Are you a woman of a certain age? Would you like to be an on-air sports journalist? Sorry, but you probably don't have what it takes. At least, that's how it seems these days.
Norma Wick had worked as a broadcaster for 16 years, most of it in sports, when she sent her résumé and tapes to a sports network in Toronto.
She was 40 years old and had been employed by Global Television in Vancouver as well as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment covering the Vancouver Grizzlies.
But when turned down for a job at the sports network, she was told she lacked experience.
"I said, 'It's interesting that experience is high on your list, because you're hiring people who have none,' " Wick recalled. "And I was told, 'That's because they have magic and you don't.' "
Women have made huge advances in TV sports broadcasting over the past 10 years. There are more working in the business. They hold jobs as reporters, anchors and, in the United States, even play-by-play announcers.
But as the numbers have grown, the importance of their physical appearance has increased. More than ever, networks place an emphasis on youth and beauty, and, by no surprise, Playboy is now publishing an annual list of the sexiest sportscasters. Within that environment, women continue to struggle for credibility as sports journalists.
Linda Cohn, an ESPN anchor and play-by-play voice, says the good news is that women are getting more opportunities to prove themselves.
"That's the positive," she said. "The negative, and it's out there, is a current trend, which is to go for looks first and then knowledge. And that's disconcerting."
The "magic" cited in Wick's job interview is code for women in their 20s or early 30s. They're attractive. The guys call them sports babes. On the Internet, they are referred to as sideline hotties.
This excerpt doesn't suggest it's strictly a private-sector phenomenon.
"Television is a visual medium," said Scott Moore, who hired (Jody) Vance and also (Hazel) Mae when he worked as the vice-president of production for Sportsnet. He's now the head of CBC Sports. "You could make the same point about men. There aren't many ugly men on television. It's just a part of the basic requirement."
Still, Moore agrees that things are different now compared with a decade ago.
"Social mores have changed a lot," he said. "Both women and men aren't afraid to use their looks."