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ESPN is the biggest sports media brand and they employ some of the best sports minds. While the staff is mostly male, the female employees are the true standouts. One being Jemele Hill who is this week’s spotlight. Hill’s popularity is seemingly at its peak now with the show, “His & Hers” which is where most people get a chance to hear Hill’s opinion on the biggest stories in sports.
Hill became interested in journalism in high school. Her world would change when she started working for the Detroit Free Press for six weeks. Her love of journalism would only snowball from there and Hill attended Michigan State where she received a degree in journalism with a minor in Spanish.
Besides her taste of journalism in high school, Hill’s first job was as a general sports writer for the Raleigh News & Observer. In 1999, Hill returned to Michigan and the Detroit Free Press. She covered Michigan State’s football and basketball teams for six years. From 2005-2006, she was employed by the Orlando Sentinel before finally landing her job at ESPN in 2006.
She started off as a national columnist before transitioning to the television personality that has made her famous. Even though His and Hers is by far her biggest venture, Hill has appeared on “SportsCenter”, “Outside The Lines” and “The Sports Reporters”. She is also the former host of First Take where she was part of a group of moderators on the show. Hill and her “His & Hers” co-host, Michael Smith, also have their own podcast appropriately titled His & Hers.
Hill has received many accolades for her sports writing. In 1998, she received the North Carolina Press Association Award for sports features. In 2007, she received The Rising Star Alumni Award From Michigan State’s College of Communication. She was the first person to receive the Van McKenzie Cup. The Van Mckenzie Cup is given in honor of Van Mckenzie, a groundbreaking sports editor and is awarded to a “seminar participant or faculty member who best exemplifies the journalistic qualities embraced by McKenzie.” Hill was employed by McKenzie when she worked for the Orlando Sentinel and she credits him as some of the reason why she was hired at ESPN.
ESPN has given Hill a much bigger platform that she uses to her advantage. As the co-host of “His & Hers”, she doesn’t try to shy away from normally “controversial” topics and isn’t afraid to disagree or speak her mind. She would be suspended once for making comments about Boston Celtics fans, but Hill still has no problem saying exactly how she feels.
Her attitude is something rare in the media today. She is fearless in saying exactly what she thinks. She isn’t being blantanly rude or disrespectful; she is expressing her opinion and doesn’t care if you like it or not. Jemele Hill is going to be Jemele Hill whether you like it or not.
