Jennifer Lee Chan is the San Francisco 49er’s beat writer for NBC Sports Bay Area.
Prior to joining NBC, she provided work for blogs such as SB Nation’s 49ers page and NinersNation.com.
Chan grew up a Seahawks fan in Washington State, but her relatives from the Bay Area, including her grandfather, who held 49ers season tickets for over 60 years, drew her to the Niners.
“I had multiple people say you should be talking about this to more than just us. You should be doing something in football, and you know I found it kind of later in life,” Chan said.
Chan spoke to Northeast Valley News about the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry.
“There’s been times where I feel like…you know, when I’m in a group and everybody’s talking amongst the guys and I’ll be like the one female, sometimes they’ll be like ‘oh who’s that?’ It’s kind of one of those things—you have to find the balance with being assertive and then also knowing when to speak, because you don’t want to be too aggressive,” Chan said.
Chan advised aspiring reporters to be respectful of not only the players, but also your peers in the industry, and others in general.
“When you go into the locker room…I mean, everybody’s like oh you get to go in the locker room! I’m like yeah, it’s not like that. Being respectful when the guys are getting dressed—but if there’s a guy I want to talk to, it’s having the right protocol,” Chan said.
Chan has been covering the San Francisco 49ers for quite a while and she’s witnessed a lot of memorable moments, but she referenced a viral photo of former 49er’s quarterback, Colin Kaepernick as one of her favorites.
“I think kind of the most documented moment is when Colin Kaepernick was the quarterback. Before he was pictured kneeling during the National Anthem, there was one picture where he was sitting on the sideline before he talked to Nate Boyer. So that picture is actually my photo,” Chan said.
Chan also offered suggestions on how to break into the highly competitive sports industry.
“Just do it. Start writing, start putting yourself on camera, and it can be with your phone, it can be with whatever, just start doing all of it,” Chan said. “Set up your social media accounts, get involved, strike up conversations with people who are doing it, and do a lot of reading. I think reading, and reading people who do it really well gives you an idea of how to do it better.”
