Biography

Christine Brennan is an award-winning national sports columnist for USA Today, a commentator for CNN, ABC News, PBS NewsHour and NPR, a bestselling author and a nationally-known speaker. Named one of the country’s top 10 sports columnists three times by the Associated Press Sports Editors, she has covered the last 18 Olympic Games, summer and winter.

In March 2020, Brennan was named the winner of the prestigious Red Smith Award, presented annually to a person who has made “major contributions to sports journalism.”

Brennan was the first woman sports writer at The Miami Herald in 1981 and the first woman to cover Washington’s NFL team as a staff writer at The Washington Post in 1985. She was the first president of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) and started a scholarship-internship program that has supported more than 175 female students over the past two decades.

Brennan is the author of seven books. Her 2006 sports memoir, Best Seat in the House, is the only father-daughter memoir written by a sports journalist. Her 1996 national bestseller, Inside Edge, was named one of the top 100 sports books of all-time by Sports Illustrated.

She is a leading voice on some of the most controversial and important issues in sports. Her USA Today column in April 2002 on Augusta National Golf Club triggered the national debate on the club’s lack of female members. In December 2002, Sports Illustrated’s Golf Plus section named her one of golf’s 12 heroes of the year. In August 2012, Brennan broke the news that Augusta National was admitting its first two women members. She also broke the story of the pairs figure skating scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the Russian judging scandal at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Brennan earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in journalism from Northwestern University. She is a member of the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame, Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement, Northwestern’s Athletic Hall of Fame and the Washington, D.C. Sports Hall of Fame. She has received honorary degrees from Tiffin (Ohio) University and the University of Toledo. She is a member of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees and a national trustee at the University of Toledo.

Among Brennan’s honors, she was named the 1993 Capital Press Women’s “Woman of Achievement;” named the University of North Carolina’s 2002 Reed Sarratt Distinguished Lecturer; won the U.S. Sports Academy’s Ronald Reagan Award in 2002; won the Jake Wade Award from the College Sports Information Directors of America in 2003; won AWSM’s Pioneer Award in 2004 and Service Award in 2016; was named Woman of the Year by WISE (Women in Sports and Events) in 2005; received the inaugural Women’s Sports Foundation Billie Award for journalism in 2006; won Chi Omega’s 2006 Woman of Achievement Award; won the 2006 Northwestern University Alumnae Award; won Northwestern University’s Alumni Service Award in 2007; received Yale University’s Kiphuth Medal in 2013 and was named the 2013 Ralph McGill Lecturer at the University of Georgia.

Both the NCAA and the Women’s Sports Foundation honored her in celebrations for the 40th anniversary of Title IX in 2012.

Read More

Videos

Request Availability
What a night! Christine was extremely well-received! She's an excellent speaker, and her message is great!
– YWCA of McLean County
Christine was excellent. She was exceptionally generous with her time.
– United Way of Allegheny County - Women's Leadership Council

Booksby Christine Brennan

Best Seat in the House: A Father, a Daughter, a Journey Through Sports

Edge of Glory: The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating's Olympic Gold Medals

Inside Edge: A Revealing Journey Into the Secret World of Figure Skating

Blog Posts

From Crisis to Calm: Strategies for Handling Unavoidable Stress

🎧 In today's episode, we're joined by Eliz Greene, a job stress and wellness expert...

Read More

Breathe Easy: The Power of Belly Breathing for Instant Stress Relief

🧘‍♂️ Feeling overwhelmed by stress and constant demands? Learn how to harness the transformative power...

Read More

Newsletter: Stop Striving for A Perfect Life

🕒 Have three minutes? Don't miss this week's newsletter as we explore living a perfect...

Read More

Podcast Insights from Guest Carolyn Strauss

🎧 We are thrilled to share the feedback from Carolyn Strauss, a featured guest on...

Read More

The Rockstar’s Guide to Transforming Your Mindset

🤘 Ready to unleash your inner rockstar? Join us as Mark Schulman, renowned drummer turned...

Read More

Technology’s Pivotal Role in the Events Industry

💫 As technology continues to shape the landscape, Ike's insights into the future of events...

Read More

Related Speakers

We’ll secure a speaker your audience raves about for years

Schedule a Call

Nothing short of impeccable! From start to finish The Keynote Curators provided exactly what we needed. Bravo!

– Diana B.
Insurance Association

We had a speaker cancel at the last-minute. Without missing a beat, The Keynote Curators offered several options to choose from. The replacement hit it out of the park. We avoided a potential disaster and looked good doing it. Thanks to The Keynote Curators.

– Yvette S.
Credit Union

Everything that was promised was delivered and more. The VIP Meet & Greet that was arranged was the difference make for our sponsor. It could not have gone any better. Thank you to The Keynote Curators for being a true partner.

– Grace H.
Financial Services

For the last ten years we have worked with Seth in booking our speakers. Each year he outdoes the previous year. Excited to see who we have next year.

– Cecily R.
Medical Devices

We have used several different agencies, but The Keynote Curators is the one that goes the furthest in understanding our meetings’ goals and messaging. This is the difference maker for us and is the reason why we continue to work with them.

– Nancy M.
Agriculture Association

Here's how toCue the post-event celebrations

1. Schedule a call

We’ll connect so we understand your needs to curate a selection of great speakers.

2. Book your speaker

We’ll manage all the details so you will be confident with your choice.

3. Wow your audience

Inform & educate your participants to ideas that transform their work & personal life.

Hit the mark with the perfect speaker!

Schedule a Call