It hardly comes as a shock that the numbers are bleak for women representation in sports media.

However, when you see the actual numbers, it is a stark wake-up call that more needs to be done.

The Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) responded to the third Annual Status of Women in U.S. Media report.

The depressing numbers in the Women’s Media Center report are further supported by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports’ most recent report card, which surveyed more than 150 newspapers and websites for gender and ethic diversity and ultimately issued an “F” grade for gender diversity.

Sports departments and their management teams around the country remain more than 90 percent male, and this lack of gender diversity at the top of sports departments means key decisions – from hiring to coverage, are being made on a daily basis by a very non-diverse group.

This must change.

The Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) is here to stand witness and also act as an agent of change, to push back against these barriers until they come down.

“These numbers reveal why the Association for Women in Sports Media is extremely vital and important in leading the discussion about why sports media must work harder to become more inclusive,” said AWSM president Stefanie Loh. “We constantly stress the important of gender diversity in sports media and we are committed to helping women get into this business and stay in the business in any way possible.”

AWSM believes this diversity is important because the industry needs to not only continue growing its share of consumers, it must also accurately reflect the communities we serve – a rich mix of different genders, ethnicities, races, sexual preferences/identifications and beliefs.

AWSM has been the sports media industry’s lead voice in promoting diversity for more than 25 years, through our internships and scholarships for students, professional opportunities for members, annual conventions and other vital programs.

We want to see sports media change, and AWSM is always proactive in working and leading the drive toward progress. Our membership, currently over 500, consists of men and women, students and professionals, from around the world.

We strongly urge the sports media industry to strive for greater inclusivity, and AWSM wants to foster conversation – and action – to convert these woeful statistics into higher numbers of women in the business.

The time to change is now, and AWSM welcomes the support of all who are interested in making sports media a better and stronger place of diversity.

Indeed.