The Sport, Media, and Culture minor provides its students with many opportunities to apply their learning in the classroom to a range of academic disciplines and professional experiences. Hear how they have made a mark in their studies.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Maria Wainscott '24, an American Studies major and Sport, Media, and Culture minor, has taken knowledge from her SMAC classes and extra-curricular experiences to write her American Studies senior thesis. Advised by Dr. Katherine Walden, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of American Studies, Wainscott's thesis, Storytelling the Storytellers: Examining Gender, Workplace, and Hope in the Industry of Female Sideline Reporters of American Football, explores the the untold story of female sideline reporters. Wainscott herself has been a Sideline Producer for NBC Sports and Peacock for just over two years, and has worked alongside a couple of NBC's sideline anchors covering Notre Dame and B1G football programs.
"My thesis focuses on the small, exclusive, competitive and highly talented subset of women sports reporters that cover the most lucrative sport in the world: American football. They are an integral part of the mainstream broadcasts, bringing unique and interesting storylines about athletes’ family ties, life-changing moments, successes and failures," notes Wainscott.
Through conducted interviews and archival research, Wainscott hopes to not only amplify the contributions of female sideline reporters, but to further draw attention to gender inequities in sports media. Her addition to the American Studies literature seeks to highlight an untapped sector in scholarly sports research.
"I am grateful to my thesis advisor, Professor Katherine Walden, and to Director of the SMAC Minor, Professor Annie Coleman, for inspiring me to follow my passion to write about this sports-related issue from an American Studies perspective and to offer hope through a social justice lens."
Wainscott intends to finalize her research in the next month and will present her findings at American Studies Thesis Writers Night on April 17, 2024.
Story by Claire DeMeo '24, Sport, Media, and Culture Minor Student Communications Assistant