Sports journalist Caroline Salame on self-love, life on-air and healing from trauma

Journalist and former soccer player Caroline Salame has fought through injury and uncertainty to craft a life of fulfillment and success.

Salame's athletic journey began at age 10 after watching her father train for marathons. She'd cheer him on as he ran around the track, but she was often more interested in the game happening close by — a game involving 22 players, two nets and a ball.

"I remember being like wow, dad, what is that sport? And he was so excited to tell me about soccer," Salame recalled. "I got into the sport almost right away."

Salame's rise to soccer stardom grew at an unprecedented speed. Within four years, she was on the provincial team and two years later, she represented Canada at the U17 World Cup.

While playing for the national team, Salame was exposed to university scouts, which led her to commit to West Virginia University.

During her time as a Mountaineer, Salame's academic and athletic career blossomed as she was introduced to new people, theories and styles of play. However, a freak accident during her third year would change the trajectory of her life forever — and teach her about resilience and patience.

"One day on the pitch, I felt something crack off in my knee. As I kept playing, my knee would lock in an extended position," Salame explained. "When I came off at halftime, the team doctor said it was a sign that I tore my meniscus, but not to worry as after surgery I could quickly play again."

An MRI revealed the cartilage in her knee was breaking down. As time went on, Salame experienced extreme pain and had a hard time driving, walking and picking things up.

After the season ended, the cartilage in Salame's knee was nearly gone. She was only 21, but doctors said her knees were like a senior's.

Shortly after, Salame underwent a massive surgery where they implanted lab-grown cartilage onto her kneecap. The recovery would take a year and a half, and she'd miss her senior year of university soccer.

"I was told it was a tough recovery, but in my mind I was going to be the one to succeed," Salame said. "The recovery was the worst thing I've ever gone through, but when I think about pain now, I think about resilience."

'I felt like I failed myself'

After a gruelling period of rehabilitation, Salame was ready to play again. She was the "fittest" and "hungriest" she'd ever been, and was vying to re-earn her place on the national team before the Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, her hopes were short-lived. In pre-season she hurt her knee again, and if she continued playing, doctors said that she'd have to walk with a cane for the rest of her life.

Salame made the difficult decision to hang up her cleats. This time, she faced feelings she'd never experienced before — anxiety, fear and a loss of identity.

"I felt like I failed myself, my team, my family and my doctors... and that was a very tough pill to swallow," Salame said. "It was perhaps my first introduction to what anxiety, depression and mental health felt like, having lost my identity very quickly."

Instead of sitting in grief and loneliness, Salame chose to take the high road and focus on her career. If she couldn't play the sport, she decided to become a sports journalist to keep up with the action behind-the-scenes.

After fast-tracking her Master's of Journalism, Salame landed gigs at CBC Sports as an Associate Producer and TFC as a digital host. A year later, she was offered her "dream role" as an on-air host at Sportsnet.

"I achieved my goal of being a national network host which was amazing... but looking back, I didn't let myself rest or breathe," Salame said. "Previously, success meant constantly achieving big, immense goals and accolades where now I think success, for me, is peace."

If Salame had to give advice to her younger self, she'd say to live with more patience, empathy and open-mindedness. Instead of crafting her identity as a soccer player or a TV host, she'd learn to accept other parts of herself.

"If I had a bad day on the pitch or in the Sportsnet studio, I'd think I wasn't good enough. My whole worth was based on those things," Salame said. "But today if you ask me who I am, I'd say I'm a dog rescue mom, I'm a wife and a daughter... so the injury was really a blessing in disguise."

Despite experiencing heart-wrenching trauma and navigating life as a woman in a male-dominated industry, Salame has learned to sit amongst darkness. And amidst the darkness, she learned about the importance of self-love and vulnerability.

"In the last few years of my life, I've learned to find a way to just love myself and accept that no one is perfect. It's been a very rewarding part of my journey and I hope opening up about it can help other people and other women to be brave and confident," Salame said.

Since moving to Edmonton from Toronto almost three years ago, Salame has found her niche as a content creator for The 90th Minute, a digital platform that delivers news on players, leagues and teams in the world of soccer. She's also the host of the Kicked Back soccer podcast, and has racked up nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok.

While Salame is thriving in her career and continuing her self-love journey, she does have a wish for the future — seeing more women in the sports media industry.

"I think that there are a lot more pressures on women in the sports industry in different ways. And I think that we need more women in powerful positions...so hopefully that will happen," she said.

But for now, Salame is focusing on herself, her family and everything life has to offer. This is something she suggests all people do, no matter your gender or career path.

"Listen to your body and what your mind, your heart and your soul is telling you. Your gut is never wrong," Salame said.

"Stand up for yourself, have fun, and know that the best is yet to come."

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