Emma Lindsey: Bridging Barriers in Sports Writing
Emma Lindsey attributes her entry into the sports media to being in the right place at the right time and the Jewish term “chutzpah.”
“It means just going for it,” she said during an exclusive interview for the Sports Gazette.
Chutzpah. The art of extreme self-confidence or audacity.
Two years ago, Emma discovered she was the country’s first Black female sportswriter. By chance, or perhaps destined, she realised while several women worked at various papers, she had not come across anybody Black.
An initial harmless thought became a larger enquiry. After asking around, Emma found her breakthrough with the Sports Journalists’ Association: “Ron Shillingford found out that there was a Black woman, but she’d written for the local press.
“Nobody had written on the national press, so I was safe to say that I was the first one.”
Taking the sports industry by storm
The transition from working as a feature writer for The Voice’s Weekly Journal to The Observers’ sports desk came after an unlikely call from the BBC. Emma was asked to contribute to an episode of a BBC programme called ‘Women Talking’.
“They got various men in the public eye and women who didn’t know anything about that area. So non-experts to ask them non-expert questions.”
This time, it was Chris Eubank who had recently put Michael Watson in a wheelchair.
“I interviewed Chris Eubank and this is where the chutzpah comes in. Being in the right place at the right time. The chutzpah was after we’d finished filming, I went up to him and said look, I work for The Voice. Can I do an interview with you? And he said yes, sure.”
While sub-editing her piece, Richard Liston offered to send it to Alan Hubbard at The Observer. He loved it. Emma began freelancing for them even after securing a contract at The Mirror. Before long, they offered her a contract.
Grit, determination and “cheek” as Emma described it: “I had the cheekiness to ask Chris for an interview.”
The appeal of boxing, Muhammad Ali and greatness
Sports appealed to Emma, but boxing was her first love: “It’s the fight. It’s the grit. Maybe it’s part of my personality. That fight, that grit, that determination.”
Daughter to two sports fans, her earliest memory is watching Muhammad Ali on a small flashing black-and-white screen. Meeting him during an interview with his daughter Laila was special.
“Even as he was, frail with Parkinson’s, he still exuded this charisma. It was like a forcefield around him. You didn’t need to know that he walked into the amphitheatre because you felt the charge in the atmosphere.
“I feel like in every generation there are certain people born to carry greatness in whatever walk of life. And he was one of them.”
She mentions Martin Luther King and Bob Marley as two others destined to excel in their field.
“These people are put into their situations and they’re imbued with greatness and this excellence in the field they’re in. Sadly, the light doesn’t shine forever, but while it does, it brings people and Muhammad Ali was one of those people.”
Allyship in the sports media and the late Alan Hubbard
Muhammad Ali may have been that individual for her, but in the sports industry, Emma inherits that mantle. The honour of being the first Black female sportswriter is one thing, but in her field, Emma excels.
Winner of the Sports Writers’ Association’s Best Newcomer of the Year Award in 1995 and previously shortlisted for the British Press Awards, she is more than an inspiration for what she represents as an individual, but who she is as a writer.
That is what earned her the respect of the late Alan Hubbard at The Observer.
A Legend Passes: Alan Hubbard
Read here: https://t.co/hhN7K8mIk4 pic.twitter.com/wLCYyUUZe4
— Boxing News (@BoxingNewsED) June 14, 2023
When asked the importance of his support she said: “Number one. Absolutely crucial, fundamental, instrumental, vital to have Alan in my corner. Not only did he give me my first break, but the seed of the talent I had, he nurtured it.
“But I was protected as well. I was protected as well as having him [and The Observer team] in my corner.”
Racism, misogyny and the pitfalls of being a Black woman in the sports media
Alan and her co-workers at The Observer may have been welcoming. But as one of the first Black women in the industry, Emma has dealt with a few distasteful remarks over the years.
“One made a comment, just a passing remark. [He said] I expect you can get an interview with anybody. You’ve got a pretty face and was sort of looking at what I was wearing.
“Now, I would probably say something. But back then, I just let it go. If I picked up on everything that somebody said, I wouldn’t have gone very far,” she added.
The subtle microagressions were directed at her race as much as her gender: “I remember one person saying to me, why do you keep writing about Black stories? You don’t even look particularly like that.
“And there was a point where I thought, why can’t I just write about anything? But now that I look, there is a gap. So even though it felt at the time a bit limiting sometimes. There was a need.”
Conversations about diversity and those reluctant to engage with them
There is a need for these conversations. But who should be leading the charge on diversity and inclusion and how those less affected can contribute to the discussion remains contentious.
Regarding why some from non-ethnic backgrounds are hesitant to engage with these topics, Emma said: “Reluctance. Guilt. Embarrassment. Shame. Unacknowledged. They know it’s not right, but to give ground would mean losing ground. But that’s not actually the case.
“These conversations need to keep happening. You need to keep pushing.”
From young, Emma became aware of how her race and gender would shape her future prospects.
“My mother was a very educated, liberal white woman. Which put me in a very unique position of having somebody who knew how the other half thought.”
She added, “She said to me, it’s not right but it’s true. You will have to be not once, not twice, but three times better than your white counterparts to get just as far.”
Diversity in the sports media: The stats
Different now to when Emma was starting out is the emergence of data-driven analysis. In November 2024, The Black Collective of Media In Sport (BCOMS) hosted The D Word 5 Conference.
BCOMS works to increase the representation of underrepresented communities in the sports media. During the conference, they showcased the findings of their non-academic study that focused on industry representation in several sports.
It revealed that out of 215 roles in the written media, 12% of roles were filled by women. Only two of those were Black women.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Emma said. “It’s not about opinions. These conversations are even more important to have now because we’ve got the data to back it up.
“Don’t be intimidated by other people’s hedging or stone walling. Don’t let that intimidate you. Keep pushing the agenda.”
Female advancement undermined in a male-dominated arena
The data is there. Progress has been made. But still, sometimes it seems no matter their experience. No matter how far women climb in this industry, someone will always be there to set them back a couple of steps.
Recently, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan along with Mark Chapman were announced as the new Match of the Day presenters. Two well-established sports presenters, but both faced accusations of being diversity hires.
“People are always going to try and undermine other people.
“The fact that the BBC are putting two women in their top flagship sports show. The BBC does not take gambles. They will have done their research before taking that decision. It would not just be a box-ticking exercise.”
Emma added: “It’s because it’s going to drive viewers to the show. That’s why they’ve made that decision. People will try and undermine it and pick it apart, but that’s the fact.
“It says so much about the position of women’s sport, women’s football that the decision has been made.”
The grit, determination and chutzpah to achieve greatness
Still, in an industry constantly evolving. As a woman or woman of colour, it’s difficult to appreciate the advancements made. You find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others, aspiring to exist in a moment in time where you are taken for who you are, not what you represent.
Concerned with what comes next, you forget to just simply be.
However, Emma has trusted her talent to speak on her behalf: “I never sat there and thought I’m the only person [of colour]. I was too busy getting on with the job.
“The reason I was there and the reason my contract kept being renewed was because I was bringing new readers to the sports section.”
The growth of the WSL is similar. Women banding together and getting on with it. The talent displayed during the 2022 Euros and league has forced football boards to sit and discuss capitalising on the game. That alone is a testament of how far the game has come. How far women have come.
“Think of yourself as an athlete out on the track. They’re not looking left or right. They’re looking at the finish line. They’re not distracted by who else is out there, so don’t be intimidated.
“Don’t let anything intimidate you. Let your work and let your results speak for itself.”
That, in a nutshell, is Emma. The first Black female sportswriter but an award-winning feature writer, a storyteller and a pioneer in her field. Muhammad Ali may have taught her what greatness looks like, but she carries it in its rawest and most authentic form.
Perhaps it goes to show. To achieve true greatness in your field, all you need is grit, determination and a sprinkle of chutzpah.
