Lesley Visser to receive New York Festivals 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award

New York Festivals Television & Film Awards has announced that legendary sports journalist Lesley Visser will be honored with the prestigious 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award. Visser, a pioneering figure in sports broadcasting, has broken numerous barriers throughout her career, earning recognition as the most highly acclaimed female sportscaster of all time.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, introduced in 2011, recognizes industry leaders whose groundbreaking contributions have left a lasting impact on broadcasting. Visser will be celebrated at the Storytellers Gala virtual event in May 2025, where the TV & Film Awards and Radio Awards winners will also be honored.

Expressing her gratitude, Visser said, "I am deeply honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Television and Film Awards, and I love that it will be presented at the Storytellers Gala. The heart of any sports journalist is dedicated to telling stories. I’m grateful to CBS for giving me this opportunity for more than 30 years, and I salute the men and women who have won this honor before me.”

A Trailblazer in Sports Journalism

With an illustrious career spanning five decades, Visser has achieved numerous firsts in the industry. She was the first woman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first to receive the Lifetime Achievement Sports Emmy, and the first to be honored with the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. She was also the first woman to appear on network broadcasts of major sporting events, including the Final Four, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and World Series.

Visser remains the only woman to have presented the Championship Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl and was the first female sportscaster on ABC’s "Monday Night Football." She also made history as the first woman to carry the Olympic Torch and received the Billie Jean King Outstanding Journalist Award. Among her many accolades, she was named a Muhammad Ali "Daughter of Greatness" and inducted into the Society of Professional Journalists alongside CBS legend Marvin Kalb.

Covering Historic Events

Beyond sports, Visser has covered major historical moments, including the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Martina Navratilova’s return to Prague after defecting. She has reported from Shanghai for HBO's Real Sports and conducted high-profile interviews, including a conversation with Mark Cuban about his bid to purchase the Big Ten Conference. In 2023, she covered the first-ever college basketball game in Paris, interviewing U.S. Ambassador Denise Campbell Bauer.

Advocating for Women in Journalism

Visser has also championed women in journalism, addressing aspiring female reporters in Uzbekistan, where press freedom remains a challenge. Under the protection of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, she spoke to women’s groups about using their voices to drive change.

Her journey began at The Boston Globe in 1974 after receiving a Carnegie Foundation Grant, awarded to only 20 women nationwide pursuing careers in male-dominated fields. Two years later, she became the first woman to cover the NFL for The Globe when press box credentials still read, "No Women or Children."

A Lasting Legacy

Visser’s exceptional writing and broadcasting skills earned her induction into both the National Sports Media Hall of Fame and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. She has contributed to CBS, ABC, ESPN, and HBO, and in 2018, she received the Newseum Lifetime Achievement Award, previously awarded to Walter Cronkite. A dedicated philanthropist, she has served on the board of the V Foundation for Cancer Research for over two decades.

A Boston College graduate, Visser was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2007 and has mentored young women throughout her career. Her memoir, Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don’t Walk, details her remarkable journey and has been optioned for TV and film.

Her impact extends beyond journalism; she has been named one of Esquire’s “Women We Love” and one of GQ’s “Five Ideal Dinner Guests.”

Lesley Visser’s recognition with the Lifetime Achievement Award underscores her remarkable contributions to sports journalism and her enduring influence in the industry.