Intern Nicole Holland Pearce talked to Inés Sainz. Read what Sainz has to say about that little incident in a locker room:
In Mexico, she’s known as the Woman of Sports. In America, Inés Sainz’ reputation got off to a rough start after the incident in the New York Jets locker room. But the seasoned sports reporter for TV Azteca in Mexico, and now Azteca America in the United States, is here to prove it’s all for the love of the game. We caught up with Sainz earlier this week, in town covering her seventh Super Bowl.
Q: You have three brothers, one’s a twin. What was it like around your house growing up?
A: I grew up playing sports and watching a lot of sports on television because they never let me have the remote control!
Q: So, you grew up surrounded by sports, but you’re also a trained lawyer and a successful model. Why pursue a career as a sports reporter?
A: My passion for sports. In Mexico, there were no women talking about sports (on television), so I wanted to be the first one. I wanted to explain to people that sports are something a woman can also love. The first time (as a reporter), it was really hard to get credibility because all the people think, “She’s a model. That’s the only reason she’s on television.” But then they start to understand I’m here because I love sports.
Q: You were on the cover of Esquire Latin America. Did that photo shoot make you miss your modeling career?
A: You know, it’s never something that I left behind, I often still model. I’m a spokesperson for many sponsors in Mexico. My two personalities–if you want to say that–are working together.
Q: Yes, as you mentioned, you’re the spokesperson for several products in Mexico–Corona, Splenda, and Quaker State, to name a few. ESPN sports journalist Erin Andrews has recently come under fire for accepting an endorsement with Reebok. What advice can you give her?
A: I can tell her with my experience, she needs to only accept the things that have credibility. In our jobs, credibility is everything. If she’s going to talk about something, she needs to truly believe in it.
Q: So what went on in that New York Jets locker room?
A: When I was in the locker room, I didn’t hear anything offensive. When I heard [the Jets] were under investigation for sexual harassment, it was a huge surprise for me. The problem was that someone else heard something supposedly offensive, and she made a claim to the NFL in my name. It was a big problem for me, because here in the States, people don’t know my work. All my life, my work speaks for me. It was the first time I had to speak for my work. If you know me, you know I’m a professional in my area. But here, when people look at me, they probably think I’m more of a model than a sports anchor.
Q: What do you say to those people?
A: Give me a chance, give me an opportunity to show how professional I am in my area. Give me the chance to show you that I’m a legitimate, professional sports reporter. –Nicole Holland Pearce
