Tables messy, reporters steady and interview questions ready—the arena’s buzzer has yet to set off but the media room already has its game face on.
But amid the cramped area is the presence of a bob-haired beauty with a red lipstick-stained smile.
The place just got brighter. Tessa Jazmines has arrived.
When she dipped her toe into sports writing in the early ‘70s, the number of female writers in the male-dominated field only opened its doors to three women, one of which was Jazmines.
The 77-year-old found her soft spot for sports through her father who routinely brought her to baseball games at the Rizal Memorial Stadium almost every Sunday. Also part of their father-daughter adventures was with their favorite basketball team YCO Painters, home to illustrious legends like Caloy Loyzaga and Freddie Webb—who they consider “the winningest, most accomplished team” in the ‘50s to the early ‘70s.
“He [father] followed their games closely and being a daddy’s girl, so did I. His love for sports rubbed off on me. I was an only child—a girl nga lang—but he made me his sports buddy,” Jazmines shared.
What ultimately sealed the deal for her was watching the Crispa Redmanizers, the rebranded YCO Painters, live in action at the University of the Philippines (UP) gym when she was an instructor at the then-Institute of Mass Communication, now the College of Media and Communication (CMC).
“I became so consumed with a desire to be part of that world,” said Jazmines.
She remembers watching telecasts and game radio broadcasts that introduced her into sports reporting. A certain comic character named ‘Brenda Starr’ who was both a reporter and adventurer also motivated young Tessa.
The veteran writer felt the passion course through her veins. It hit her all at once: she did not merely want to watch the game in person or on broadcasts, she needed to write them.
Now, she is Brenda Starr.
Hand-in-hand with her dad, the very person who served as her gateway to sports, she applied to the best sports publication at the time—Sports World. As nerve-wracking as it was to hand her application, she got in.
And, this is only just the beginning.
Jazmines admits she did not consider anyone a heroine or hero when she got into sportswriting.
“I was a pioneer. But I was not alone,” she said.
Beth Celis and Alice Lopez Lim were by her side, making space for women in sports journalism and broadcasting.
One woman stood out from the rest for the veteran writer. It was former College of Human Kinetics (CHK) Dean Cynthia Villa Abad Santos.
She looks back to UAAP Season 54 in 1991 where UP was the host school and Santos served as league’s president.
Back then, Santos gave young Tessa the leverage to serve as the recording secretary of the UAAP secretariat. A daunting task that required full attention at important board meetings where the league was finding an opportunity to gain media relations.
The budding UAAP, with the help of the ever-reliable young journo, found its home with their first-ever broadcast partner, Silverstar Communication.
“That partnership set the UAAP on the road to great success—a success that is still ongoing up to now […] It was [former CHK] dean Cynthia who opened doors for me in the UAAP—a relationship that is still ongoing up to now,” Jazmines said.
From the desk to the courtside, Jazmines cemented herself as a pioneer. She remembered that sports fans used to send her fan letters and ask her for autographs. Still, she herself did not expect the outpour of love and recognition she would get for her work.
This love is what fueled her to go against the grain of what fields women journalists were told to cover.
“You write best about what you love. And since I really love sports, all I had to do was express that love through writing. I had no consciousness of gender or territory,” she said.
Beyond writing, the woman pioneer went on to dive deep into public relations (PR). She found it as a means to bring sports closer to people.
Her PR team recently brought Sabrina Ionescu, a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, to the Philippines.
Ionescu was a monster in court during her collegiate years, serving an astonishing 26 triple-doubles when she played for the University of Oregon. This propelled her to be the top draft pick in the WNBA for the New York Liberty.
Sports stars like Ionescu are the people Jazmines wishes others would get to know more of.
“[PR] brings heroes and icons closer to the public by making them accessible to sports journalists whose stories, in turn, will inspire sports fans and make them appreciate the sports personas better,” she explained.
Beyond the Taraflex
Jazmines’ work, however, does not stop with sports writing, as she currently shares her passion through teaching sports journalism.
She was able to marry sports and journalism—two of the things she adored—and offered it in UP CMC’s Journalism department in the late ‘90s to early 2000s until today.
She gave lectures here and there and noticed there was something unique about integrating sports journalism into the curriculum. It clicked with the students, which made her feel fulfilled as she passed on her passion for sports and let the young ones see the beauty and joy in it.
“Sa mga tulad nating manunulat umaasa ang iba’t ibang sports at ang mga atleta para maibahagi ang kwento nila sa higit na nakararami. Because sports is inspiring, what we write and what we do also inspires as well, aside from informing, educating, entertaining and guiding people,” said Jazmines.
She mentored many contemporary Filipino sports journalists today–the likes of Lui Morales, JR Isaga, Sid Ventura, Danine Cruz, Anton Oñato, and Dexter del Rozario.
Beyond these, arguably, the toughest ‘job’ she has is being a mother.
Jazmines is far from Jose Rizal’s mom, as she said in jest. She sees herself as a funny and on-the-go one. “I was a playmate to my kids–I made sure they had their share of adventures and learning experiences. Of course, I took them to the games!” she said.
She fondly remembers when her son Carl Pajar would sit underneath the basketball ring as she served as the UP Men’s Basketball Team’s team manager in the ‘90s.
As a woman pioneer, opening a steel gate was heavy to bear, but Jazmines has built a fortress that proved to be a bigger feat.
She says there is only one thing she wishes to leave for those who want to follow in her footsteps, “Pursue your passion.”
Doing so led Jazmines to where she is now in the sports industry. It served as her guide and allowed her to grow her craft. She opened her heart and mind to welcoming new things for the journey ahead.
The way she lives her life is a message in itself. She said, “Always go forth, fearlessly. Trust in your instincts because your love for whatever it is you love will create your reality.”
