Profile: Alanna Rizzo
In a male-dominated sports world, Alanna Rizzo (Bus’97, MJour’03) of Fox Sports Net(FSN) stands out in her role as a sideline reporter for the Rockies. But she believes a woman is equally respected and treated in her field if she’s willing to work hard and do her homework.
Alanna’s responsibilities with the Rockies begin during their spring training in February and March. From then through October, she covers 135-140 games from the sidelines, including 81 from the road.
“That is a lot of games,” she concedes. “The schedule is an absolute grind. Baseball is a marathon during a very long season. They play every day.”
Her interviews focus on day-to-day issues such as what a player is working on rather than the win-loss picture.
She feels very fortunate for the support she receives from Rockies players like Clint Barmes, Ian Stewart, Huston Street and Carlos Gonzales. She acknowledges it would be easier to cover a team she didn’t care about and knows she has to be objective in her interviews.
“You want them to win,” she says. “It’s better for the fans, the team and organization when they win.”
Alanna paid her dues through two positions before moving home to Colorado to work at FSN. In her first job at KAUZ-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas, she did a little bit of everything from shooting her own video to editing and writing. Although a good learning experience, “Those were nine very long months,” she remembers.
At her next assignment, WISC-TV in Madison, Wis., she covered University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s basketball, football, hockey, high school sports, the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks. She did a lot of her own shooting and editing.
During a vacation in Colorado in July 2007, Alanna interviewed with FSN and was hired as an independent contractor.
“It was a little scary, and I’m not much of a risk taker,” she notes. In January 2009 she became a full-time employee.
In addition to the Rockies she has covered men’s and women’s basketball for CU and University of Denver, along with DU’s hockey games and occasional high school football games.
Her only regret is not majoring in journalism for her bachelor’s degree.
“I think I’d be a lot farther ahead in my career if I’d started 10 years earlier,” she says. “I’m here to stay as long as they’ll have me.”
Photo by FSN Rocky Mountain