From behind the mic, broadcast personality Kass Naidoo continues to spread positive energy.
She is a member of the commentary team for The Hundred cricket series, which got underway in England on Wednesday, on Sky Sports.
Naidoo covered the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup earlier this year in New Zealand as a commentator.
Naidoo is familiar with the difficulties faced by female athletes because she battled to enter the historically male-dominated field of cricket commentary in the early 2000s.Encouraged by her success, Naidoo founded the g spot website in 2006 to highlight the athletic accomplishments of women in the hopes that it would boost participation and attract corporate sponsorship for women’s sports.
Since then, the Momentum gsport Awards have established themselves as a tradition in the community’s sports community, honoring women athletes.
The nomination period for 20 categories of candidates for this year’s event ends on Tuesday.
Usher Komugisha, who will sit on the media commission of the Uganda Olympic Committee, and swimming sensation Penny Heyns both received gsport awards in 2006.
Naidoo has urged sports organizations to bring her vision of commercializing women’s sport to fruition.
The gsport Systemic Stairway was introduced last week as an example of how to start the commercialization process.It is a “practical roadmap to boost the commercialization of women’s sport,” according to Naidoo.
According to Naidoo, the plan consists of eight essential steps that “encourage industry to develop business acumen among leaders so they play a leading role in ensuring the paying of women in sport is achieved.”
She claimed that after hearing advice from important sports figures who had been instrumental in changing the women’s game over the previous 15 years, their plan came into being.
The recent Women’s African Cup of Nations victory by Banyana Banyana, according to Naidoo, was a “game-changing moment.”
Since Bafana Bafana won the Afcon in 1996, this is the nation’s first significant continental championship. Because they are not professionally contracted, the players have found a way to succeed by competing in professional leagues all over the world and thanks to Sasol’s support of women’s football.
She claimed that another reason why women’s sport needed to become professional was the pay gap between men and women playing football at the national level.
Naidoo urged the South African Football Association to follow Netball South Africa’s lead, which recently announced professional contracts for 24 players.
“If women’s sport is to experience sustainable growth, it must change.”
Although gsport has become a significant advocate for women’s rights in sport, Naidoo claimed that the previous 16 years had not always been blissful and tranquil.
“At first, there wasn’t much to shout about, so it was difficult to speak with anyone involved in women’s sports. But we persisted and exhorted successful women to tell their tales and motivate others. The mood began to shift as we honored more champions with gsport awards soon after the tide turned.
Naidoo was a host of a radio sports show when she started gsport.
“I heard about the struggles every time I spoke to a sportswoman. I therefore canceled my show and started gsport with my husband Ryk.
To increase media coverage and inspire greater corporate support, “we taught ourselves how to build a website with Google’s assistance and started telling positive stories of women’s sport online.”
Until sponsors began to recognize the value of their initiative, the couple made financial investments in the project.
Currently, an all-female team is in charge of the commercial and marketing aspects of their business as well as the gsport newsroom.
Naidoo remarked, “I get to do what I love,” regarding her time spent in the commentary box.
She took an eight-year break from cricket broadcasting to have kids, but she eventually returned in 2015 while still juggling being a wife and mother, which, in Naidoo’s words, was occasionally a “extreme sport.”
Without my husband, I would not be able to accomplish this. He is my biggest supporter, and together with our three other kids—all of whom are aspiring cricket players—we were able to create a solid support system for them.
“I try to return as soon as possible to my family.
“I have three debuts in international broadcasting in my forties, and I hope that inspires women to follow their dreams and know that they can have a family and maintain a career at the same time.”
Naidoo expressed her excitement for more global broadcasting opportunities.
