Ashley Moore is the first Black female Sports Journalist at KARE 11. She was hired in February and is only the station’s second Black sports hire. Reggie Wilson was brought on as sports director in 2021, but his position was eliminated at the end of last year.
“I’ve been the first Black female sports anchor at every one of my stations,” said Moore proudly in a recent MSR phone interview. “I enjoy being the first Black woman at these stations because I think it brings a different vibe … a different energy.”
Born in Texas, her sports journalism roots took shape there after graduating from the University of Houston and later earning her master’s degree at Syracuse. “I’m from Longview, Texas, which is about 45 minutes away” from Tyler, Texas, where Moore landed her first job. She worked there for five years before moving to Denver, Colo., to join a television station.
“In Denver, I was the only Black person in a lot of the rooms I went into at many events. It’s an adjustment,” Moore continued. “I’ve been able to mix and mingle with so many different groups that I’m like a chameleon. I can fit in anywhere.”
Moore carries her passion for sports into her reporting, whether it’s high school, college, or professional athletics. She has to, as she and other Black female sports journalists often deal with false perceptions that they don’t belong.
“You know, you get the haters,” said Moore. “I’m a woman for one, I’m a Black woman for two. In this industry, somebody is always looking at us like that. But I like to back it up with how I present the information.
“I don’t just entertain, I educate, I inform,” she added. “I know what I’m talking about.”
Especially football, which, as a native Texan, you’re expected to love, Moore noted: “You’ve got faith, family, football. I always wanted to play football… My mother would never let me, so I played basketball instead.”
“I was a Minnesota Lynx fan growing up,” Moore recalled. “Maya Moore (no relation) was my girl, the greatest player I’ve ever watched.”
So when the opportunity arose to add the WNBA to her coverage duties, in the same city where her favorite team plays, it was too much to pass up, the KARE reporter explained.
“The assistant news director at KARE 11, Nelson Garcia, was my assistant news director at 9 News in Denver when I got hired there,” said Moore. “I was talking to Nelson one day, and he told me they had an opening for a sports reporter-anchor and was trying to gauge my interest.
“My contract in Denver was up in July, and I was telling my fiancé that I wanted to go somewhere with a WNBA team. It’s a full-circle moment.
“So when we got into serious talks about the job and they made the offer, I was like, why would I turn it down? My dream has been to cover the WNBA for years,” she reiterated. “I think it was meant to happen.”
KARE viewers, if they haven’t noticed already, will see “a lot of energy” from Moore. “I’m very passionate about sports,” she said. “I think my brain is chemically wired so that when something competitive comes on, it automatically clicks for me.
“I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to really get into Minnesota culture. The food so far has been exciting,” she concluded. “I’m here to tell more stories from underrepresented groups, whether that’s our culture, more Black stories, or how women are underrepresented in sports.
“I’m a community-type journalist. I like to be out in the streets with the people. I’m here to bring grace, class, and energy,” said Moore.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.