Maria (“Midy”) Morgan is considered to be one of the first sports journalists to date, covering equestrian sports for The New York Times.
Morgan was born in County Cork, Ireland on November 22, 1828, and moved to the United States where she pursued a profession in sports journalism beginning in 1869. Morgan grew up working with horses on her father’s Irish estate, and quickly became accustomed to them. Her extreme knowledge of horses not only benefitted her father on his state, but also impressed King Victor Emmanuel.
After moving to the U.S., she took the only journalism job available at The New York Times as a live stock reporter. She was highly respected as one of the best in the business and easily adapted to other jobs, such as covering dog, cat, and horse shows.
After reporting on live stock, Morgan quickly progressed her reporting career to be geared towards other equestrian sports, like and horse racing. Nicknamed a “turf man,” she is recognized as a remarkable woman, both in the newspaper business and world of sports journalism. Due to her incredible knowledge of her sport and breakthrough as a woman in sports journalism, Morgan contributed to paving the way for females in the business after her career.
Though there isn’t much information on Morgan, it is widely known that she is the first recognized female sports journalist. Morgan was very well-known and revered by colleagues and readers during a time when women generally did not pursue careers in sports, or even join the workforce for that matter.
Morgan passed away in Jersey City, New Jersey on May 31, 1892.
Works Cited
Creedon, Pamela J. “Women Journalists and the Development of the Newspaper Sports Page.” Women, Media, and Sport: Challenging Gender Values. SAGE Publications, 1994. 69-70. Print.
“Maria Midy Morgan.” Find A Grave Memorial. Find A Grave, 2017. Web. 13 Nov. 2017.
“Reporter with Muddy Boots.” n.d. Opening the Way: A Women’s History Walk. WordPress, Web. 14 Nov. 2017.
Influential Women in Sports Journalism 
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