Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don't Walk
A Memoir of Breaking Barriers
by Lesley Visser
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Pub Date Dec 26 2017 | Archive Date Feb 07 2018
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Description
When Lesley was 11, she told her mother that she wanted to be a sportswriter. The job didn't exist for women in 1964, but her mother—instead of suggesting she become a teacher or a nurse—replied, "Great! Sometimes you have to cross when it says, 'Don't walk.'"
That answer changed Lesley's life. Even though no one had done it before, it gave her the strength and self-confidence to try—permission to cross against the light.
When Lesley began, the credentials said, "No Women or Children in the Press Box," but she didn't let that stop her. Lesley covered sports for more than 40 years, pioneering women's journalistic presence in men's professional sports, from inside the locker room to out on the field. She's the first and only woman to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to ever present the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl. And she's the only sportscaster in history to have worked on the network broadcasts of the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open, and the World Figure Skating Championship. Lesley currently appears on CBS's "We Need to Talk," the first-ever nationally televised all-female weekly hour-long sports show.
Lesley's had her share of hurdles and stumbles. But with passion, perseverance, and dedication, she found a way to achieve her dream, learning valuable lessons along the way. (Hint: Humor goes further than anger, and no, we can't all look like Beyoncé.)
In Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says 'Don't Walk,' Lesley Visser shares her historic journey through the world of sports broadcasting with innate wisdom and good humor. For sports fans who grew up with Lesley, her memoir reads like a walk down memory lane, full of behind-the-camera, VIP-access stories involving John Madden, Jerry Jones, Bill Belichick, Joe Torre, and many more famous sports figures. But even those hearing her story for the first time, no matter what their background, will be inspired to chase their dreams, blaze new trails, and pursue the life they want.
Advance Praise
"Lesley has been part of the CBS family for more than 30 years, and we consider her the trailblazer for women in sports journalism, blessed with both knowledge and heart. Enjoy this romp through her 40 years of covering sports." —Leslie Moonves, Chairman of the Board and CEO of CBS
"I have known Lesley for decades and she not only loves football, she really knows the game. I recommend this book to anyone who ever wanted to hear great stories from someone who’s been around the game for 40 years." —Dan Marino, NFL Hall of Famer
"Every single woman writing sports today owes a debt to Lesley Visser, who proved that women could both out-report and out-write men long before we took that for granted, as we do now." —John Feinstein, columnist for the Washington Post and best-selling author of more than 40 books, including the New York Times #1 bestseller Season on the Brink
"Forty years ago, Lesley Visser covered my first professional team, the Boston Lobsters. She earned my trust then and has remained one of my favorite people in sports. Her accomplishments in a male-dominated industry allowed her to break through barriers and blaze a trail that has opened doors for generations of talented women in sports since. Lesley has always been one of the best at getting and telling a story. Now, she tells her story." —Robert Kraft, owner of the five-time world champion New England Patriots and CEO of the Kraft Group
"Lesley Visser is a giant in women’s sports journalism. I don’t mean physically, of course. Physically, she has excellent proportions. What I mean is, she blazed the trail for all the women who followed after her. She also paved the way. That’s right: This woman blazed AND paved, as well as forging the path, charting the course, raising the bar, and breaking through the glass ceiling. She covered professional football when the gridiron was literally a grid made out of iron and women reporters were not allowed in the locker room without bustles, yet despite these obstacles, she broke big story after big story, including the discovery of the forward pass. She was also the first journalist of any gender to spell ‘Krzyzewski’ correctly. Lesley truly is a pioneer, and all those who followed in her footsteps owe her a debt of gratitude, which they could repay by buying this book. She will also accept cash." —Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and humorist
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781944648879 |
| PRICE | $22.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 200 |
Featured Reviews
Lance S, Reviewer
Sometimes it is refreshing to read about a person who not only was a pioneer in his or her field, but also genuinely enjoys the work and fame that comes with it. That is the impression a reader will get while reading this memoir by Lesley Visser, a pioneer in women's sports writing and broadcasting.
Born and raised in Massachusettes, Visser knew early in her life that she was going to have a career in sports. She was a big fan as a child, kept on following teams while in college when she majored in journalism and landed a job with the Boston Globe covering high school sports. From there, her career blossomed into one where no matter what sport a fan enjoys, chances are that fan has seen Visser cover it at some point.
She shares many stories about many fellow journalists in both print and television. One of the best is one that is well-known. She was provided a press pass for one of the most exciting baseball games in the history of the game - game 6 of the 1975 World Series. It was there that the young writer met Dick Stockton, who was broadcasting the game that night for NBC and he asked her to dinner. From that start, they became husband and wife.
But that is far from the only great story Visser shares about her career. Whether she talks about her times with coaches (her favorites are all college basketball coaches - Jim Valvano, Rick Majerus and Rick Pitino), with other players or the many big events she has covered, she tells them with the enthusiasm of a fan but also with the professional demeanor of the award winning broadcaster that she is.
Visser also talks with pride about the many firsts she accomplished as a woman in sports broadcasting, the most notable being the first woman to be enshrine into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Though all of this, she refers back to the talks she had with her mother. Visser credits her mother with giving her the resolve to pursue a career in a male-dominated industry, with the quote that is the title of the book serving as one Visser remembers for her entire life.
This is a fun and easy reading memoir that sports fans of all ages, genders and sports preferences will enjoy. Visser's story is a remarkable one of breaking many glass ceilings and one that young women will especially want to read in order to be inspired to continue pursuing their own goals and dreams.
I wish to thank BenBella Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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