Lydia Stephans
{{short description|American speed skater}}
{{distinguish|Lydia Stephens}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox speed skater
| name = Lydia Murphy-Stephans
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = American
| sport = Speed skating
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|10|19}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, United States
| death_date =
| death_place =
|birth_name=Lydia Stephans}}
Lydia Murphy-Stephans (born October 19, 1960) is an American speed skater, television producer, sports media pioneer, and CEO of SportsBubble.{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=2022-05-11 |title=SportsBubble's New App Helps Fans Navigate Maze of Games |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/sportsbubble-app-tv-sports-lydia-murphy-stephans-1235264063/ |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/82459 |title=Lydia Stephans |work=Olympedia |access-date=April 3, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/12/14/women-measure-progress-by-what-is-to-come/ |title=Women measure progress by what is to come |work=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=April 3, 2022}} She competed in the women's 1000 metres at the 1984 Winter Olympics.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/st/lydia-stephans-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418120754/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/st/lydia-stephans-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Lydia Stephans Olympic Results |access-date=February 2, 2018}} Following a short international career in speed skating, Murphy-Stephans worked for several television networks, including ABC Sports,{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-02-04-9402040252-story.html |title=NETWORKS MAKE SURE WE'LL ALL GET OUR FILL OF FIGURE SKATING |work=Chicago Tribune |date=February 4, 1994 |access-date=April 3, 2022}} and has gone on to win multiple Emmy Awards.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2013/04/23/pac-12-enterprises-president-gary-stevenson-departs-lydia-murphy-stephans-elevated-to-evp-gm-of-pac-12-networks/ |title=Pac-12 Enterprises President Gary Stevenson Departs; Lydia Murphy-Stephans Elevated to President of Pac-12 Networks |work=SVG News |date=April 23, 2013 |access-date=April 3, 2022}} She was the first woman to run a national sporting network in the United States.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/story/_/id/8171078/lydia-murphy-stephans-breaking-new-ground-pac-12-network |title=Lydia Murphy-Stephans breaking ground in Pac-12 |work=ESPN |date=July 17, 2012 |access-date=April 3, 2022}}
Biography
Murphy-Stephans was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1960. She was inspired to take up speed skating, after watching the 1972 Winter Olympics on the television.{{cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/US-Speedskating/About/Hall-of-Fame-Content/Skaters/Lydia-Stephans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507103357/http://www.teamusa.org/US-Speedskating/About/Hall-of-Fame-Content/Skaters/Lydia-Stephans |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 7, 2016 |title=Lydia Stephans |work=Team USA |access-date=April 3, 2022}} In 1976, Murphy-Stephans won the junior National Short Track Championship title. Six years later, she won the senior National Short Track Championship title and the North American Short Track Championship in the following year. In 1982, she graduated from National Louis University, and three years later, earned a master's degree at Northwestern University.
Between 1980 and 1984, Murphy-Stephans won four medals, one silver and three bronze, at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbparks.org/get-involved/hall-of-fame/ |title=Hall of Fame |work=Northbrook Park District |access-date=April 3, 2022}} At the 1985 Winter Universiade, she also won two silver medals. At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Murphy-Stephans competed in the women's 1000 metres event, finishing in 13th place.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/1061 |title=1,000 metres, Women |work=Olympedia |access-date=April 3, 2022}} Following the Olympics, Murphy-Stephans served as the national short track coach at the US Olympic Education Center. In 1994, she was inducted into the National Speedskating Hall of Fame.
In 1986, Murphy-Stephans began working at ABC Sports, where she later became the first female vice-president of the organisation.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/16/tv/from-the-ice-all-the-way-to-viewers.html |title=From the Ice All the Way To Viewers |work=The New York Times |date=March 16, 1997 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |last1=Elias |first1=Justine }} While at ABC, she was in charge of their show Wide World of Sports.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-stephans-murphy-20160907-snap-story.html |title=Lydia Murphy-Stephans wants to lead Pac-12 Networks into the digital future |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 9, 2016 |access-date=April 3, 2022}} By the end of the 1990s, Murphy-Stephans had moved to the television network Oxygen, in the role of President and Executive Producer. Three years later, she moved on to the MSG Network as their Executive Vice-president. In 2006, Murphy-Stephans had left MSG to form her own company, Peace Tree Media.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2017/04/20/People-and-Pop-Culture/Murphy-Stephans.aspx |title=Lydia Murphy-Stephans Stepping Down As Pac-12 Networks Prez To Open Own Company |work=Sports Business Journal |date=April 20, 2017 |access-date=April 3, 2022}}
In 2022, Murphy-Stephans founded SportsBubble, an internet-based company that provides software, marketing and services. With the launch of SportsBubble, Murphy-Stephans released the company's first product, the WatchSports app.{{Cite web |last=JohnWallStreet |date=2022-05-23 |title=Lydia Murphy-Stephans Launches TV Guide for Sports Streaming Age |url=https://www.sportico.com/business/media/2022/sports-streaming-guide-1234675638/ |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=Sportico.com |language=en-US}}
References
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External links
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Category:American female speed skaters
Category:Olympic speed skaters for the United States
Category:Speed skaters at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Category:Speed skaters from Chicago
Category:20th-century American sportswomen