The reintroduction of spotlight calls for an awesome lady to boot. This week’s SportsAsToldByAGirl spotlight is Mina Kimes. Kimes is an ESPN reporter and extremely talented writer who had an unlikely road to stardom. She’s also known for appearing on multiple different ESPN shows including Around the Horn and Highly Questionable.
Fast Facts about Mina Kimes:
- Though she’s a well-known name in the sports industry, she got her start working as a business journalist. She has previously written for Fortune and Bloomberg.
- She’s a die-hard Seattle Seahawks fan and that’s the reason why she actually was offered a job at ESPN.
- The offer came after Kimes posted an essay entitled “Me, My Father, and Russell Wilson” on her Tumblr. The essay was about her relationship with her father and their connection to football, especially during the Seahawks 2014 season. It’s powerful, emotional and a worthwhile read. You can read it via a post on Slate.
- She was quick to write about the Ray Rice domestic violence incident including questioning the NFL’s decision, speaking to other women and generally, helped to open up the conversation on a broader spectrum.
- In addition to being a fabulous writer, Kimes has hosted and been featured on a lot of different ESPN podcasts including Morning Roast, The Nickel Package, and Doubletruck Stories. She’s basically a Jill-of-all-trades for ESPN and leaves an impression everywhere she goes.
The main reason I picked Kimes as this week’s spotlight is that she’s extremely outspoken on Twitter. Kimes has been extremely supportive of the NFL players’ national anthem protest especially Seattle’s, and is always quick to take down her trolls while also being supportive of other writers and their work. She’s truly a sports media darling from the way she writes, her sense of humor and her amazing use of gifs.
Obviously, a spotlight wouldn’t be complete unless I included some of her work. These are some of my personal favorites and ones I’d highly recommend you read.
The Bennett Brothers vs. Everyone: The first article I read by Mina Kimes and it made me fall in love with the Bennett Brothers. She paints an awesome picture of two brothers who love the game but also includes their other interests. It gives you an inside look at the Bennetts especially how funny they are so it’s a must-read especially if you’re a fan of the Seahawks or Packers.
How Skylar Diggins is building a brand that transcends the WNBA: It includes a day in the life of Skylar Diggins, the WNBA star, and more importantly, the brand. She talks about all the sponsorships Diggins has and how she hopes to become more than a WNBA player. It’s an awesome look at an underrated and under covered sport in the mainstream media.
The Search for Aaron Rodgers: I’d argue this is her most well-known article. An inside look at one of the best NFL QBs ever, Kimes invited Rodgers into her home where they talked about everything from football to religion to his family, the media and even, the protests. It’s an unprecedented look at one of the best NFL QBs of our generation and includes a lot of insight into the man holding Green Bay’s hopes on his shoulders.
If you haven’t heard of Mina Kimes, what are you doing with your life? Just kidding, but she embodies everything spotlight is. She’s fierce, ambitious and talented, a winning combination that ESPN snatched up when they had the chance. She hasn’t looked back since and is slaying the sports media world one day at a time.
If you haven’t read any of Kimes’ work, do yourself a favor and check her out. You could also follow her on Twitter where she’s extremely active and always fun. As the first lady, I’m spotlighting with this new format, she’s truly a queen in her own right.
