Byline: Patricia Babcock
For a sports radio station whose proud slogan used to be, 'It's a guy thing,' this employee certainly strays from the company philosophy.
Consider it. A reporter from the SCORE bringing homemade muffins to the press box before every Bears game? Exchanging beauty secrets with fellow reporters, talking baby stuff with baseball players? Who can fathom it in such a macho world?
Well, Julie Swieca can. And her softer approach to sports has helped her score major coups at the SCORE (WSCR 1160-AM), where she's the station's only female on-air personality. At just age 26, Swieca covers every professional sports team in town, including the Bulls during their title run against the Utah Jazz. She does some in-studio work, but mainly she's out in the field interviewing athletes. After big games, she'll even provide first-hand analysis to the station's hosts and callers.
'I think being a woman in this profession can be tough sometimes because it is still very much a good ol' boys club,' said Swieca, who grew up in Mount Prospect before moving to Arlington Heights, where she went to high school at St. Viator. 'But it can have its advantages too. I think I sometimes get interviews that the guys don't get simply because I often take a more human interest in the people I cover.
'I mean, if I know some player's wife is pregnant, I'll be the first to ask him how she's doing, stuff like that. I don't just charge up to the guys for a quote and then leave. I like to develop a rapport with them. I'll ask them about themselves. I think athletes really appreciate that.'
Likewise, Swieca appreciates having other women in the field whom she can count on for support. Although there are just a handful of female journalists in town and WMAQ SportsHuddle co-host Peggy Kusinski is the only other woman on the Chicago sports radio dial, Swieca says its reassuring to have at least one other woman around when she's on the job.
'That really helps,' Swieca said. 'I'm friends with a lot of the female reporters in Chicago. Like when (Chicago Tribune reporter) Melissa Isaacson was pregnant, I gave her a new lipstick in a shade of mine that she really liked just to cheer her up. A lot of us have kind of bonded like that. We're all allies.'
Especially in the locker room. Swieca admits that she hasn't had many problems with athletes in the locker room, but on the few occasions she has, she was the only female reporter around.
'The locker room is a very awkward setting, especially if you're the only woman in there,' Swieca said. 'I remember how (former Bears fullback) Craig Haywood would always give me such a tough time. And once, I was waiting to talk to someone in the Cleveland Indians' clubhouse and these two guys were sitting there laughing and talking about me in Spanish. I knew enough Spanish to know that what they were saying wasn't very nice.
'But there are good guys, too. Last season when he was still with the St. Louis Cardinals, Ozzie Smith went out of his way to be helpful and gracious with me. After one game, I was the only reporter in the clubhouse and I couldn't find one of the players I was looking for. He looked all over and helped me find him. That went a long way with me.'
Swieca, meanwhile, has come a long way in the four years she has worked at the SCORE.
After graduating from Northwestern in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in speech, Swieca almost immediately landed a job at the station. She started as just a part-timer, though. And most of the time, her job entailed behind-the-scenes work like producing shows, doing research and splicing tapes. She didn't sign her first full-time contract for on-air work until June of 1997.
'I did not start at the top at all,' said Swieca, who got most of her radio experience working for Northwestern's student station, WNUR. By her senior year, she became the station's first female sports director.
'I really had to work my way up,' she said. 'And sometimes it got frustrating waiting (for a full-time job offer). But I'm glad I was patient. Now, I'm on the radio in the third largest market in the country and I get paid to cover athletes like Michael Jordan. My job can be tough, but I can honestly say that I love it.'
Even when she gets those inevitable nasty voice mails. One on-air mistake and they seem to pour in faster than you can say testosterone.
'One time, a guy left this message that said, 'Go cover the broads in the French Open. Women don't know anything about real sports,' ' Swieca said. 'Our listeners are much more likely to criticize me than our male reporters if they make a mistake. So I just have to make sure that I'm 10 times better to get that respect.'
Like it or not, in sports, it's a girl thing.
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One of the guys: There may be no women's professional hockey league for her to play in, but Team Canada center Hayley Wickenheiser will get a crack at the big leagues anyway.
Last week, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Bob Clarke invited her to take part in the team's prospects camp in late July. The camp will be comprised of players selected in the NHL entry draft as well as those who have been selected in recent drafts but who have not yet turned pro.
'It's a great opportunity to challenge myself,' Wickenheiser said. 'I just couldn't turn (Clarke) down.'
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More Barbie: Shortly after announcing plans for the distribution of WNBA basketball Barbie, Mattel has now created a women's World Cup soccer Barbie, which will be available later this year.
The spokesperson for the new doll, which will be clad in soccer attire, will be American star Mia Hamm.
Patricia Babcock's column normally appears on Saturdays. You may contact her at (847) 427-4454 or via e-mail at pbabwatch@aol.com
