Behind the Post: Izabela Gage and Women in Sports and Journalism

By Izayah Morgan

Opinions Editor

By Izabela Gage

Editorial Staff

Izayah: Hey, how are you? Like, seriously, my friend?

Izabela: I am doing well. I got four hours of sleep and just had a delicious lunch, and now I’m here. How are you? 

Izayah: Well, I got a full night’s rest. I’m excited to talk to you about women in journalism and women in sports. Can I ask what got you into sports journalism?

Izabela: I originally got into sports about four years ago - probably my junior year of high school - because of my best friend, who works as a sports photographer. I didn’t really consider sports journalism as an option as a career until I joined The Gatepost freshman year of college, and no section really spoke to me other than sports.

Izayah: You’re breaking my heart - not even the opinions section?

Izabela: Not to break your heart, as I have since written opinion pieces. But in all seriousness, sports really stuck out to me as the most inviting section. From there, I just fell in love with sports writing and photography.  

Izayah: You’re a whole junior now. From what I’ve seen, you have grown up, not just in the physical sense, going from 18 to 20, but mentally, your mind is sharper than it’s ever been. Did you ever think you would be in this position today?

Izabela: Absolutely not. I think joining freshman year,
I didn’t even know if I would be able to do it. I was so convinced that sports writing was like a skill that I would never understand or be able to learn. 

But everyone was so naturally supportive. They pushed me to be a better writer and to expect the best for myself. Just writing about sports, going to games, and doing interviews was just so heartwarming - it was the best experience. 

Izayah: It sounds like it’s been a really positive experience for you, and I love that.

Whether you were going to games, writing, or trying to get interviews from people, did you ever face any challenges? If so, were those just challenges, or were those challenges tied to the fact that you’re a woman in sports writing?

Izabela: FSU has a great community when it comes to sports, and there’s no stereotype of someone not being able to do something because of their gender. The Gatepost has been more than inclusive when it comes to women’s sports, and our sports section has always been heavily influenced by women. 

But that doesn’t mean everyone in the FSU community is always the nicest to women working in sports. 

There was one sports writer last year who actually told me and my colleague, verbatim, that we wouldn’t be able to make it in the sports world without his help, and unless we were covering Caitlin Clark 24/7, we would not make it in the sports world. 

He graduated last year, so he was older and making these claims, when he had only been working as a sports writer for that semester, whereas my colleague and I had been on it for a while - I’d been on it for about a year and a half, and she had been on it for about a semester and a half at this point. 

The hardest thing was hearing it at 19 and 18 years old, respectively. That’s the harshest reality check I think we'd gotten by a man in the sports field at this point in our careers.

Izayah: Wow, I didn’t even know that happened. I’m sorry, truly. To have the ego, after only one semester in sports journalism, is outrageous. You both were doing this for so long - the disrespect.

Izabela: Yes, and I doubt if we were male, he would have reacted that way.

Izayah: True, and that’s a segway into my last topic, women’s sports.

I've been actually watching the WNBA more than the NBA, which is something I would never have thought in my youth. I see it in many comment sections of WNBA videos. There will always be somebody talking about that - women deserve less pay, or they deserve the terrible inequalities that they face. 

Almost the mentality of, “It's a boy’s club, and we want to prevent women from entering that space.”

Izabela: Women who work in sports are scrutinized so much worse than men are. On their appearance, their personality, or even their behavior, whether or not they’re too emotional or too dramatic.

They’re always going to question women far more than they do men. And even outside of sports journalism - just in the sports world, just in society.

I've seen so many people on social media try to ask or speculate about the sexualities of some of the WNBA players or PWHL players - it's always at the forefront of people's minds.

Izayah: What advice do you have for the women trying to break into that domain?

Izabela: If you deserve a seat at the table, you’re going to get a seat at the table, and you’re going to be there for a reason. No matter how many men are trying to steal your seat from you, if you work hard enough to get there, that’s what matters. 

You deserve your seat at the table.