There's a lot of misconception on who is the first black woman in sports broadcasting because a lack of acknowledgment. Although Robin Roberts became a well-respected ESPN sportscaster in 1993, Jayne Kennedy made her national debut much earlier. Kennedy was talked about more for her accomplishments as a beauty pageant winner, however the fact still stands that in 1978 she became a co-host on NFL Today. Kennedy would now be the second beauty pageant queen to join a national network, following Phyllis George. According to the Chicago Tribune, the two women received public criticism from people in the sports industry. "They set women in TV sports back 20 years,'' ESPN announcer Mike Patrick said of George and Kennedy, the first two women to work on national sports shows, both on CBS-TV`s ''NFL Today," (Chicago Tribune, 1987).
“A lot of people cringe, but Jayne Kennedy was one of the first African-American women to have that visibility. "
-Pam Oliver
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