“I’m really excited. And really looking forward to this,” McPeak told The Athletic’s David Aldridge. “As a little mixed girl growing up, there was no representation for me in Canada. To have five women of different backgrounds, and three of which are Black women in sports on their televisions, is probably one of the craziest full-circle moments I’ve had in my career.”
McPeak joins Leandra Reilly Lardner as female broadcasters who have called a regular-season NBA game. (Lardner did play-by-play for a Nets-Sixers game in 1988 for SportsChannel America.) Her assignment comes nearly three years after calling a Washington Wizards preseason telecast for Monumental Sports Network. (Monumental Sports Network had to sign off on McPeak working the TSN broadcast, of which general manager Zach Leonsis was “incredibly supportive.”)
“We wanted to highlight the contributions that women make individually – across so many broadcasts – by bringing them all together,” John Wiggins, Raptors vice-president of organizational diversity and inclusion, said. “Yes, we’re making a point. We hope this leads to more recognition of the many roles women play in pro sports.
“And we especially hope that one of the takeaways from this is for girls at home who see Meghan or Amy or Kayla, and think – hey, I could do that. There’s a place for me in sports.”
“We’re proud to work with the Raptors to advance our shared goal: creating opportunities for women in our industry, not just this month, but throughout the year,” said Nathalie Cook, VP, TSN & RDS. “Kate, Kayla, and Kia are gifted broadcasters and valuable contributors to TSN’s fan-favourite Raptors coverage all season long. Along with Amy and Meghan, these uniquely talented women will come together as a tribute to the power of women in sport.”