W
hen Mary Byrne gets the question that is common in her profession — “What’s it like to be a woman working in sports?” — she responds by crediting her parents with encouraging her to set goals without regard to gender.
Mary
Byrne
USA TODAY SPORTS
“It never occurred to me that it would be an issue,” said Byrne, managing editor of USA Today Sports. “I’m familiar with the history, but I never questioned that this was something I could do. My dad taught me how to throw a curve ball, so I came of age with those opportunities, and it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t have them.”
Byrne did not start out in sports. She was on the copy desk at a Miami Herald bureau when an editor there suggested she make the move. That started her along a path that led to the Olympics editor job at USA Today, and then to The Associated Press as deputy sports editor. Byrne returned to USA Today Sports in her current role in 2012. She is slated to serve as president of Associated Press Sports Editors in 2015-16, becoming only the third woman to hold the position.
“When I left [USA Today], I was always the one in the room saying I wanted USA Today to stand up and be the big boy in the room, and I didn’t feel like we were doing that,” Byrne said. “We’re this huge national brand, but we really didn’t act like it. I came back because I was offered the chance to lead sports and put my money where my mouth was and walk the walk.”
— Bill King
