Lesley Visser

Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, television and radio personality, and sportswriter renowned for being the first female NFL analyst on TV. Visser is distinguished by her unparalleled career, having covered a wide range of major sports events including the Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Figure Skating Championships, and the U.S. Open. She is the only sportscaster, male or female, to have this extensive broadcasting portfolio. Visser was voted the No. 1 Female Sportscaster of all-time by the American Sportscasters Association and was elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association's Hall of Fame in 2015.

Besides her remarkable achievements in sports broadcasting, Visser made history as the first woman to serve as an analyst for an NFL game on TV. She is currently a reporter for CBS Sports and News, contributes to CBSSports.com, and appears on WFTL 640 Fox Sports' morning drive in South Florida. Additionally, she co-hosts the CBS Sports Network weekly television show, "We Need to Talk." Her pioneering role continued as she became the first female recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, an accolade that honors long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.

Visser's trailblazing path includes being the first woman to report from the sidelines for Monday Night Football. Her other notable assignments include working at ESPN and ABC Sports, where she covered events like the World Series and the Triple Crown. In 2018, she was honored with the Al Neuharth/Newseum award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of her substantial contributions to sports journalism. Visser's influence extends beyond broadcasting as she has also authored the book "Sometimes You Have to Cross When it Says Don't Walk," a memoir recounting her experiences and challenges as a woman in a predominantly male industry. She continues to serve as a correspondent for CBS's NFL and college basketball programming, shaping the way sports are viewed and understood today.