Two-time Olympian Rosie Brennan would like to see the media focus more on the athletic performances, the racing, tactics and strategies of the different events in the sport, the athletes’ experiences. In short: the stuff that inspires and the magic that motivates. 

“I would like to see more uplifting coverage. I would like to know more about the racers from the smaller nations and different cultures, and get to know more about the people who are involved in our sport,” says Rosie Brennan after nearly 15 years of experience at the World Cup level. 

“I hope future skiers get more of that, more of the coverage that builds enthusiasm. That’s’ how we can grow the sport,” she says, and adds:

“Going through the mixed zone (where the media is waiting after the races) shouldn’t be something you dread. That’s not how I want future World Cup skiers to experience the media,” Brennan says. 

ProXCskiing.com caught up with US Ski Team veteran Rosie Brennan. 

The 34-year-old from Park City, Utah, has raced on the World Cup circuit since 2009, is a two-time Olympian and has participated in five FIS World Championships. She is passionate about cross-country skiing, loves the physical and mental challenges of the sport, the diversity and the community.  

But Brennan is a little tired of the media’s one-sided, negative coverage, hunger for scandals and lack of focus on the athletic performances. 

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“Going through the mixed zone shouldn’t be something you dread. That’s not how I want future World Cup skiers to experience the media,” Brennan says, and explains: 

“Dreading the mixed zone is a two-fold. One, getting asked something like “is Norway ruining the sport?” And two, it’s just kind of humiliating to walk through the mixed zone and have no one ask you anything, even if you’ve landed a podium.” 

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Fishing for quotes that fit their angle
Brennan has repeatedly experienced that the reporters in the mixed zone are more interested in getting quotes that confirm their preestablished, often negative angles, than in hearing about the athletes’ performances, their experiences on the course and how they went about their race. 

Point in case: After the 10-kilometer skate race at the 2023 World Championships in Planica where she crashed on a downhill during the race, Brennan had enough.  

“I rarely get stopped to talk to the media in the mixed zone. But after the race in Planica where I crashed, I was stopped by every single media outlet, and almost all of them wanted me to say something bad about the course or the organizers. But the reason that I crashed in the race was entirely my own fault,” she says, and continues:

“So then, when I didn’t want to say anything bad about the course, they moved on to ask me if I think that Norway is ruining the sport by winning too much. But it wasn’t even a Norwegian who won that race. Nobody focused on the fact that I didn’t give up, but fought my way back even though my shot at a medal was lost.”

Following that race at World Championships in Planica, Brennan posted her thoughts on social media. She went straight to the point: No, she doesn’t think Norway’s dominance is ruining the sport. 

“The media coverage is what is ruining the sport,” she wrote.  

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Won World Cup races, overlooked by the media 
While Brennan is tired of negative angles and coverage, she points out that the lack of coverage is generally the biggest issue, especially for skiers who are not from the powerhouse nations. 

“When I won my first two World Cup races, I didn’t get stopped at all in the mixed zone,” she recalls. 

Not only did Brennan win her first-ever World Cup events that weekend, she did it two days back-to-back. That was in Davos, Switzerland, in December of 2020: First, Brennan won the sprint race on Saturday, then she won the 10-kilometer skate race the next day. 

Other times, Brennan is honestly surprised by the details the reporters inquire about. 

“Sometimes, it seems kind of crazy what the reporters are interested in. Like at the Olympics in 2022, it was all about my heated socks,” she says, pointing out that few seemed to care about the fact that she had posted top-5 and top-10 finishes at the most prestigious sporting event in the world. 

Related coverage: A look at how much the top cross-country skiers made from prize money 2022/23

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Wants to promote the sport 
Using her own experience, Brennan wants to help spur more, broader and deeper coverage of cross-country skiing in order to help generate more interest in the sport, which in turn would increase recruitment and even more interest. 

“Unfortunately, the way I see it, if your sport isn’t growing, its dying. There are so many other and bigger sports out there fighting for the same athletes,” Brennan says, adding that just getting more coverage would help. 

“Except during the Olympics and to an extent at the World Championships, there is almost no coverage of cross-country skiing in mainstream US media, and the same is true for many of the other smaller nations. So, if the slim coverage that we get is negative, it’s not the best way to grow the sport. People watch sports to be inspired and motivated, for action, thrill and emotions, and to experience the big moments. If more people hear about our sport and get excited about it, we get more skiers, more fans, and more coverage. It’s a good cycle.”