Making it in a 'man's world'

In some ways, Linda Cohn has always stood out. She joined the boys' ice hockey team in high school and was the first full-time female sports anchor on a national radio network.

But it's not just Cohn's gender that made her a star.

Cohn made one thing clear during her lecture and book signing Tuesday night in the Student Union theater: While the barriers to success may be gendered, the grit and determination required to get there are not.

"Whether you're a guy or a girl, you should always feel like you have to kick butt," said Cohn.

Despite her high-octane personal philosophy, the "SportsCenter" anchor and author of a recent memoir was easygoing on stage, with a straightforward, disarming wit - aided, of course, by her near-celebrity status.

"It was really cool to see someone in person that I'd grown up hearing every morning in high school," said Viraj Godsay, a 2nd-semester pre-pharmacy major.

Mixing the intimidating gleam of professional sportscasting with a storyteller's intimacy, Cohn made the troubles of her career seem, in fact, no trouble at all.

A shy, reclusive youth - "Sports helped me get out of my shell," Cohn said - she grew up around her family's passion for sports, and in her junior year of high school tried out for the boys' ice hockey team. She didn't make it, but she turned some heads - and a year later, she tried again and succeeded.

"I told the coach, 'I'll never let you down' - and that became my driving point," Cohn said.

From there, Cohn's maxim applied to herself most of all; on the road from a lowly anchorship in New York, to a job at ABC, to her current position at ESPN, Cohn never let herself down.

More than anything, said Cohn, a burning interest in sports allowed her to succeed in the "man's world" of sports broadcasting. "I was just as crazy as the guys," said Cohn, noting her fervent, undying support for the New York Rangers.

In fact, said Cohn, the on-air part of broadcasting is losing its gender bias. "I don't think women are even part of the 'diversity' subject any more," Cohn said.

Cohn did note, however, that very few women have reached management.

In a way, though, Cohn's lecture was more than a look at diversity in the professional broadcasting world - it was a look at someone who deeply, passionately cares about sports.

Cohn bubbled with excitement merely recounting the story of her impromptu meeting with Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, and she still seemed blown away by the recent revelation of Alex Rodriguez's steroid use.

"She's really personable - she connected with students really well," said Jonny Schreiber, an 8th-semester English and political science major who was in large part responsible for Cohn's appearance at UConn. As a Community Assistant and representative of ResLife, Schreiber sought Cohn for her message, notability and, of course, suitability to UConn.

"Sports are big on campus and I think she had a really important message about gender equality," Schreiber said.

SUBOG sponsored Cohn's lecture along with ResLife.

"Our campus is big on sports, so we knew [Cohn] could attract a lot of attention," said Mike Carson, a 2nd-semester actuarial science major and member of the SUBOG Lecture Committee.

As she signed books outside the Theater doors, one might wonder what's next for the fast-moving Cohn - does she have any achievements she's still itching to grab?

"I don't think so," Cohn said. "I'm really happy just talking about sports."