Holly Rowe of ESPN joins Nestor to discuss the growth of women’s sports, highlighting the visit of the Indiana Fever and Caitlyn Clark to Baltimore, and discusses her cancer journey and giving back through programs with young athletes like the Good Works team raising over $300,000 for research.
Holly Rowe from ESPN discussed the growth of women’s sports, highlighting the success of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell. She praised the impact of social media on increasing visibility and fan interest, noting sold-out games and high ticket prices. Rowe also shared her personal journey as a stage four metastatic cancer survivor, crediting immunotherapy and clinical trials for her recovery. The conversation touched on the Allstate GOOD WORKS team’s efforts, including honoring Jamie Morris for raising over $300,000 for cancer research. Rowe emphasized the importance of supporting women’s sports and the positive changes in media coverage and fan engagement.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
WNBA Fever, women’s sports, cancer journey, Allstate GOOD WORKS, Jamie Morris, Caitlin Clark, immunotherapy, social media, Paige Bueckers, ticket prices, female athletes, clinical trial, cancer fundraisers, Baltimore positive, ESPN.
SPEAKERS
8
Nestor Aparicio, Holly Rowe
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home. We are W, N, S, T am 1570 task of Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. And I tell you what, we got a ladies sports story, but Caitlyn Clark was slated to be coming to Baltimore this week, and I thought it was just serendipity that Holly row from ESPN would be joining us here, on behalf of our friends at all state to talk about women’s sports, but more than that, Holly, first of I wish we had more time together. My wife is a two time leukemia survivor, so anytime I get a chance to talk about women cancer survivors, and we’ve all watched your battles, and it’s just a pleasure to have you aboard, even just for a few minutes here today to tell us about some good stuff going on with Lady sports and battling cancer?
Holly Rowe 00:44
Well, I appreciate that. I hope your wife is doing well, yeah, it’s it’s challenging when you’re in that battle. I’m a stage four metastatic survivor. It’s not a fun road to be on, but, but here we are, and we get to highlight some wonderful stories about women’s sports. And really, you will appreciate this, because you’ve seen when your family gets that diagnosis, it can be so devastating. And our all state GOOD WORKS team, our Allstate and act a good works team this year is honoring a young woman named Jamie Morris. She plays golf at Penn State got a scholarship. She’s done very well golfing in her career. Just graduated from Penn State University, but when she was in high school, her mom got a cancer diagnosis, and so she started a small charity golf tournament, you know, hoping to raise some money to help out with cancer and do something to help other families who received that diagnosis. Well, she’s now raised over $300,000 and so she’s our captain of our spring team. And it’s just really inspiring when you see people hit with a hard diagnosis, that they spring into action. And it’s not just about me, it’s like, how can I help other people who might experience this?
Nestor Aparicio 01:51
I think women’s sports, just in general, I do a lot with Title Nine we talk about I’ve been doing this for 35 years. I covered high school girls basketball in the 1980s to see how far all of it’s come. And we’ve had Caitlin Clark, now she’s injured, but was coming into Baltimore. I mean, tickets were expensive. It was a sold out affair. Just what women’s sports has been in your time, and we are contemporaries, you’re from Utah, and I’ve watched your career from from far away, but, but how far it’s really come for? You know, women in every sport, golf, college, everywhere, professional, to be involved in this and and pitch in.
8Holly Rowe 02:28
Yeah, it’s so cool for me because, you know, I remember we I’m obsessed with women’s sports. You know, I’m a frustrated wish I could have played athlete in college. And I just loved watching these women. And so every game that I go to right now, it is sold out. I just had a game day before yesterday, Nebraska versus Tennessee college softball. And tickets behind home plate were going for $468 a sold out softball stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Five days before that, I was doing a game for Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever at home, 17,000 sold out tickets going for $1,000 you know, it’s just crazy to me why this didn’t happen before? And obviously it’s because we just didn’t promote it, and the women just weren’t on TV the same way the men were all the all the things. But here we are now, and I love it that women are driving these ticket prices. They’re driving this interest. And I promise you, I know, I know Caitlin’s out. She’s got a quad injury. She’s probably going to be out about two weeks, but, but fans need to still go to that game and be excited, because the Indiana Fever. Have two other women that are three time WNBA Champions, and dejuna, Bonner and Natasha, Howard Kelsey Mitchell is worth the price of admission, their three point shooter for the Indiana Fever. And you know, the Washington mystics, they probably have the most exciting rookies in the country right now in Kiki area, fan and Sonia Citroen, those are the two front runners for rookie of the year, believe it or not. So I think it’s just an exciting time, and I love that your area can get out there and support women’s sports and see them in person.
Nestor Aparicio 04:02
Holly rose our guest of ESPN. She’s here on behalf of our friends at Allstate and their spring GOOD WORKS team. And this week with Caitlin Clark. I mean, we’re in Baltimore, Holly, they’re going to play this at CFG Bank Arena, this game this week, and, you know, their Washington team. But just sort of the outreach of all of this, and I go back to the the Women’s World Cup team now going on 30 years ago, right? And just how far all of this has come. But for you, being a female journalist, there was like a ceiling for him, and I was a sports writer 40 years ago as well. It felt like there was a ceiling for what women’s sports could be, or a perceived one for a long, long time,
Holly Rowe 04:39
yeah. And I, you know, it’s, it’s just, because that’s just how generations were and society was, of like, you know, the men’s sports get the coverage, and the male sports writer covers the men’s stuff. And I really think that social media has allowed it to be an even playing field. It’s more of a democracy. Fans get to decide what’s popular by what they click on on the. Internet by what they like on Instagram. And what we’re seeing is fans like the female athletes. They like the women. The women are getting bigger and better nil deals, in many cases, than the men right now. And I kind of love it, because it’s like we always knew it was good. We always knew these women were incredible. But now Now the the fans get to decide with their voices, with their clicks, with their pocketbooks, with the ratings, their eyes. You know, the fans get to decide what they want to see and and they want the women. And I love that, because it’s like, Okay, we are ready for something different. We’ve watched them in sports for all these years, and they’re still great, don’t get me wrong, but, but there’s more, and there’s other fun stories to tell and athletes to talk about. You know, Paige Beckers, for example. Paige is a member of our all Saint NACTA GOOD WORKS team. She was on the winter team for all of her good work in the Yukon community in her hometown of Hopkins, Minnesota. And now Paige is in the WNBA. She’ll be coming to your area soon to play the Dallas wings against the Washington mystics. So it’s fun to get to know these young people and what they’re doing, but even more so, because they’re just incredible off the field. All
Nestor Aparicio 06:06
8right, all the stuff aside, most important, how are you doing? How are you feeling? You ask about my wife. Now I’m going to ask about you.
Holly Rowe 06:12
Yes, I’m doing very well. I’ve just had good scans. You know, we live in the world of scans, and you you just go in for your scans. And as you probably know, with your wife, it’s a very stressful time, because you never know it’s going to be a good scan or a bad scan. But I’m having great scans. I’m doing well. My my treatment, I got on immunotherapy that really helped save my life. So I’m very grateful to the research that’s been done, because cancer treatments are changing and are evolving. So I’m I’m a kind of a walking miracle. I got in a clinical trial, and it has saved my life. So I’m grateful to be here talking to you today.
Nestor Aparicio 06:47
Well, a man in in Gelson Kirchen, Germany, saved my wife’s life twice in 2014 and 15. So she’s a miracle in here. Lots of miracles out there, including Holly row. She’s here on behalf of our friends at all state. They have a spring GOOD WORKS team, and they’re doing good works out there for cancer fundraisers, just like we try to do around here. Holly, come back. Stay, stay a little longer. We’ll talk about Utah hockey next time we get together. Oh,
Holly Rowe 07:10
I love it. Utah hockey club. They’re rock and roll. I guess they’re the mammoths now, but I love it. I went to games, and they’re fun. We’ll we’ll talk again another time. Thank you for having me. Nestor,
8Nestor Aparicio 07:18
thanks for coming on, Holly row from ESPN, and the worldwide leader joining us here on behalf of all state, I’m Nestor. We are W N, S T am 1570 Towson, Baltimore, and we never stop talking women’s sports and Baltimore positive. You.
