Jenna Laine
Who or what inspired you to work in football?
Growing up in Tampa Bay, my love of football started when I was eight years old and saw Horace Copeland do a backup in full pads. I was a gymnast growing up, and I thought that was the coolest thing. When Tony Dungy came along and later Jon Gruden, and the Bucs were making their Super Bowl climb in 2002, it really solidified that this is what I wanted to do. That team had so many unique personalities—they were fun to follow and they had a heck of a defense. Then when I was a cheerleader at the University of South Florida, in between all the flipping around, I’d grab the sideline reporters’ and photographers’ business cards and stuff them into my shoes! I made so many lasting friendships there. The football coaches and players all encouraged me to pursue this despite there not being many female reporters at the time. I am so appreciative of them for that. Many I consider lifelong friends now.
What is the future of representation of women in the NFL?
(Part 1) I remember when I first started in this business in 2007 and I would see very few women at the Bucs’ facility. It was a lonely feeling. Same thing at the NFL Combine and the Senior Bowl. I connected with other women through the Association for Women in Sports Media, but we were scattered all across the country. Now I go to work and I see women everywhere and not just reporters—team ownership, front office, league office, coaches, trainers, agents, communications, legal departments, ticket sales. And then at ESPN, several editors, producers and folks I’ve reported to have been women. And it’s not a competition. We’re all friends. We all lift up and support one another. There is plenty of room at the table for us all.
What is the future of representation of women in the NFL?
(Part 2) But there’s still a ways to go. There are way too many women who look like me and not enough women of color. We need to make sure we’re removing barriers and creating pathways for Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and Pacific Islander women, along with the LGBTQIA+ community. We need to ensure women in sports can do their jobs safely and free of harassment. We also need to continue working towards women calling the shots and running NFL teams, and not just facilitating discussions between men but giving our opinions and analysis on radio and television and writing thought-provoking commentary.
How Do You Impact Your Team?
My goal is always to humanize every player, every coach and every front office member I cover. We see them on the field, we see the dazzling highlights they put up, but what’s behind that? Their stories matter. Who they are as people matters. I love X's and O's and the analysis of it, but I really love people, and I think we do our audiences and those we cover a disservice when we don’t focus on the human element of the sport. Few of us can relate to catching a game-winning touchdown or notching a game-clinching sack or interception. But we’ve all experienced successes and failures in our lives. For every victory, there are moments of doubt and uncertainty, heartbreak, hardship and tragedy. I think that stuff really resonates with people. My favorite stories to write have had little to do with football—Devin White losing his brother Jae Jae and dedicating his life to honoring him; Josh Robinson and his family’s journey towards adoption; Justin Watson’s special bond with his brother Tommy, who has cerebral palsy; William Gholston repaying the store clerk who once [helped him] when he ran out of gas and didn’t even have a bed to sleep in at night. And while Vincent Jackson’s death last month was very difficult for me to write about, as I covered Vincent his whole time here in Tampa, it was so important that people knew how he LIVED.