She Got Game is a five-part series featuring the women content creators of NBA.com Philippines. As part of our Women’s Month celebration, we shine the spotlight on women who continue to elevate the sports media landscape with their stories and love for the game.
Everyone in the NBA started with a dream. You hear stories of individuals’ humble beginnings and their long road to becoming the best basketball players in the world. Similarly, every person in sports media also started with a dream. Sometimes, those dreams aren’t in the form of proclamations, but more of questions, internally asking, “Do I really want to do this?”
For Charmie Lising, her road to becoming the associate editor of NBA.com Philippines, creating and producing daily content for Filipino fans, started with her own version of that query. Well, it was more of a quip.
“I used to write about the UAAP on my blog,” Lising said. “Then one day, I joked to my friends, ‘why not do this for a living?’”
At that time, Lising’s playful question was simply one of those things you half-jokingly say to your friends. Though there’s truth to it, you lose nothing if it doesn’t come true. Then again, if it does come to fruition, it’ll open up a whole new world of possibilities.
Lising’s passion for sports and love for basketball started at a young age. She grew up in a household that regularly watched the PBA and her interest in the NBA followed suit. She didn’t root for any specific team, but she did enjoy following the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and the Golden State Warriors. Nowadays, she’s a certified Luka Doncic fan as she watches the Dallas Mavericks’ quest for a title.
Her love for the game intensified further in college when she started cheering for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP. She rarely missed a game live, lining up for tickets for hours. She also had a soft spot for words, hence, her blog-writing days. At that time, basketball was only an avenue for fun. Hobbies usually stay as hobbies and passions can sometimes be left in the background.
“When I started working, I didn’t consider a career in sports at all,” Lising said. “Watching sports was more of a pastime and a way to connect with other people who also love the game.”
After graduating, she spent a year as a full-time volunteer youth organizer and teacher in rural communities. That experience pushed her to pursue a career in the development sector. She worked with a social enterprise before shifting to government work with the Department of Education (DepEd).
Even then, working in sports media still seemed a pretty far-fetched idea. Just as before, watching sports was only a hobby. Never did she imagine that she would one day get a chance to cover and write about the likes of Steph Curry.
“It’s always surreal to see an NBA player – the greatest shooter of all time, no less – up close,” she recalled. “Curry is literally a game-changer, and I felt so lucky to just be in the same room as him.”
So how does one go from lining up for tickets for a local college game to being in the same room with a two-time NBA MVP? Her joke to her friends about sportswriting actually came to life. From one friend to the next, her harmless quip reached the ears of a sportswriter for TV5’s lifestyle website. One thing led to another and she found herself eventually writing for a sports website, Sports5 (later ESPN5), while still working at DepEd.
“I was just supposed to cover for a friend of a friend when he was unavailable for an NCAA game,” Lising said. “What was supposed to be a one-time gig turned out to be my entry point into the sports industry.”
After covering the local sports scene, she made the leap to covering the NBA. From watching the league from afar, she can now add being in a Zoom call with Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki to her resume.
“The best part is collaborating with an awesome group of content creators,” she said about her work as the site’s associate editor. “There’s an abundance of NBA content all over the internet, so it’s a challenge for us to create unique content that resonates with Pinoy fans.
“It’s fun to work closely with coaches and players, our All-Star Analysts, who are also NBA fans like us. Instead of just interviewing them post-game like we used to do, we now get to collaborate with them. It’s all about providing content that fans can learn from, while also making sure that everyone on our editorial and production team enjoys the creative process.”
Lising’s transition from doing development work to covering the best basketball players wasn’t as easy as flipping through a page.
“I considered choosing just one – sports or development work – but I enjoy doing both,” she admitted as her sports journalism journey has always been tied with her original career. “I find both of them meaningful in different ways.”
Even as she became a content creator for NBA.com Philippines, her passion for development work never left. Currently, she’s also a finance and investment consultant with the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC), an organization that supports the private education sector.
“One important thing I learned from development work: no contribution is too small. It often takes years for changes to take effect, but that doesn’t mean that the work we do is insignificant,” she said. “I used to get really frustrated when I don’t see tangible results, but I realized that some results are hard to quantify.
“I guess that’s also my mindset in creating sports content. Sometimes, we worry that our work does not really make a difference. But as long as we do our best in telling stories that matter to both the athletes and fans, that’s already a valuable contribution.”
Making a small difference in a male-dominated space isn’t lost on her as one of the few sports editors in the country. She looks up to powerful women athletes who are not afraid to speak out and use their platforms to shed light on important issues, such as Simone Biles, Maya Moore, Serena Williams, and Dawn Staley. She also gets inspired by our Pinay athletes who continue to make the country proud despite the lack of investment in women’s sports.
“I follow a lot of women content creators and sports accounts that highlight women’s achievements and keep the conversation on gender equity going,” she said.
Lising’s path toward sports media started with a simple question to herself. Could she really pursue a career in sports? Through the unconventional route that led her to cover the NBA, she undoubtedly answered that question. Now, it’s about using her position to help other women who are asking themselves that very same question.
“I want to tell aspiring content creators that they belong,” she said. “I know some girls are hesitant to enter the sports world because we are often made to feel that we have no place here, that there are no seats at the table for us. I’ve been in a lot of work situations before where I was the only woman, and that kind of underrepresentation needs to change.”
From simply dreaming about a place where she could follow her passion in sports, she hopes to pave the way for the future generation of female sportswriters and content creators.
“Just continue working hard and finding your own voice. Consume as much local and international content as you can, and reach out to people who can help you improve your craft,” she said. “Not everyone will be friendly and welcoming, some will even act as if the table is reserved for a select few, but try your best to power through the barriers. We can always build our own tables instead of waiting for them to make space for us.”
