It was lovely to read about a woman that decided to make her own way in a field where there was formerly no way for her at all, more or less because she could not see herself doing anything else.
I loved to read about the passion the author had for her field, how she achieved what she did because what else was there for her?
Who doesn't wish for that kind of passion and love for their own job?
Nicely done book!

I wasn't overly impressed with this book. It kind of bored me to be honest. I'm not sure what I was expecting but this wasn't it.

This is an interesting Biography.
Unfortunately due to a lot of the stories being based in the US I did not know the sports men / women.
It was still worth a read though.

I am always amazed when I read a book about a woman who breaks barriers, as I cannot imagine the amount of bravery that takes. I am not a fan of football, but was intrigued to learn more about what it was like for the first woman to cover the sport. Ms. Visser knee this was the career for her at the young age of 11 and her mother encouraged her, despite there not being a female sportscaster to emulate. The beginning of her career was difficult, as male reporters were allowed in the locker room to interact with the players and she was not. Most women would give up, but Ms. Visser’s inner strength made her persist and today she is one of the most beloved sports personalities with both players and viewers. Definitely read this book because Ms. Visser’s story needs to be heard by future generations!

My instant reaction to the professional work of Lesley Visser is a little different than that of others - perhaps because I'm a former newspaper reporter.

I remember her when she first started in the the business as a member of the sports staff of the Boston Globe in the 1970s. That was one of the greatest collections of talent in newspaper history, and Visser more than held her own. Yes, she was one of the pioneers of the business at the time, but she clearly knew her stuff and wrote well.

It might have been interesting to see what she might have done had she stayed in that role. Instead, she jumped to television, where she was a pioneer too. Broadcast journalism requires a different set of skills, of course, and she did well there. What would have her life looked like if she had stayed with it? Tough to say. Maybe she would have knocked down some different doors.

In reading "Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don't Walk," it's obvious that the move was a career-changing experience, and that she enjoyed herself along the way.

Sports more or less have been a part of Visser's life almost from the beginning. She landed a job with the Globe out of Boston College in the 1970s, a time when women weren't exactly welcomed by players and teams. The title refers to her mother's reaction to her becoming a sports journalist when it figured to be a difficult battle to get through the door.

Visser's best stories in the book concern the battle to gain access. Picture someone waiting outside a locker room for long periods of time until athletes could come out and do one last interview with her. The tales do resemble the movie "Hidden Figures," about women in NASA at times. Visser deserves all sorts of credit for fighting that fight.

Otherwise, though, this is relatively standard material. Books by journalists often are simple recounts of stories covered and personalities encountered. Visser seems to have become quite friendly with a variety of personalities over the years. There are stories about such people as Rick Pitino, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Joe Torre, and co-worker John Madden. There's less distance between reporter and source in such situations, apparently. Visser apparently posed for photos with all of them and then some, based on the illustrations here.

There are plenty of other stories told along the way, often about travel. Visser certainly has worked at almost all of the major events on the sports calendar. It's a little surprising, then, that some of the material feels like filler. Anecdotes and suggestions about food and restaurants around the country, not to mention a short chapter about her hair, don't work so well.

By the way, I think every person Visser has ever met is on the list of acknowledgments. Hope she doesn't have to send them all a copy of the book; she'll go broke.

It's good to have a book like "Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don't Walk" in the stores, even if it's not a book you'll save forever. Visser's account ought to inspire some young girls to follow in her footsteps, which is great. And she's apparently enjoyed the ride since those early days, so it's easy to be happy for her.

Sometimes it is refreshing to read about a person who not only was a pioneer in his or her field, but also genuinely enjoys the work and fame that comes with it. That is the impression a reader will get while reading this memoir by Lesley Visser, a pioneer in women's sports writing and broadcasting.



Born and raised in Massachusettes, Visser knew early in her life that she was going to have a career in sports. She was a big fan as a child, kept on following teams while in college when she majored in journalism and landed a job with the Boston Globe covering high school sports. From there, her career blossomed into one where no matter what sport a fan enjoys, chances are that fan has seen Visser cover it at some point.



She shares many stories about many fellow journalists in both print and television. One of the best is one that is well-known. She was provided a press pass for one of the most exciting baseball games in the history of the game - game 6 of the 1975 World Series. It was there that the young writer met Dick Stockton, who was broadcasting the game that night for NBC and he asked her to dinner. From that start, they became husband and wife.


But that is far from the only great story Visser shares about her career. Whether she talks about her times with coaches (her favorites are all college basketball coaches - Jim Valvano, Rick Majerus and Rick Pitino), with other players or the many big events she has covered, she tells them with the enthusiasm of a fan but also with the professional demeanor of the award winning broadcaster that she is.



Visser also talks with pride about the many firsts she accomplished as a woman in sports broadcasting, the most notable being the first woman to be enshrine into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Though all of this, she refers back to the talks she had with her mother. Visser credits her mother with giving her the resolve to pursue a career in a male-dominated industry, with the quote that is the title of the book serving as one Visser remembers for her entire life.


This is a fun and easy reading memoir that sports fans of all ages, genders and sports preferences will enjoy. Visser's story is a remarkable one of breaking many glass ceilings and one that young women will especially want to read in order to be inspired to continue pursuing their own goals and dreams.

I wish to thank BenBella Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.