Lesley Visser

Lesley Visser
Born
Lesley Candace Visser

(1953-09-11) September 11, 1953 (age 71)
Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)Sportscaster, Radio-TV Personality, Sportswriter
Sports commentary career
Team(s)The NFL Today, Major League Baseball on CBS, NBA on CBS, Major League Baseball on ABC, CBS Sports
Sport(s)NFL, NCAA men's basketball, NBA, MLB, Figure skating, Tennis, Horse racing
WebsiteLesleyVisser.com

Lesley Candace Visser (born September 11, 1953) is an American sportscaster, television and radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV,[1] and the only sportscaster in history who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Figure Skating Championships and the U.S. Open network broadcasts. Visser, who was voted the No. 1 Female Sportscaster of all time in a poll taken by the American Sportscasters Association,[2] was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association's Hall of Fame in 2015[3] and the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.[4]

In 2009, Visser became the first woman to be an analyst for an NFL game on TV[citation needed]. She is currently a reporter for CBS Sports and News, writes for CBSSports.com and is also part of WFTL 640 Fox Sports' morning drive in South Florida, as well as one of the hosts of a CBS Sports Network weekly television show, We Need to Talk.

Visser[5] was the first woman to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the 2006 recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award which recognizes long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football. Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said about Visser in his 2006 induction speech, "[She] brought respect and professionalism to the field of journalism for her work in print and broadcasting. It makes me proud to be in [her] company today."[6]

A pioneer among women sports journalists, Visser re-joined CBS Sports in August 2000 after a six-year hiatus. She was formerly the sideline reporter for Monday Night Football among other assignments she had at ESPN and ABC Sports, such as the World Series, the Triple Crown and the World Figure Skating Championship. She serves as correspondent for the network's NFL and college basketball programming.

  1. ^ Hiestand, Michael (2009-09-04). "Economy affects some NFL teams' worth". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  2. ^ "Tampa Bay, Florida news". Archived from the original on 2015-01-18.
  3. ^ "National Sports Media Association (NSMA)". Nssafame.com. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  4. ^ Dr. Robert Goldman (March 10, 2020). "2020 International Sports Hall of Fame Inductees". www.sportshof.org. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2009-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Stallard, Mark; Garrison, Walt (2007). "Then Landry Said to Staubach. . .": The Best Dallas Cowboys Stories Ever Told. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781617490323.