#GAReads | 'Numbers don't lie': women make their mark on AFL in commentary box
"'Numbers don't lie': women make their mark on AFL in commentary box":
Nicholson describes Arnell as “the rising star of the media”, while Underwood, he says, has a unique ability to capture moments in games. “She’s very good at articulating those and adding meaning to them,” he says.
Most powerfully, these are not just the kind words of a colleague, but backed up by audience ratings and feedback too. Since the formation of the team of Underwood, Nicholson, Arnell and Burke, ratings have jumped 2.5 points to a share of 8.1% in key AFL cities Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. “There’s that old-school perception that people can’t listen to a woman on the radio,” Nicholson says. “But that’s not really backed up by what we’re seeing. In fact it’s quite the opposite.”