Butler’s Association for Women in Sports Media (B-AWSM) hopes to provide an open court to new members. Graphic by Anna Gritzenbach.
SOPHIE PURVIS | STAFF REPORTER | spurvis@butler.edu
Joining over 200 student organizations on campus, Butler’s Association for Women in Sports Media (B-AWSM) welcomes anyone who has an interest in the sports media industry.
B-AWSM aims to provide a support system and networking opportunities for women in the sports media industry.
Assistant professor of sports media Dr. Cynthia Chen emphasized that the club is intended for anyone curious about the topic, regardless of gender identity.
“I want to make it inclusive,” Chen said. “If you support women’s advancement in the industry, you’re welcome here.”
In 2021, Chen was inspired to start a group that supports women in the sports media industry after hearing about similar programs, including the national chapter of AWSM. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic caused AWSM to close its application process, so Butler was unable to apply for membership. At the moment, the club is not an official member of AWSM, but Chen mentioned that the group intends to apply for membership in the future.
“Eventually, we’ll be an AWSM chapter, but [for] now, we call ourselves B-AWSM [since] we can’t officially use their brand name,” Chen said.
B-AWSM aims to provide students with connections, networking opportunities and internships. The club’s senior advisory board is made up of students who have extensive knowledge and backgrounds in the sports media industry. They hope their wisdom will help women navigate the industry, make connections and develop essential skills, as well as have a support system.
Eva Hallman, a senior journalism and strategic communication double major, is a member of the senior advisory board, providing networking opportunities and vital connections. She expressed her excitement at the prospect of passing down essential industry knowledge to younger club members.
“We made a document of all of our networks that we have of women in sports, and it was two pages long,” Hallman said.
Hallman and her team hope their expansive industry connections will be their greatest asset to the club and its members. Hallman also highlighted the lack of women in the sports media industry. According to Chen, only 15% of professionals in the sports media industry identify as female.
Senior sports media major Cybil Stillson emphasized how lucky she feels to have had the opportunities and internships.
“I interned with the Colts this past summer, and it was an absolutely incredible experience, but I would look around the field and know how lucky I was to be one of the only girls,” Stillson said.
While the club is open to anyone, the board shared its hope to create a support system particularly for women. Opportunities for women in the sports media industry are oftentimes limited, and for new women in the field, finding internships, networking opportunities and making connections can be extremely challenging.
Senior sports media major Gaby Whisler hopes to provide a sense of community for new women in the sports media field by sharing her experiences and insights.
“I hope I can build a support system just by lending my knowledge to anyone who needs it,” Whisler said. “[I want to offer] advice when asked upon as well as just tell younger girls that it’s stressful at times, but you can get through it, and everyone here is here to help and support you on your journey at Butler and beyond.”
Beyond sharing experience and providing support, the club hopes to offer hands-on experience and bring guest speakers in the future.
“We really want to have people from any sports team come and talk to us, as well as doing workshops with resumes and interview tips, and seeing if we can go on-site to places like the [Indianapolis Motor] Speedway or Lucas Oil Stadium, just so we can actually get more hands-on experience as well,” Whisler said.
The Association for Women in Sports Media will hold its first official meeting this Thursday, Oct. 2, at 5:15 p.m. The meeting will be an opportunity to meet the senior advisory board and hear more about the club’s plans.
