Insider Access: Rheina Ale, from College Athlete to Sports Host

This interview is presented to you by the University of Nebraska — Lincoln Master of Arts in Business with a Specialization in Intercollegiate Athletics Administration

By: Alexis Robinson, @_alexismarie24

Continuing on topic of how women make their mark in the sports field, I decided I wanted to chat with Rheina Ale.

Ale and I virtually met through an old boyfriend of mine who is also an LA native. She is the host of Black Hollywood Live’s “Sports Weekly.” Black Hollywood Live is the world’s first online broadcast network dedicated to African American entertainment news and a sister network to AfterBuzzTV. The weekly show covers the latest and most popular news in the sports world. She has definitely made some moves since college.

“I played basketball for the University of San Francisco (Class of 2012) and absolutely LOVED it. My dad introduced me to the game at a very young age and I fell in love with the sport. Basketball has opened so many doors for me, I was able to go to school for free in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, able to travel all around the country and overseas and play against some of the best female athletes at the top universities. It was very tough to be a student-athlete and balance school along with workouts, extra workouts, games, traveling, but it taught me life lessons that I use in the workplace: time management, being coachable, getting the job done no matter what it takes and, most importantly, HUSTLE!”

Now that Ale has established herself in the professional career as a sports host, she talked her current position, “So far, in my professional career, I would say being one of the four hosts for BHL’s SportsWeekly is one of my highlights. I landed this gig about a year ago and I’ve learned so much from my co-hosts, producers and the people who work behind the scenes for AfterBuzz. It’s a blessing to be a part of an environment where everyone wants to see you grow. Most recently, I covered a very busy red carpet once and had to hustle to get my interviews and ask only ONE question. Anyways, I found Isaiah Thomas and he answered the question then took my mic and interviewed me! It was a lot of fun!”

Ale has had some great success in her young career, but does have some advice for females looking to break into this industry.

“My advice is to have thick skin and stick to your goals. This industry is very cut-throat and competitive, so you have to be able to take constructive criticism and rejection. It’s only going to make you better. Second, I’m BIG about setting personal goals –short term and long term. Whatever it takes to do for me to get where I want to be, I’m going after it 100 percent. It’s the athlete in me. There WILL be times when you feel like going a completely different direction (which is ok), but please do not let the opinions of others steer you away from your dreams. Have a goal in mind, figure out how to get there and do your best to make it happen. “

You can watch Ale every Thursday night at 7pm PST at www.blackhollywoodlive.com on the Sports Weekly show. She’s also launching a personal blog and YouTube channel by October and can be followed on all social media networks @rheina_ale.