By Tessa Peloso
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Cassie Calvert is breaking barriers for women in sports.
As the social media coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Calvert is one of only four women on the team’s 27-employee media operation.
She sees herself as “the voice of the female fan” and “an advocate” for a more diverse workplace – a person who can bring a different perspective to a sports organization that has traditionally been dominated by men.
“That extends beyond just advocating for other women too,” Calvert said. “I think it’s important to advocate for and lift other underrepresented groups in my field as well: people of color (especially women of color), LGBTQ groups, etc. The more different voices at the table, the better.”
Calvert is part of a growing trend in the sports world in which more women are getting jobs in professional sports leagues. The NBA has more female refs this year than at any time in its history while the NFL has eight women coaches – six of whom were on the sidelines during the Super Bowl.
According to Statista, the percentage of women in the NFL workforce has risen from 27.6% in 2009 to 36.8% in 2019. The peak year was 2017, when 37.8% of front office employees in the NFL were women.
Calvert, who graduated from Duke University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in voluntary anthropology and a certificate in policy journalism and media studies, said she always knew she wanted to be in the sports industry.
The 26-year-old from Concord, North Carolina, said she began her college career in sports medicine but quickly realized that the medical field was not for her.
While at Duke University, Calvert worked as the feature host for three years on the Duke Football Show and worked alongside the producer, John Roth.
“She was great to be around, a true team player and eager to carry out any assignment that would make our show better,” Roth said. “I was so appreciative of her assistance back then, and it’s been a pleasure to keep in touch with her since she left as she continues to blossom.”
During her college years she also interned for the Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics, who share the same ownership group.
Her first experience doing social media work was live tweeting the Mystics’ games, which is where she found her passion for the social side in the sports industry.
Calvert started her career in the sports industry after graduation interning full time for the New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints. It was a steppingstone to where she is today.
Calvert said some of the biggest challenges working in the sports industry came during the pandemic.
“This past year, working during the COVID-19 pandemic, has definitely been a challenge,” she said. “We have been blessed to not be hit as hard as other industries, but it certainly presented challenges on how we deliver the great and extensive content our fans expect.”
“We have had to be really creative in how we execute things that normally would have been easy or second nature,” she continued. “And, as someone who has dedicated so much of their life to their job, it was certainly a personal challenge to have things slow down so much.”
Calvert was hired by the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 to handle the team’s social media. However, the talent for video production she developed in college led her to write and do on-camera work for the team.
The 2020 football season was Calvert’s third year with the Baltimore Ravens. She manages the team’s social media accounts and creates content for the social media platforms, including graphics, photos and videos.
Michelle Andres, the vice president of digital media for the Ravens, said Calvert has made a positive contribution to the organization.
“Cassie is a ‘go-getter.’ She’s smart, savvy and highly skilled,” Andres said. “She has developed her strategic social media influence, her on-camera chops and her important relationships with our coaches and players.”
Andres said that Calvert brings value to the Ravens social team, saying that she adds a new perspective in a male-dominated industry.
“I think that I’ve tried to be that person who always responds as much as I can,” Calvert said.
“It’s really important to me to not turn people away,” she said. “If you have questions, I’m always going to be someone there and willing to answer them whether I know the person or not.”
Calvert said there is much more to be done for women in the sports field.
“Sports has a way to go still,” she said. “I would love to see female team presidents and things like that. We just saw the Buccaneers, who have female coaches, and they just won a Super Bowl. So clearly women are capable of doing these things and I would love to see more opportunities in bigger, higher roles for women.”
“I think young girls growing up now can see examples of women holding these roles and visualize that possibility for themselves,” she said. “That wasn’t the case when we were growing up. Representation matters.”
Calvert believes that women are making impactful moves in the NFL, which can lead to greater things for women in sports in the future.
“The social teams across the NFL are 50 percent women, which is really awesome,” Calvert said. “The person running your favorite NFL team’s Twitter account is a 50-percent chance of being female, which is really cool, and you wouldn’t think that. I think we’re on the right path.”