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June 9, 2020 By: Natasha Vukonich

10 of the most influential and badass women in sports: 7. Sarah Spain

Ah yes, the doyenne of owning it, whether that be her obsession with Chicago, the realities of being a woman on television, or her ability to present an argument that has you agreeing with her in under two minutes. This next badass woman reminds us that sports reporters, both men and women, are just fans at heart.

Similar to Mina Kimes and Katie Nolan, Sarah Spain was just a crazy sports fan whose passion and antics (unsurprisingly) caught the eye of sports media.

Sarah Spain

Back in 2007, when the Chicago Bears managed to make it to Super Bowl XLI, Spain, an avid fan without a ticket to the game decided to post an Ebay ad offering to be someone’s ‘date.’ Ax Body Spray caught wind of the auction, leading them to pay for Spain’s Super Bowl experience and launch a media campaign surrounding the concept.

Spain had had her first brush with celebrity and spent the next few years working with multiple sports websites, radio shows, and being a Big Ten Network sideline reporter.

By 2010 she joined ESPN 1000 in Chicago and became a writer for espnW.com.

Spain has been a part of several ESPN podcasts and in 2016 created her own podcast titled That’s What She Said. 2018 and 2019 included the addition of Izzy and Spainwith co-host Israel Gutierrez, along with Spain & Company, which features a rotating host. She is also a regular on ESPN’s Around The Horn, First Take, Highly Questionable, and the Dan Le Betard Show with Stugotz.

Spain has a dedication to educating and bettering the future of all female journalists, which we see in her reporting, writing, and activism. Spain speaks to the various struggles and acts of misogyny which female reporters, athletes, and even fans have to deal with. Her previous works include “Tom Failed Again? Blame Gisele! – Pinning men’s defeat on women”, “Calling out Osi & questioning the use of femininity as an insult” and the classic “Just say ‘No’ to pink- The unwritten rules of female sports fans”.

Seriously though, what’s up with the pink jerseys?

In 2016, Spain joined Chicago sports radio host Juli De Caro in a video entitled “More Than Mean”. The video featured ordinary men reading each of the degrading, sexist, threatening tweets actually directed at Spain and De Caro as they sat face-to-face with them. Its purpose was to highlight the rape threats, death threats, sexual harassment, and dark, unjust criticism that female reporters face for merely doing their jobs.

The extremely important and grossly relevant video gained the notoriety it deserved, winning a Peabody in the Public Service Category, Gracie Award, and CLIO Sports Award.

In 2017 Spain won the Deadline Club Award in sports reporting for her writing and work on the ESPN.com and E:60, “Runs in the Family”. The film, which told the story of Kansas City Chiefs running back coachDeland McCullough’s journey to find his biological parents, was also awarded a 2018 Sports Emmy.

When she isn’t writing about what should be changed in sports, she tells the stories that touch our hearts. The stories we don’t always hear about, but the important ones that bring us back to the belief that sports can change lives.

Spain isn’t just improving the world through her writing; she’s also taking action.

In 2013, with the help of her mentee, a high school student from Geneva, IL named Eliza Peters; Spain founded “Hear the Cheers.” Hear the Cheers, which has raised over $120,000, works to supply Chicago and Geneva – area youth athletes with hearing aids and other equipment necessary for competition.

She also sits on the auxiliary board for Embarc, a three-year program that provides low-income Chicago high school students with community-driven and experienced-based education. With so many socioeconomic obstacles facing young people today, Embarc provides the mentorship and learning opportunities necessary for students to not only survive, but also find success.

And of course she cares about animals! Spain has two dogs, an Australian cattle dog named Fletch and a pit bull mix named Banks. Both Fletch and Banks were rescued from different shelters in Chicago. Having two rescue dogs, one of which being a pit bull, Spain decided to begin heavily investing her time, money, and social media presence to dog rescue and Peace for Pits.

Peace for Pits is Spain’s favorite organization and the place she adopted Banks from, according to SarahSpain.com. Sarah and her husband have also fostered three other dogs for the group, which focuses on finding forever homes for the “bully breed”.

Some people may question why Sarah Spain made this list. My reasoning is simple: in the crowded field of sports and entertainment, Spain is arguably the most entertaining individual out there. People loved Muhammad Ali as much for his antics behind the microphone with Howard Cosell, as his skill in the ring with Joe Frazier. Fresh perspectives, entertaining bylines, and selfless philanthropy define Spain. She makes us all giggle, think and aspire to be a better person.

It’s impossible to calculate the odds against the success of our next female athlete, but read tomorrow’s Part 8 to find out why you should never bet against her.