The Athlete Whisperer: An Improbable Voice in Sports

By: Kirby, Andrea

Andrea Kirby was not a former athlete and had no ties to television. Still, in 1971, this single mom talked her way onto a small television station as a sportscaster. A rare female in the all-male culture of her beloved sports, she was harassed and discriminated against, but she wasn't deterred.

Kirby excelled at her first break and then moved to a bigger market in sports-rich Baltimore. Male colleagues said she didn't belong, but fans loved her, teams respected her, and networks noticed her. In 1977, ABC Sports hired Andrea Kirby as its first full-time female announcer. Hosting the College Football Scoreboard and traveling the world for Wide World of Sports was her hard-fought dream come true.

Heartbreakingly, the dream ended. Kirby's survival became another great adventure. Then, a chance interview with a famous basketball player changed everything, inspiring an idea so original that it appeared as a question in the board game Trivial Pursuit.

A rare, entertaining, and uplifting story, The Athlete Whisperer will inspire any reader with an improbable dream.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1039176380
• ISBN13: 9781039176386
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: FriesenPress
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"