Mina Kimes and Dianna Russini represent the next generation of sports fans.
People are consuming sports like never before. During the 2018 season, NFL games were streamed live via the Twitch video service for the first time, as well as on Amazon Prime. ESPN’s live Twitter shows drew an average of 650,000 viewers per episode and its streaming service, ESPN+, has gained two million subscribers since launching in April 2018.
And despite the stereotype that football buffs are overwhelmingly male, women make up 45 percent of the NFL’s fanbase, according to Reuters. As sports consumption evolves, so are the faces who deliver the analysis and news.
Mina Kimes and Dianna Russini, two rising stars at ESPN who hosted a daily Twitter show in the week leading up to Super Bowl LIII, embody both trends. It’s just one way Kimes, a senior writer, podcast host, and TV commentator for ESPN, and Russini, an NFL host and reporter, are helping to pave the way for women in a male-dominated industry.
In honor of Women's History Month, Furthermore caught up with Kimes and Russini to talk about female empowerment, hydration, and how they’re changing sportscasting for good.
Photo courtesy of ESPN