Former Arizona Republic columnist Paola Boivin is the Association for Women in Sports Media’s 2026 recipient of the Mary Garber Pioneer Award.
Since 1999, the award has gone to trailblazers and role models who have paved the way for women in sports media. Past recipients include Pam Oliver, Doris Burke, Andrea Kremer, Christine Brennan, Claire Smith and Lesley Visser.
She currently is a Professor of Practice at Arizona State's Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the director of the Cronkite News Phoenix Sports Bureau.
"I'm so grateful for everything this profession has given me and the great things I've been able to cover," Boivin said. "Early on, it was hard because there weren't many women doing what I did. I would walk into
a press box and nobody looked like me, or I'd walk into a locker room and nobody looked like me."
She added, "It was sometimes hard as someone who's naturally shy and uncomfortable in public situations, so to have an organization as a lifeline probably saved my career. I met people who were going through the same things."
Boivin’s career spans 40 years and features a wide range of work in radio and newspapers. She also served four years on the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Boivin is the first female journalist inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, after spending years as an award-winning columnist at The Republic from 1994-2017.
Before moving to Arizona, Boivin wrote for the Los Angeles Daily News. She was a columnist at The Republic for more than 20 years, covering major sporting events and sharing commentary and game analysis. Her work earned “Top 10” awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors, the highest honor for print journalists.
Boivin will be honored with the Mary Garber Pioneer Award in Los Angeles on Aug. 10, with ESPN's Mina Kimes as the keynote speaker, along with Brennan and sports podcast host Katie Nolan.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Republic columnist honored as trailblazer in sports media
