BEYOND PLAYING on the pitch or on the hardcourt, athletes are constantly exposed to the world of sports media because of public fanfare. As a result, some athletes have gained a unique experience on the ins and outs of the sports media industry. With this, various athletes have seized the opportunity to carve out legitimate careers as sports journalists.

Among the athletes who have chosen to go in front of the camera is former Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team Captain Carla Lizardo, who has become a veteran courtside reporter and commentator for TV5’s One Sports.

Similarly, former Ateneo Women’s Football Team standout Martie Bautista has flourished as a podcast host for So She Did, a commentator for the Philippines Football League (PFL), and was Ateneo’s courtside reporter in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80.

While making the switch from collegiate athlete to media professional can be a difficult path, both women have fearlessly strutted their stuff in an industry where competition is tight and opportunities are limited.

For the love of the game

From being the subjects of media coverage to now covering the athletes themselves, the adjustment to working in front of the camera was an uphill climb for Lizardo and Bautista. Initially, both women were not drawn to careers in sports media which meant more preparation was needed from these former athletes. 

As an AB Communication fresh graduate, Lizardo was certain that she wanted to pursue a career in advertising. However, after a few months of working in the industry, she realized that she was not satisfied with the work she was doing.

“I was thinking what else can I do? I would want to do something in sports, so how do I do that? I can’t play badminton professionally because it’s very hard to do [that] here in the Philippines, so I thought of becoming a sportscaster,” the UAAP silver medalist shared.

However, getting a breakthrough in sports media proved to be a grueling process for Lizardo. In her first attempt to make a name for herself, Lizardo was rejected as a People’s Television Network sports reporter, and was assigned to be a morning show newscaster instead.

Undeterred by this setback, Lizardo finally got her big break when she auditioned and got accepted as a courtside reporter in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) with TV5 in 2014. The opportunity came about when Chot Reyes, her former professor and a TV5 executive at the time, urged Lizardo to audition for the role. Even then, it took years for Lizardo to make a name for herself in the industry.

Similar to Lizardo, Bautista’s path to a sports media career was riddled with challenges. As a long-term career was not initially in the cards for the former Lady Eagle, she took small gigs in media for the extra income. However, the Kaya Football attacker’s agent submitted her application to become Ateneo’s UAAP courtside correspondent, which earned her a response. Following a rigorous three-stage screening process that saw a pool of 500 people cut down to eight, she was given the nod as Ateneo’s courtside reporter for UAAP Season 80. 

From then on, numerous opportunities opened up for Bautista. Most recently, she got an opportunity to serve as a commentator for the PFL, where she revisited her football roots as she imparted her knowledge and experience to the fans. 

Although their careers in sports media were not part of their initial plans, both Lizardo and Bautista grabbed various opportunities that paved the way for their eventual success in the industry. 

Growing pains

En route to establishing successful careers in sports media, Lizardo and Bautista’s respective transitions from varsity mainstays to sports media personalities have been challenging. However, both women have managed to draw lessons from their respective experiences in life and in sports that have been invaluable to their journeys in sports media.

In her capacity as a former winner of Mutya ng Pilipinas 2010, Lizardo was no stranger to the spotlight. Although her experience as a beauty queen helped build her confidence in front of the camera, it also proved to be a stumbling block as critics boxed her into the beauty queen image. “It was a challenge for me when I entered sportscasting kasi I was super stuck in the beauty queen peg,” the former Lady Eagle lamented. “It was so hard for me to break out of it. I want to be taken seriously as a sportscaster, I want to build my credibility.”

However, as more women come into sports media, Lizardo shared that the industry’s inclusivity towards women has progressed since she began her career. Despite this, she insists that there is much work left to be done. “People tend to focus on looks. It’s actually very difficult to break out of the [looks over substance] stereotype,” she asserted.

Apart from the confidence Lizardo gained from beauty pageantry, the former beauty queen-turned-sportscaster has also utilized her experience in sports to empathize with athletes. She believes that through sportscasting, she is able to convey the true essence of a story. “It helps to have been an athlete because you know the questions to ask. You know what the athletes are feeling, and I feel like it’s a different bond,” she shared.

As for Bautista, she utilized her experience in football to find success in sports media. After working for a couple of years in the industry, the former Lady Eagle found that the level of competition and the need to think quickly in sports media is comparable to that of a football game. “I think that’s super important in sports broadcasting because, more often than not, sports broadcasters don’t have a script. You have to be very creative to be able to make a story on the spot,” she said.

Moreover, Bautista has steadfastly dedicated herself to relaying the narrative of athletes. “When I look at sports broadcasting, I [want to] share stories of these athletes [to make] them look like they’re not just poster people,” she stated.

Meanwhile, in terms of gender inequality issues such as lack of coverage, equity, or pay, Bautista aims to empower female athletes by amplifying their voice through her platform. “I think the future really is my focus for sports, especially women in sports. Trying to spread that [message] out across the country, I feel like that’s what the future will hold for me—my passion for thoroughly delivering [stories about] sports,” she shared.

Whether it be to give justice to a story or to amplify athletes’ voices, Lizardo and Bautista have strived to compassionately look at sports beyond the statistics. For them, sports media is and will always be about the person behind the athlete. 

Passing the torch

With their eyes eagerly set towards the future, Lizardo and Bautista hope that the sports media industry will continue to improve for generations to come. Their dream is for future journalists, sportscasters, and courtside reporters to freely pursue their love for sports through the media industry.

“Just go for [a career in sports media]! If you want to become a sportscaster, just work hard, do your research, and don’t be scared because you’ll grow along the way. As long as you have the passion for [sports], you can definitely find a spot in sportscasting [and sports media],” Lizardo shared.