. Um. You know. One
of the biggest things is that the audience that we are,
you know, trying to get to watch our sport to
you know, to listen to our broadcast and all of
those things, they look a certain way, and it's if

(19:40):
you are not showing the things that they care about,
it's going to be very obvious. It sounds like you
handled it with grace, though you handled it like anyone
we didn't anyway, powerful moment in history. Yeah, it's the
it's the higher ups you know that make the decisions
that decide to say, you know what, there's no need
there um. But when you have other people, you know

(20:00):
that are making those decisions that do care about that,
that you don't have to push for it, you know.
And I now work for a company who cares so
much about that diversity and that inclusion and making sure
that all voices are heard and that we are representative
of our audience. And it is so clear when you
watch our broadcast, we don't look like the other broadcasts.
We just don't because the people up top care about

(20:21):
our stories. They care about that aspect, and it's a
whole different feeling like our whole entire talent crew. If
you took if you took all of us, we are
all from different backgrounds, we are all from different socioeconomic status.
Is different stories, you know, and that matters. It matters
because our storytelling is going to be different than the
people who have been given voices this entire time. One

(20:42):
thing that I always, I always think about is if
I give you both three sentences, um, and then you
have to give me a story on it, I would
assume that your stories would come out differently based upon
your life experiences and how you perceive things in your perspectives. Right,
But if you give that same story to someone who
has the same exact life and like almost like the

(21:03):
same exact upbringing the same exact everything, the stories aren't
going to be different. And it shapes a very specific
narrative exactly. Yeah, it's very intentionally driven in one direction.
And I think that that's why we're trying to make
a push for Hey, these voices matter, and they've never
been given opportunities and they should because the players, the

(21:24):
audience look a certain way and you're not answering to them. Um,
so I think just being authentically like caring about that.
It's different. Like we told the story about this family
who's like mixed race, and I got to tell the story, Um,
I'm Chinese and Mexican and growing up in a household
that is completely different. You know, I told this these

(21:46):
two players stories and the passion that I felt for that.
You're not going to get that if you don't understand
the complexities of that situation. And um, you know splitting.
You know, one of the one of the brothers played
on one national team, the other brother played on another
national team. I had that same x riends where I
played on both national teams and I loved both sides
so much, and so not having that experience, you might
not have cared so much about that story, or you

(22:07):
might not have thought to have that story told. So yeah, right,
let's go, Jenny, I am listen. I'm about I'm about
to make a sign and get one of those horns
and just do the most for the rest of this podcast.
I freaking adore you. Okay, So, what do you think
is the role of latinos in shaping the soccer landscape
in the US. As players, as fans, and as sports journalists.

(22:30):
My job is to give the voice to the people
who haven't been given a voice. So that was really
what I wanted to do, um in my previous role
was push for those players. We're going to do a
feature on every single one of those players because I
have that power at that point to like, Okay, this
is why I want to do a feature on. Let's
go do this. UM More people need to do that,
and I think that we are. I think that we

(22:50):
are kind of like having a shift here of like, Okay,
we understand the need to have a Spanish speaking reporter
that can live translate um these interviews. Like that's something
that I didn't know I could do and I kind
of had to do to give that voice post game,
you know, when you're walking off the field and the
goal score needs to speak. I have the ability to
speak English Spanish and to live translate the interview. UM.

(23:14):
I didn't know I could do that. So it's really difficult,
but it's it's needed. I think it is, you know,
allowing these stories to be told because the fan base
is already there, like it's it already exists, The players
already exist. It is upon the media to tell those stories, um,
and to tell them to the audience, the audience that
cares about those stories. You know, when I would do
these stories with the Latin players, that would be disseminated

(23:36):
to Columbia, to Peru and those stories like, they love that, um,
And that's something that like just the US players wouldn't
wouldn't get that kind of reach. Um. But it is
a matter I think that the other things are already
in place, like the Latino um demographic is there in
the players, Like if you look at all our players,
it's there. Um. If you look at the fan base,

(23:57):
it is there. It is just a matter of making
sure that the media aspect our you know, corner of
the triangle, cares enough to recognize that and to answer
to that and to give that voice there. I love.
That's so glad that that's happening. So I want to
shift gears a little bit. Um. Many high profile athletes
have suspended press conferences, you know, saying that these interviews

(24:18):
affect their mental health. Do you have any thoughts on that,
you know from your experience, how can sports journalists build
better relationships with athletes and be mindful of their mental
well being. M hmm, yeah, that's that's a great question. Um.
I can see it because I've been on both sides,
you know, I've been on the other side of the
microphone when you're like, we just lost and you're asking
such a charged question, you want me to throw my

(24:40):
coach under the bus, Like that's ridiculous. Um, it is.
It is that aspect of that empathy that I feel
like it's sometimes lacking of, Like she just lost, you know,
this grand Slam, and you're you're coming at her for
her skirt choice today or you know something like that
that it's just like put yourself in the athletes shoes,
And I don't think that it would be as like

(25:02):
damaging to the athlete if you are coming at it
as a human being, um, as a person of like
you know, this question is not for that to grab
the headlines of, like you know, she got upset and
blew up at us in the media. You know, like
trying to egg on that kind of response is definitely
going to be bad for someone's mental health. But when
you're coming at it as like I just want to

(25:24):
hear your side of the story, you For me, I
want to give people space to speak, like whatever your
messages postgame, like give me what you want to tell
the media. Not necessarily me trying to get you to
turn on your coach and say, yeah, you should be
fired tomorrow. Um, that's definitely not good for anyone's mental health,
but just allowing people to shape their own narrative sometimes,

(25:44):
so the approach I think, so, I think, so, I
don't know, tell me what you guys think. You know,
you hear the same stories I do in the media,
and when I see it, I'm like, it burns me
up because they're just so emotionally provocative sometimes with the
questions that are being asked or way that they frame them,
or the pace at which you're asking questions for someone
who's just gone through something that is pretty much traumatic

(26:08):
or you know, something that is extreme, it's such an
extreme high and the players have to be so mindful
and you know, almost high pieces of who they are,
and like, you know, be careful of what they're expressing
because it lives forever in the media and they can
easily be canceled immediately for it, you know. But yeah,
I honestly, when I see a women interviewing, I'm like, yeah,

(26:32):
that's the thing. That's something that I just never even
thought was possible until I started seeing women and women
of color in your role exactly you didn't before. Something
I always feel like I noticed is that all women,
especially women of color, are treated so differently in the
media when it comes to like their reaction to loss
or their reaction to something very emotional, whereas like men

(26:55):
are yeah, where men are just like, oh well, it's
just you know, that's the passion and with women and
it's it's never that it's like you can't show any emotion,
you can't be passionate. That's what I've noticed. That's always
kind of it's been difficult for me. And then the
mental health thing, just like, no, wonder why women feel
like they can't, you know, be authentically themselves and express

(27:18):
themselves and answer questions in an honest way or else
they're just you know, crucified and it just that's always
just really bother. But that's that's all role. You know,
in the media aspect, we're almost like the lens through
which people see and consume it and perceive exactly what
you described. You know, the difference between the men and
the women in their reactions. UM. The media gets to

(27:41):
decide how they cover that, and how they cover that
is typically echoed. UM. So when you have people who
are not women of color, um, and they're tearing down
you know, certain women of color consistently and they're not
being stopped, that that needs to be brought to light.
And you have to have people in power and people

(28:02):
that are making those headlines and writing those articles and
talking about it to be able to empathize. And sometimes
you just can't if you haven't experienced it, or you
don't know what that demographic is like, or you don't
care to know, um, and you just want to villainize
and villainize and villainize because you don't understand that you
are like subconsciously villainizing these people. UM, I don't know.

(28:22):
I think that that's why we need so much diversity
in US, because our media kind of shapes how people
perceive things, especially in sports. Well, if you are are
looking for some facts, I got some for you. Already
ready for this. According to the Associated Press Sports Editors
Racial and Gender Report Card, there were seventy five media

(28:45):
outlets evaluated only ten percent of sports editors and eleven
point five percent of sports reporters were women. We didn't
even break into up. The study also found that only
seventeen point nine percent of sports reporters were people of color. So, Jenny,
how was your experience breaking into such a white, male

(29:06):
dominated field? How did you get up in there? Those
numbers are are difficult. UM. That is difficult to hear, UM,
But we know it, you know, I think the more
that we shine a light on it, It's like, you know,
some people were tweeting the other day about, you know,
this huge broadcast was all women, and I'm telling you,

(29:29):
when I saw that, I was, I put my alarm
clock on, I put it on my calendar, and I'm
so excited to watch it. And I turned it on
and it was I'm so sorry about five white women
and then one UM Latina woman. And it hurt. It
hurt because I was so excited that, you know, diversity.
I was excited for that diversity. But it's the same

(29:51):
people getting the same opportunities. UM. When that's not what
the audience looks like, like, you're not representing the who
you're selling the product to. UM. And I don't say
that to call that that specific broadcast out, but it
really did kind of hurt um because we're just continuously

(30:11):
going down the wrong path. Like you have the opportunity
to make change, and you chose not to. You chose
that it didn't matter. And there are plenty, plenty of
great journalists that you could put in those spots and
you choose not to. It's tough, and it's something that
you know, we talk about often within my place of work,
um because it matters to us to be able to

(30:34):
tell those stories. How How did I How did I
break into it? I found people that cared about that,
that saw that, you know, the things that maybe people
didn't see as a positive as my superpower um as
the ability to represent so much more um as the
ability to empathize in different areas like the playing experience

(30:54):
aspect is huge. It really does help my career because
I have been there. I am so lucky that somebody
saw me and was like, yes, we'll give you the chance.
But there are many people like me that will never
be given the opportunity because people up top don't care
enough to give those opportunities. And it's not because they're
not good enough, I promise you, And that's tough. They'll

(31:15):
never have the same audience as the people that have
been given positions of power, given platforms for all of
these years, and I just hope that changes. I can
only imagine after hearing this conversation, how many women are
going to fight and push their way harder because of
your voice. But I hope they know that they're needed. Yes, Jenny,
do you have, you know, any ideas to improve diversity
and inclusion in sports journalism? It's executives that care, if

(31:39):
people in powers of hiring processes that care about that.
You know. I was speaking to some one the other
day that has a hand in finding someone for a
certain position, and she was saying she was the only
one that mentioned, you know, certain needs in terms of
like the LGBTQ community should be represented in this edition.

(32:00):
When she was saying it, I was like, thank goodness
that you have power in this decision, because I bet
you no one else thought about that, and it's something
that needs to be thought of. And I'm not like
the end all, be all answer, like I am to minorities.
I am Chinese and Mexican, but I am still at
an advantage over others in that sense. You know, we
have people that are also minorities that will not get

(32:23):
the opportunity because I look a certain way. I'm still
a minority, but I still look a certain way, you know.
So it's it's kind of breaking these these traditional stereotypes
of like what it is to be on television and
what you should look like. And I mean it's a
whole process that I wouldn't know how to tackle or
we would have. You're getting there. You are getting there, absolutely,

(32:43):
you are, And I know it's always small, small, it
feels like tiny steps. But the women that we've been
speaking to over the weeks have given us incredible amounts
of hope, right Meg, Like we've just been like every
single time we speak to someone, we're like, wow, we
it's together. We're gonna make has changed, so, you know,
don't don't doubt it. It's happening. But we love those ideas.

(33:05):
I think that one of the things is like, you
can have Hispanic representation, but I am a light skinned
Hispanic and that is already you know, I already have
a leg up because of that, and that's not fair,
like that, that's not fair. Um, So I recognize that
as well. I'm in a position where although I feel like,
you know, I grew up very poor, but two immigrant parents,

(33:28):
I still have more than others do in an opportunity
sense here, So I feel you on that. Yeah, So
it comes down to just anyone that has any sort
of privilege. I mean you mentioned your light skin. That
is a privilege, using that privilege in your position to
speak up for others who don't have those privileges, that
have way less privileges. So that's I mean, that would

(33:51):
be my only thing that I think of that, you know,
anyone who is white, or anyone who is a man,
or anyone who is you know, not a UM plus
sized person like anyone who has those privileges to use
it to speak up too, just to lift other others voices.
And it sounds like that's what you're doing, which is
just incredible, and you know, you're paving the way for

(34:14):
a lot of women. And I think everyone listening right
now who has ever um questioned if there's a place
for them, if there is hope for them, they see it,
they hear it, and they know that maybe it may
be small right now, but there's that that opportunity that
is there if we all gather around together and you know,
this is like all these women that we're hearing from,
Like Monica said, the percentages are so small, but their

(34:37):
percentages are there, you know, so and they grow. Yeah,
and they're and they're growing. That's the thing too. Yeah,
I love it. Yes, So we did just talk about,
you know, even spanning into the l G B, t
q I A plus representation, Meg, you mentioned anyone who
is plus size. What are other aspects of the sports
journalism industry that you'd like to see address Jenny or transformed?

(35:01):
What changes do you hope to see in the coming years? Oh? Wow,
I haven't thought about that. I've felt so upset about
the women aspect to start, and then everything from that.
There's just so many barriers, barriers, barriers that I keep facing.
But the initial one was like, you know, whenever a
broadcast picture team is put out and it's all white males,

(35:21):
you're like, what are you doing? So to have to
think about all the other things that need to be
changed when that one hasn't even been tackled fully, it's tough.
My focus is right now on making sure that the
players don't feel like they need to be silenced, they
need to fit like a certain narrative perfectly, and and
for for many that is to be quiet, and that

(35:42):
is to not complain about the league, their team, their coach,
because that then puts them in problems. I hope that
what's happening right now is that the athletes are going
to get a voice for themselves. I think that that's
where this needs to go. The NWSL players are incredible.
These are players that I grew up playing with. They
have the same energy, power passion that I do. They're
just not really allowed to use it, and once they

(36:05):
do the world will be shocked. Don't shut us. So
for anyone listening that might be interested in pursuing a
career in sports journalism, do you have any advice for
women who might be thinking about that. I think the
biggest thing I can do is say that I wasn't
really trying for this and every step that I tried
to fit myself into the box of like, this is

(36:26):
what a broadcaster needs to be. This is how she stands,
this is how she acts, this is how she presents
herself to the world. I was met with, Hey, if
that's what we wanted, we would have hired that. We
hired you because you were you, and you were very
different and you are authentically yourself. So be that. Be
what we hired for, which is you, And that was
at every step of my career here like that. CBS
tells me all the time like why are you suddenly

(36:48):
reporting differently? And I'm like, oh, I thought that that's
how you report on national TV And they were like, no,
do you We hired you because I have a personality
and why did you suddenly feel like you couldn't have one?
So that's that's my message to anybody that's getting into it,
is to be you. You know, let's let's blaze our
own lane here. We don't need to fit into this
picture perfect, little tiny box because everyone can. You know,

(37:10):
if we all tried to do that, we wouldn't be
exceptional at our jobs. Um. What has helped me is
like just being me throughout this and I encourage everyone
to do it because you bring different things to the
table that if you're just trying to fit into the box,
you're just another one in the box. I love that advice.
It doesn't get any better than that, absolutely, Jenny, do
you have any upcoming projects that you're excited about and
would like to share with our listeners. I'm on CBS Sports. Um,

(37:34):
I cover Champions League, so that'll be all season long.
Um hopefully fingers crossed. I get sent to Europe for
that in the spring, which was my role last season,
and UM yeah, I do World Up Qualifiers. I mean
that's also like a very long tournament. We have like
three games a month almost. I cover the USA and Mexico.
So follow along. I mean, if you guys are new

(37:54):
to soccer, we can talk about it. Follow me on Twitter.
I talk about soccer football interchangeably all the time. What's
your Twitter? Is it just your name? Jenny A Chew? Okay, Yeah,
we're about to tweet it out and I like it
under armours. Sweat the Details will be back after a
short break. Welcome back to Sweat the Details. Alright, alright,

(38:21):
I mean not that the mood wasn't light, but we're
about to switch it up real quick. Head on a swivel.
So this is a segment that we do. Jenny, and
we play a game called Kicks from the Mark. So
we're gonna ask you some questions and you shoot him
out as soon as you get him in mind. I'm scared.
What is it about? Um? Politics? Now I'm just kidding,

(38:42):
not at all. It's about soccer. Oh god, okay, you
got this, you got this alright ready favorite moment in
women's soccer World Cup. She ready, It's like a landmark
moment for women's soccer in America. It's like the famous
moment and she rips off her shirt and she just

(39:03):
oh see, I don't know about soccer, but I know
about that moment boom right see. Okay, okay, awesome. If
you could interview anyone, who would it be? Oh? Is
it still soccer? Just like in life? Anyone I read
becoming recently and I really really like, we just want
to sit and chat with Michelle Obama. I just I

(39:24):
feel like she's a human. Yeah, absolutely, Well, is there
anyone that is no longer with us that you can
think of? Madonna just passed last year, and he's like
a huge monumental figure in our sport um and a
very misunderstood figure. Apparently I want to chat with him.
I love that he loved to give a voice to
the people. I like it. Okay. Favorite sport to watch

(39:47):
after soccer, Okay, I think about the Olympics. I always
like to watch gymnastics when I watch. Yes, same, what
about do you have an event? Mm hmmm. I think
the beam is cruel, So I just get upset when
I when I watched the beam, I'm mad. I'm like,
there's no way that you can. Yeah, but it's beautiful.

(40:07):
What soccer player should we have our eyes on? Jude
Bellingham plays for Dortmund and I think he's eighteen years
old and I think he's a world leader. He's going
to smash it and he's so young. Um, It's it's
incredible for such a young athlete to be doing such
great things on the field. There's a lot to consider

(40:29):
when you're that young, you know, being able to really
manage a professional career like that, that's awesome. I'm definitely
gonnao him up. Jenny. Your energy is so awesome. Thank
you for playing our little game. Have you guys ever
been to a soccer match at all? Oh? Yeah? Absolutely?
I have actually just saw the Spirit play like a
few weeks ago. Oh cool. All right, Meg, If you haven't,

(40:50):
you tell me where you live and I will make
sure we get you into a stadium and you have
a great same. Yes, I live in Dallas. There's a
player Ricardo Peppy from my hometown, Alpaso, texts this who
is taking the world by storm. He's on the US
men's national team. I will find out how to get
you tickets, and you have to promise to go go
check them out. I will, Oh my gosh, wait, I'll
fly out Meg. Can you please? Can you please? This

(41:13):
was a great conversation. I mean, the energy was just unmatched.
Thank you so much, Jenny. I'm very excited to keep
up with your Twitter and literally everything you up going on.
And you're an absolute rave sunshine, like, thank you for
bringing life to the sports and the broadcasting you know, realm.
Thank you guys. I really appreciated this conversation. This was awesome,
so great. Thank you so much, Jenny. Hopefully we'll chat

(41:35):
again soon. So and I'm holding you too that you're
going into a soccer game. I am my promise, I will.
I will show that on my Instagram. I promise. That
was such a great conversation with Jenny. I feel like
I'm learning so much from our guests and the phenomenal
things that are happening because of women like Jenny, but

(41:56):
also recognizing, you know that women still have so far
to go in changing the narrative and stepping into positions
to make those changes. Today's conversation was just so freaking inspiring. Mom.
What stood out to you, Jenny two is fiery and
I'm all about it, like I'm over here here faking
kicking my feet right and hit the Feld punch it like,
let's go. Like I'm like, we're gonna get it back

(42:18):
thirty one. This is where I get back in the game. No,
But I think the thing that stuck with me truly
the most was the consistent concern for diversity in her
field and speaking about how it is the responsibility of
those from the top, but still being there doing the
work from the position that she's in. I mean, I'm
forever inspired by that conversation and by Jenny's just her

(42:41):
fiery tenacity is just unmatched. Absolutely, And you know when
she said she set her alarm and she was so
excited to see you know, women journalists. It's just I
can't imagine, you know, that moment. I mean I can't
imagine because we've all been there, whenever you're really excited
for something and then all of a sudden you see
mostly white women and maybe one Latina that that was it,

(43:04):
and it was just soul crushing to just not see
yourself up there and it just takes away the hope.
And I feel like every woman has an experience like that,
you know, where you you're you're looking into something that's
very exciting for you, that you feel like you are
passionate about as well, and then seeing that maybe that's
not something I can do, Maybe that's just not for me.

(43:25):
Maybe it's just a white woman thing or a white
male dominated thing, and it's just you know, disappointing. But
it seems like it also lit a fire under her,
which I think a lot of women have to go
through that that moment, which really sucks. But but she
took it and she ran and now now women are
seeing her, you know, And she said, I don't have
somebody that I you know, looked up to, because there

(43:46):
was nobody like me. And now here she is being
that woman for women to look up to and say,
she's representing she's who I want to be like because
I know that it's possible. And it's just it's incredible
what she's doing. Yeah, I mean, and let's not get
it twisted. Something that's really important. It stands out to
me is that when you say that there is a

(44:07):
lack of diversity or a lack of inclusion of people
of color, women of color, or even one specific race
in whether it's in media, yeah, or media or anything.
You're not discrediting anyone that is there or discounting their greatness.
You're just saying there needs to be more space for others.
And I think that a lot of people, women whoever

(44:28):
it is, a lot of people feel that they can't
say those things out loud without offending others. And while
that may be the case, if we don't say those
things out loud, and if we don't lead by example,
we can't inspire others to start stepping up. And we can't,
you know, we can't lead the way for change. So
I'm here for it. So thank you, thank you, Thank you,

(44:50):
Jenny to we are we're on fire right now. Oh man, Okay,
I think it's time we check in with our goals.
Might have been all over the place the last few weeks,
You've got I'm excited to hear him. All right, Well,
this is the part of store. We usually like to
check in with our fitness goals, our training goals, and
just kind of discuss the challenges the successes and where

(45:10):
we need that help to stay motivated. And for me,
I'm kind of in a limbo space right now. You know,
I've been doing all the I v F treatment and
had a lot of time off, and then the last
forty eight hours I did a hardcore workout UM and
I was deadlifting and pretty much getting under some weight
for the first time in a month and a half
around And let me tell you today, I can barely watch,

(45:32):
but it feels so good because I was able to
deadlift three fifteen after not lifting for six weeks, and
it just you saw me. I cried. I literally just
started bawling. I shed it here for that greatness, Meg,
and I was watching you and I was like, oh yeah,
just being surrounded by you know, all these women, just
the power and the encouragement and the support. It just

(45:54):
made me feel so loved and supported that I just
knew I could do anything in that moment. But you know,
now I'm like, Okay, where where can I set a
new goal? You know, after you get done with UM,
something like a setback or or a roadblock or an injury,
trying to find that new goal to set is kind
of a very strange feeling I'm gonna do five pounds

(46:15):
at a time over the next few weeks, um and
see see what happens. But deadlift is my thing, so
I'm I'm pumped and I'm ready to get back at it.
I love it. Yeah, I'm still like, I know, I'm sweating.
I've been sweating this entire episode, y'all because that was epic.
And that's that's under Armor Women for you, though, Like
the set is lit every time and we work so

(46:38):
we are here to support you. Yeah. Me. You know,
we're five weeks out from this fight and um, five
weeks yeah, and the mixture between fundraising, raising awareness and
then training, I've just really locked into it. Um. I
got a few sparring sessions on the books, heading up
to New York in Connecticut for some work, and um,

(47:02):
you know, my goal is we're dropping probably around three
to five pounds for fight day, and my goal is
just to outperform myself every single time. And right now
it involves you know, menstruating and sleeping. But we get
that kicked back, we're back on the bag and back
to work. So that's that's where I'm at right now,

(47:25):
just continuing to raise the awareness raise the funds and
raise the performance for this fight with Haymakers. And honestly,
while I'm still talking about being a human being and
a woman, I've just appreciated everyone's support and um and
and feeling seen in that aspect and the shares and uh,

(47:47):
listening to these episodes back, I'm just so thankful. Yes,
I'm so thankful to have these energizing conversations every single week.
So stay engaged with us, y'all. Continue with the commons,
continue with the d M. We we see every single
one of you, and we love you so much. Thank you,
guys for just rocking with us. Yeah. Absolutely, Well that's

(48:08):
it for this week's episode, but don't forget to join
us next week when we talk about goals and benchmarks
and how we can set ourselves up for success with
creating realistic objectives for our training. Thanks for joining us,
fit fam. If you liked what you heard on the show,
subscribe for free or follow the show on the iHeart
radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen, and don't
forget to leave a five star rating and review all

(48:29):
five stars, all five baby. Until next time, stay inspired,
stay motivated, you guys, and please remember to always set
the Details Bye. If you liked what you heard on

(48:50):
the show, subscribe for free or follow the show on
the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you
listen and don't forget to leave a five star rating
and review. Sweat the Details is a collaboration with under
Armour and I Heart Radio. Our show was hosted by
me Monica Jones and me Meg Box. Our executive producers
are Jess strip Stein, Just Sell, Louis Archibald, Molly Sosha

(49:12):
and Maya Cole. Our producers are Kelly and Tole, Layla Cadrain,
Emma Osborne and Alejandra Aruvalo. And our sound editor and
engineer is Sarah Gible Alaska. Keep up the latest news
in women's fitness by following under Armour at under Armour
Women and at under Armour