By Chelsea Mattioda

News Correspondent

Northeastern’s latest “Meet the Author” event featured ESPN sportscaster and NU parent, Linda Cohn, who spoke to students about the hardships of breaking into sportscasting in the 1970s.
The event, on Oct. 22, was well attended by faculty, students and visiting parents ready to discuss her book “Cohn-Head: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Breaking Into the Boys’ Club.”
Peter Roby, Northeastern University Athletics Director and friend of Cohn’s, introduced her to the crowd with ardent praise of her hard work and character.
“Nothing comes easy to her. She doesn’t take the easy way out,” he said in theme with her story.
Soon Cohn took the stage and addressed her audience in the smooth, well-carrying voice that could only be that of a television anchor. She joked about Roby’s introduction, identifying her life’s struggle being from Long Island and cheering on the Rangers. Sports jokes like this and even a touch of trash-talking by the New York sports fan carried on throughout the event. It’s this true fanaticism that she believes has set her apart from other female sportscasters who haven’t been as successful in the “boy’s club” of sports media.
Cohn said there weren’t any female sportscasters in the 1970s, and everyone thought her dream – like her desire to play boy’s ice hockey in high school – was simply crazy. She later said this is where her nickname “Cohn-Head” came from.
These struggles as well as her successes in overcoming them are what made her believe she had a story worth writing a book about. After briefing the crowd on these experiences, Cohn answered questions for the rest of the hour-long event, and stayed an extra 30 minutes to talk to fans and sign books.
Many sports fans in the audience wanted to know how best to get their foot in the door at ESPN or, more generally, the sports media industry. Cohn said ESPN’s Content Associate Program is a great starting point. Participants start as production assistants where the work entails doing highlights and seeing “SportsCenter” from the inside. More broadly, Cohn emphasized “taking opportunities for yourself” and encouraging students to take as much as they can from whatever situation they are in.
To Gabriella Grief, a freshman physical therapy major and “SportsCenter” fan, Cohn’s breaking into the “boy’s club” was inspiring and related to her own goals.
“I want to work with the NBA and learn about coming up in a man’s world,” Grief said.
Sammy Cohn, Linda’s daughter and a middler at Northeastern, said having her mom come talk at her school can sometimes be a bit embarrassing.
“It’s marketed so well. I walk into the library and it’s like ‘oh there’s her billboard,’” she said, laughing.
Cohn has spoken at several other schools as well, such as Eastern Connecticuit State University and Syracuse University, spreading her message that everyone can achieve their goals even against tough odds.
When enlightening the crowd with the details on a day in the life of an ESPN anchor, she revealed that they go into work hours before the show to debate topics and write the show so that the anchors’ personalities come through genuinely.
“We write our own stuff,” she said. “It’s the key to our success.”
Authenticity is a big point for Cohn, since sincere interest and understanding are what let her wholeheartedly enjoy her career. She’s been able to interview Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and New York Rangers’ goalie Eddie Giacomin, all of whom Cohn said she has always admired. She has fun with her co-workers, too, calling them her “therapists” because of their shared love for sports. They can spar with each other and share the ups and downs.
Cohn said she enjoys every aspect of her work, on and off camera.
“A camera doesn’t have to be rolling for me to get enjoyment from it,” Cohn said. “The best events are experienced as a fan.”
Cohn said without true passion these experiences wouldn’t be as meaningful or enjoyable and she wouldn’t have been as successful as she is. She said it is this quality that will make today’s young female reporters stand out.
More than anything, Cohn encouraged people to follow their passions and believe that they can overcome obstacles.