Longtime Akron Beacon Journal sports reporter and columnist Marla Ridenour will talk about sports in general and the Browns trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson in particular during a virtual presentation by the Akron Press Club on Thursday, May 12 at noon.
Ridenour wrote a powerful column describing how the Watson trade brought back memories of her own rape while she was in college. Watson is facing allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct from 22 women. He has denied the allegations and two Texas grand juries have declined to file charges.
Marla Ridenour is a trailblazer for women in sports journalism. While working for the Dayton Daily News she became the first female sportswriter to cover the Cleveland Browns in 1981, before the NFL mandated equal locker room access. She also worked for the Columbus Dispatch before joining the Beacon Journal.
This year Ridenour was inducted into the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Hall of Fame. She became a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2013.
The Louisville, Kentucky, native was the first woman sports editor of the student newspaper at Eastern Kentucky University. She graduated with degrees in journalism and marketing, but also took classes in coaching baseball and football.
The Akron Press Club has not been able to hold traditional lunch programming during the current pandemic. Funds from these lunches go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to 10 students in 2022.
As we navigate COVID-19, please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by following the link on the registration page for this event.
Speaker: Marla Ridenour
Date: Noon, May 12, 2022
To register for this free virtual event: Go to https://conta.cc/3OV6wpr
To donate to Press Club scholarships: Go to https://bit.ly/370g0eZ
The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students.