Mary Gwen Knapp was an award winning American sports journalist for The Inquirer, San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle, and editor, writer, and mentor for the New York Times and other publications. She became a sports columnist in 1995, a position held by only a handful of women in the country at that time. She focused on subjects like racism, sexism and drugs, homophobia, injustice and other issues that had been ignored by other sports journalist. Knapp was born in Wilmington, D... moreMary Gwen Knapp was an award winning American sports journalist for The Inquirer, San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle, and editor, writer, and mentor for the New York Times and other publications. She became a sports columnist in 1995, a position held by only a handful of women in the country at that time. She focused on subjects like racism, sexism and drugs, homophobia, injustice and other issues that had been ignored by other sports journalist. Knapp was born in Wilmington, Delaware and attended Harvard University where she was a swimmer and sports editor for the University paper called The Harvard Crimson. Her career in journalism began at The News-Journal in Wilmington where she covered high school sports. She moved to The Inquirer in 1985, went to San Francisco as a columnist for the Examiner in 1995, moved over to the Chronicle when the staffs combined in 2000. In 2014 Knapp became a senior editor at the New York Times. She volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992, and at a nonprofit in San Francisco for those experiencing homelessness. Knap won several awards during her career including the Associated Press Sports Writers award for column writing in 1998.
