Pioneering female broadcaster Suzyn Waldman speaks at luncheon
Tells female student-athletes sports will serve them well in whatever they do
In the past, women were pitted against one another, though that’s something society is getting away from, New York State Broadcasters Hall of Famer Suzyn Waldman told the crowd of more than 800 at the 15th Annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank at the Binghamton University Events Center Monday, Jan. 27.
Particularly in the earlier years of her 30+ year career, as a woman breaking into what was for so long exclusively a man’s world, Waldman frequently faced discrimination and harassment, recounting that, at times, she required security due to death threats. But she persevered, she said, as she told the young women in the audience that what they are learning will stay with them beyond graduation.
“It doesn’t matter if you leave here and never play sports again,” she said. “What is important is what it felt like when your teammates pushed you further than you thought you could go. And what is most important now is the support system that exists that I never had.”
Her message to female student-athletes — including more than 120 from local schools — was this: “Whatever you’re learning from having the sports support system, take it and use it in whatever you do,” she said. “You are not afraid, and if you are, think of your teammates’ smiles to get you where you need to go. I’m really so proud of this event and of all of you and what you’ve done. There’s so much you can learn here. Remember that support system, because, really, all we’ve got is each other. Think of each other because that’s what you have.”
Since 2005, Waldman has provided color commentary for New York Yankees radio broadcasts — the first woman ever to provide color commentary in the radio booth for a Major League team.
Waldman is considered a pioneer for women in broadcasting and, in 1987, was the first voice ever heard on WFAN, the first all-sports radio station in the country, creating the radio beat reporting job, covering both the Yankees and the New York Knicks.
Her reporting has won her countless awards, including the International Radio Award for her live and emotional reporting from the upper deck of Candlestick Park during the l989 San Francisco earthquake, the 1996 NY Sportscaster of the year, the American Women in Radio and TV Star award in l999, the Alliance for Women in Media Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and the prestigious Gracie Award in 2016.
Before Waldman spoke, Olivia Batista, a Binghamton University lacrosse player, represented her fellow female student-athletes, reading a letter she had written to her 4-year-old self. The three most important lessons, she wrote to her former self, were strength, perseverance and leadership.
“One of your biggest weaknesses will become your biggest strength, being able to ask for help; the biggest successes come in small ways and even baby steps are in the right direction; and leadership will involve cheering from the sideline, leading by example and hearing what your teammates have to say,” she said. “Being a student-athlete at Binghamton will provide you with a platform to go out and do things you’ve never imagined.”
“It’s a great day to be a Bearcat,” said Binghamton University Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott. “This is our biggest crowd ever and it’s such a special event and the only one in the country. We can’t fit anyone else in unless we move to the basketball court, which says everything about this community and everything about the support for women’s athletics and the support of the University to provide opportunities for women here at Binghamton University and to be an example of really pushing forth opportunities for all of our female athletes.”
Hosted by the Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA), the luncheon recognizes the achievements of Binghamton University’s female student-athletes, while also raising funds for scholarships awarded to female student-athletes at the University.
Waldman is the latest in an impressive group of speakers for the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon: Joan Benoit-Samuelson (2019), Shannon Boxx (2018), Swin Cash (2017), Amy Van Dyken (2016), Rebecca Lobo (2015), Jennie Finch (2014), Shannon Miller (2013), Amanda Beard (2012), Julie Foudy (2011), Kara Lawson (2010) and Jessica Mendoza (2009).
Since 2006, the luncheon has raised more than $500,000 to support the BBAA Women’s Scholarship Fund that was established in 2007. In 2019, 10 BBAA Women’s Scholarships were awarded to female student-athletes. The luncheon began in 2006, with just 75 attendees, and is today one of the Athletics Department’s primary fundraisers. This year’s 810 attendees set a new record, surpassing last year’s record-setting 780 guests.