Claire Smith covered all things baseball as an award-winning reporter, columnist and content editor for 40 years before accepting a position as an assistant professor of practice in Temple University's Department of Journalism in 2021. Before joining the staff, Smith was named co-director of the newly established Claire Smith Center for Sports Media within the Klein College of Media and Communication. 

Smith was born in Philadelphia in 1953 within blocks of Temple, her alma mater. She later worked within miles of her hometown at her first newspaper employer — The Bucks County Courier Times. She soon moved on to The Philadelphia Bulletin where her dream of becoming a sports reporter became a reality. Smith went on to work for the Hartford Courant, covering the New York Yankees from 1983 to 1987, the first woman to have a full-time Major League beat. She later worked as a columnist for The New York Times from 1991 to 1998 and was an editor and columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1998 to 2007. She rounded out her career as a content editor at ESPN, from 2007-2021. 

Smith traveled the world covering baseball, with assignments as wide-ranging as labor negotiations in The Oval Office to witnessing the first-ever Major League games played in Europe and Puerto Rico. The veteran reporter’s achievements were recognized by her peers when she was voted the 2017 recipient of The Baseball Writers Association’s Career Excellence Award: the first woman and fourth African American to be so honored. She has also been recognized for her pioneering efforts and career milestones by her alma mater as well as The Association for Women in Sports Media, The National Association of Black Journalists, The Jackie Robinson Foundation, The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and The Josh Gibson Foundation. Two years ago, Smith was named the recipient of the Associated Press Sports Editors' annual Red Smith Award, considered the top honor for contributions to sports media. 

Smith was among the subjects of A League of Her Own, a short biographical documentary about the women who shattered glass ceilings throughout sport media. The film was screened in 2018 at the Hall of Fame's annual Baseball Film Festival. She was also featured in the ESPN Nine for IX documentary, Let Them Wear Towels.