Beth Mowins has broadcast dozens and dozens of sporting events in her illustrious career. She has done play-by-play for the NFL, nationally television, major-conference college football, NCAA softball and a Women’s World Cup.
Narrating big moments should be old hat by now. They are anything but.
“I still get goose bumps,” Mowins said in on this week’s Raiders Insider Podcast. “Goose bumps are a good thing. They let you know something’s important, that it means something to you.”
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It meant something to join the Raiders TV preseason broadcast team in 2015. It provided her first crack at NFL play-by-play and an important milestone in her career. Mowins made sure to soak it all in.
“When you’re up there with Tim Brown and Matt Millen (her color analysts in 2015), and you’ve been a fan of the NFL game for so long that it’s a cool place to be,” Mowins said. “Being a part of that with Matt and Rich and all the great storylines associated with this Raiders team is great. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself, and you turn that nervous energy into positive energy and go for it.”
Mowins doesn’t love being the center of attention. That’s reserved for players on the field, she says, for stories told over the course of the game.
Her role as barrier breaker in male dominated field can’t be ignored. Mowins did play-by-play for part of a Monday Night Football double-header last year, becoming the first woman to broadcast a nationally-televised NFL game. She was second ever to call an NFL game, and the first since 1987. It wasn’t a one-off. Mowins continues to work NFL games for CBS and ESPN, and will open the Monday Night Football broadcasts this year with a game between the Jets and Lions.
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Blazing trails doesn’t drive her – the profession itself does that – but Mowins can see the importance of providing hope and opportunity to others hoping to follow in her footsteps.
“There is something to be said for having a positive impact on people’s lives, and I do relish the thought that young girls and young boys out there want to get into this field, or that have a dream they want to chase and see that anything’s possible,” Mowins said. “That’s kind of cool, but growing up I had a dad who coached and three brothers. I was the first girl to do a lot in our house, and I had to fight for everything I could get. I’ve always been comfortable in this environment. I’ve always wanted to do this and be a part of sports. It’s a dream come true. I just keep working hard and hope it lasts a long, long time.”