
Fox Sports, Big East Celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day With All-Female Crew Prior to the Villanova-Marquette basketball game, festivities will include a women's breakfast, leadership panel By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Today is National Girls & Women in Sports Day, and Fox Sports and the Big East Conference are teaming up on a special initiative: front-of-camera and back-of-house crews for tonight's women's basketball game between nationally ranked Villanova and Marquette on FS2 will be staffed entirely by women. The occasion will highlight not only the two programs on the hardwood but also the abundant opportunities for women in sports-video production.
It's a chance for us to show the next generation that, if you want to be involved in sports, it doesn't have to be just as the athlete or the coach on the sideline, says Kristin Hennessey, producer, Syracuse University Athletics, who will be at the front bench for tonight's broadcast. It's also an opportunity for those who have been established in this business to let others know that their efforts are appreciated.
The matchup between Villanova and Marquette will feature an all-women production and operations team at Villanova's Finneran Pavilion.
Continuing Concept: Building on a 2020 All-Female Broadcast Although Wednesday night's broadcast will be national, it isn't the first one involving Hennessey and Big East Senior Associate Commissioner, Broadcasting, Scott Hecht. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ACC Network Extra presented a women's basketball game between Georgia Tech and Syracuse University, where Hecht was executive producer/director, production department. The endeavor was orchestrated by an all-female broadcast crew, and, though not as extensive as tonight's all-female production and operations crew, it set the foundation for the bigger effort three years later. And Hecht and Hennessey's rapport and chemistry have proved useful this time around.
[Fox Sports] asked me for recommendations on who to produce this show, Hecht says. There was only one person I could think of. Kristin is the perfect person to produce this show for a multitude of reasons, but the one thing that I'll be able to do on this show that I didn't in the last one is provide Kristin with some more elements to utilize within the broadcast.
The talent and front-bench team sitting courtside. (From Left): Meghan Caffrey, Kim Adams, Kristin Hennessey, Bonnie Reilly, and Sloane Martin
Hennessey sees the logistics and scheduling as optimal in making the 2020 production a noteworthy moment. Tonight, the occasions surrounding the game have allowed her to bring together an experienced team of women who know how to do their jobs at a high level.
The schedule [three years ago] worked out to where our entire front bench was going to be female, and we took it from there, she says. This is totally different because it's centered on National Girls & Women in Sports Day and the fact that the Big East is celebrating Title IX this year. Those tie-ins give us the ability to make this bigger than just a broadcast and pointing out women that are working in it.
Amplifying the Message: Bringing Female Empowerment to Center Stage With the network and conference on board, the next step was expanding the publicity about the game's importance. Leveraging the influence of both Villanova and Marquette as institutions as well as their athletic programs, the Big East came together with both schools to create the programming surrounding the production.
Both programs have been wonderful to work with, says Nicole Early, senior associate commissioner, marketing and external affairs, Big East Conference. There's the broadcast, and then there's the event around it. Whether you're watching on TV, following on social, or sitting in a seat [in the venue], you're going to be able to see that everything is pointed towards supporting women in the industry.
The Women Leaders in Sports panel in the Fitzgerald Club at Finneran Pavilion.
With support from Villanova Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Athletics Administrative Officer/Senior Women Administrator Lynn Tighe and Associate Athletic Director, Marketing, Janine Shao, the day began at Villanova's Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women's Leadership with a breakfast featuring all 13 women's athletics programs. At 4 p.m. ET in the Fitzgerald Club at Finneran Pavilion, executives from around the industry will participate in a Women's Leadership panel. Moderated by Fox Sports Analyst Kim Adams, the panel will feature NBC Sports Chief Financial Officer Christine Dorfler, Playfly Sports Properties President Christy Hedgpeth, Women's National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Terri Jackson, and Philadelphia 76ers COO Lara Price.
Sidelines Storyteller: Reporter Meghan Caffrey's Journey to Tonight's Assignment Another integral player in the production will be Sideline Reporter Meghan Caffrey. A graduate of Penn State University, she has served in various positions throughout her career: student sideline reporter for Big Ten Network and anchor and executive producer at WPSU during her college years, reporting on local sports in the Lehigh Valley for nearly two years after graduation, a producer runner for Fox Sports' MLB and NFL properties. The journey has given her perspective, but the passion that has brought her to the role of sideline reporter and host of various conference shows, including Big East Fastbreak, was forged in childhood.
I was a dancer, mostly in ballet, but I always wanted to get into sports and storytelling, she says. Growing up, I loved watching games
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
09/09/2026
Sony Electronics has announced the SEL814G, the company's first fisheye zoom G Lens for full-frame Alpha E-mount cameras. The lens will be available in Octo...
09/09/2026
Telestream has announced an expansion of its Practical AI capabilities across th...
09/09/2026
Haivision and Chyron have announced a technology partnership integrating Haivisi...
09/09/2026
Omaha Productions has released ManningCast: Heist, a short film featuring Peyton and Eli Manning attempting to break into NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's o...
09/09/2026
Imagine Communications will demonstrate the next evolution of XVR at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14).
XVR is Imagine's channel-in-a-b...
09/09/2026
swXtch.io has announced abbe, an AI-based orchestration layer for live media workflows, making its world premiere at IBC2026 (Meeting Room 5.MR13, Hall 5, Septe...
09/09/2026
NFL Films has announced the second season of Inside the NFL on X as an X Original, premiering Wednesday, September 9. The series marks Inside the NFL's 50th...
09/09/2026
LiveU has announced an expanded partnership with The Associated Press, deploying the largest fleet of LU900Q intelligent production units in the industry as par...
09/09/2026
Diversified has announced plans to consolidate its four existing New Jersey locations into a new facility in Newark, expected to be fully operational by the end...
09/09/2026
Wisycom will exhibit new RF products at IBC2026 (Stand 8.D60, September 11-14), including the MATF Wideband Antenna Matrix, PFL Portable RF over Fiber Box, and ...
09/09/2026
Guntermann & Drunck (G&D) and VuWall, both Panoptec companies, will introduce vsNEO at IBC2026 (Stand 8.B63, September 11, RAI Amsterdam). Pre-orders open in ea...
09/09/2026
Mo-Sys has completed a business restructuring and relocated to a new facility in Canada Water, London. As part of the reorganization, Selin Kemal has been promo...
09/09/2026
Aicox has integrated TAG Video Systems' Core monitoring platform into Telef nica's TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure....
09/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has released DaVinci Resolve 21.1, a free update available now through the Blackmagic Design website. The release adds new AI tools, workflow ...
09/09/2026
ESPN and Apple Music have announced a collaboration on music curation for Monday...
09/09/2026
Sacramento Production Services has completed a wireless audio overhaul at Sutter Health Park, home of the Athletics during their three-year residency in Sacrame...
09/09/2026
NDI and NVIDIA have announced a collaboration to develop AI-powered workflows enabling broadcasters to create and distribute multilingual content from a single ...
09/09/2026
Christopher Chip Adams, Troy Aikman, Jim Dove, Jim Eady, Bucky Gunts, Robert A. Iger, Charlie Jablonski, Robert Kraft, Tom Rinaldi, and Dick Stockton to be ho...
09/09/2026
ND2 returns as the primary unit, While FNIA gets SSQC and new flexible Rover...
09/09/2026
New parts aimed at hip-hop and pop productions
The latest update to Celemony's innovative virtual session musician expands the collection of built-in in...
09/09/2026
Save up to 40% until 21 September 2026
Sonarworks are currently running their Autumn Sale, with discounts of up to 40% currently available across their rang...
09/09/2026
Upcoming title officially launches in September 2026
Bjooks' celebrations for this year's 909 Day will be welcome news amongst drum machine lovers, ...
09/09/2026
NITV to bring First Nations netball to audiences nationwide
9 September, 2026
Media releases
Every match of the 2026 First Nations Tournament will be live ...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
09/09/2026
Italy launch follows UK and Germany as Nielsen expands product across EMEA
Milan, Italy, September 9, 2026 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, ...
09/09/2026
Planned solutions tackle accuracy, cost and latency barriers to deploying AI at ...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, introduces its new Model 791 Control Console at IBC 2026 (N...
09/09/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects and visualization, is headin...
09/09/2026
NUGEN Audio unveils DialogCheck v1.2, the latest evolution of its intelligent dialog intelligibility and compliance tool, at IBC 2026 (Pod P27). With a sharpene...
09/09/2026
Trusted Partner Network Launches Fix It or Risk It to Help the Entertainment Industry Tackle Everyday Security Risks
Industry-Wide Campaign Launches at IBC2...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
AI has moved firmly beyond experimentation in UK advertising, with more than eight in ten marketers (83%) now actively using or piloting AI in production, accor...
09/09/2026
IBC2026 - Stand 7.D22
At IBC2026, Pixitmedia by DataCore will showcase its latest capabilities designed to simplify distributed production, accelerate workflow...
09/09/2026
Stockholm, Sweden September 9th, 2026 At IBC2026, on booth 1.B47, Net Insight will showcase Open Live Media, its architecture for delivering resilient live ...
09/09/2026
Net Insight today announced that DMC Production Norway is continuing the use of its Open Live Media technology for premium European football, deploying Nimbra 5...
09/09/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, will showcase four new AI-native capabilities at IBC2026, Hall 5, S...
09/09/2026
Limecraft today announces version 2026.6 of its AI-powered production platform, extending capabilities for connected media operations. An AI-assisted approach t...
09/09/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of its Practical AI strategy, evolving its comprehensive portfoli...
09/09/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the appointment of Brian Doheny as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
09/09/2026
LiveU is now a Clarus Integrated Reseller, bringing Starlink's fast, reliable broadband directly into LiveU's cellular bonding EcoSystem through a singl...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Wisycom is showcasing the latest additions to its ecosystem of professional RF technologies at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.D60). This includes its new MATF Wideband Anten...
09/09/2026
AMSTERDAM, IBC2026 VisualOn, Inc. and Cires21 today released an updated joint whitepaper at IBC 2026 demonstrating measurable, high-impact improvements in visu...