Sports reporters in the 1960s were not hard to identify: former professional athletes with good hair, big smiles, and a complete understanding of the game. So, when Jeannie Morris, the 5'2" wife of NFL wide receiver Johnny Morris, decided to join the world of sports reporting, everyone thought she was crazy; she definitely did not fit the profile.

Jeannie got her big break thanks to the help of her husband, Johnny. When he retired from the NFL, the Chicago American asked Johnny if he could write a newspaper column about football. He told them, "I can't. But my wife can."

Though they were skeptical, the Chicago American gave Jeannie her own column, called "Football is a Woman's Game" by Mrs. Johnny Morris. Though the column still possessed her husband's name, people quickly fell in love with football through the eyes of Jeannie.

In fact, Chicago loved Jeannie so much that she was offered a job at the Chicago Daily News as a sports reporter. Well, sort of. Although Jeannie was a sports reporter, she was never a "beat reporter," who reported the scores and statistics of the game. As a female, she wasn't allowed in the locker rooms and even in some press boxes so she couldn't talk directly to the players. Instead, Jeannie wrote interest pieces about the players, and gained popularity for herself, and the sport, by making the athletes come to life.

Jeannie then moved on to television, where she worked with some of the biggest stations in the nation, including CBS.

At CBS, Jeannie took many large steps towards women's equality. She was the first woman to interview players in the locker room, and in 1975, the first woman assigned to report live from the Super Bowl. However, when she showed up at the Super Bowl, she was told she was not allowed in the press box because she was a woman. But that didn't stop her. Instead, she did her report sitting on the top of the press box—in the middle of a blizzard!

However, while she found success in television, Jeannie eventually stepped down and retook her place as a newspaper columnist. According to Jeannie, "As a newsperson, I feel that your job is more informative and relevant." Jeannie's columns were still about sports, but her messages as a columnist were inspiring and universal. Though Jeannie has since left the world of journalism, her influence is still seen. Without Jeannie's work as a sports reporter, many women may not have gotten the opportunity to work in the sports world. And many women, such as Maureen Dowd, wouldn't have had the opportunity to become successful in the world of newspaper journalism.

Maureen Dowd began her career as a journalist in 1974, as an editorial assistant for The Washington Star. At The Washington Star, she took on numerous roles, including sports columnist, metropolitan reporter, and feature writer. In 1983, after making a name for herself, Maureen Dowd joined one of the most elite newspapers in the country: The New York Times.

In 1986, Dowd was named to be The New York Times Washington correspondent. She was only the second female to earn this position in the history of the paper. In her role, she quickly gained immense respect from politicians and journalists alike. Former President George W. Bush humorously nicknamed Dowd "The Cobra," and she was frequently referred to as the "flame-haired flamethrower." Part of what made Dowd's articles so successful was that she didn't just focus on the politics at Washington; she focused on the politicians as well. In a teasing and somewhat informal manner, she made the politicians seem like real, approachable people.

In 1995, Dowd stepped down from her position as a Washington correspondent and became a New York Times op-ed columnist. Dowd's column primarily focuses on politics through the woman's perspective. She has declared herself part of "Team Color Girls." These are women in newspapers who make a living writing about a male-dominated world.

Her pieces are humorous; they're like political cartoons depicted with words instead of pictures. She even tends to refer to her subjects by nicknames. For example, she called President Barack Obama "Spock" and "Barry." While her interest in the personality of politicians has earned her some criticism, she has continued to be immensely effective because she is not afraid to make jokes. She gets her point across in amusing, often unexpected ways.

However, Dowd's best quality is the fact that she never lets anyone forget that she's a woman. Unlike many other female journalists who write under male pseudonyms (false names), or from a male perspective, Dowd writes with the voice of a woman. By being proud of her gender, Dowd has given other women the courage to succeed. According to Leon Wieseltier, Dowd's colleague, "she's the opposite of the woman who pulls the ladder up behind her. She keeps pushing it lower." Dowd's pride in her gender has given other women a ladder to climb the tower of success.

Maureen Dowd and Jeannie Morris are two extremely influential members of Team Color Girls. And while they are successful journalists, the highlight of their success is their ability, and willingness, to help other women like them succeed.