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Meg Aronowitz is not solely responsible for the prime slots that women’s sports recently have gained on ABC and ESPN’s schedule, including a long overdue decision to move the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament final to broadcast television.
But ever since Aronowitz helped launch ESPNU in 2005, she has been a tireless advocate for women’s sports inside ESPN.
She is most closely associated with college softball, having led ESPN’s production of the sport for nearly two decades. ESPN carried just six regular-season softball games in the early 2000s. Thanks largely to Aronowitz’s advocacy, that has grown to nearly 200.
Aronowitz was skeptical when her boss, Stephanie Druley, asked her to oversee gymnastics in 2013. As Aronowitz put it, “I can’t even do yoga. I’m not sure I can oversee the sport of gymnastics.”
But when she got to her first event — a Friday night Georgia-Alabama match in Tuscaloosa’s Coleman Coliseum — she instantly saw potential, given the packed arena and pyrotechnics. “I just stood there as they went through the first rotation, thinking to myself, this is television gold,” she said. Aronowitz occasionally has convinced her bosses to carry gymnastics competitions on college football Saturdays when there is space in the schedule.
“I am definitely not quiet,” she said. “If you talk with my previous boss, Amy Rosenfeld, or my current one, Stephanie Druley, they would tell you that I’m always challenging them with giving me the opportunity to prove that it will work, and we’ll make it work.” — John Ourand
Meg Aronowitz
Vice President, Production, ESPN
Born: Bayonne, N.J.
Education: Emory University, B.A., history
Family: Spouse, Christy Thomaskutty; dogs, Bryant and Summit (the beagle twins, 2½ yrs)
More about Meg
Guilty pleasure: Hallmark Christmas movies.
Year’s greatest challenge: The biggest professional challenge I faced this year was contracting COVID the day before the NCAA softball postseason started. I was very sick through the conference tournaments and the NCAA Regionals. Then had to fight through my recovery during the Super Regionals and the Women’s College World Series. The positive outcome is that my team stepped up and in, and it was a great feeling as a leader to know they were ready for the challenge.
My leadership style is inspired by … : Rosalyn Durant.
Proudest professional achievement: I have played a fairly significant role in launching three college networks at ESPN — ESPNU, 2005; SEC Network, 2014; ACC Network, 2019. I don’t believe there are many who can say they have helped launch three networks.
Change I’d make related to women working in sports: There is still a stigma that we are in the room to fulfill a quota. I would eradicate the stigma, and allow every woman to let their body of work be their calling card.
