Doing It My Way
Sports Are on Pause, But ESPN’s Maria Taylor Is Still Putting in Work
The analyst and host shares her career story and her thoughts on the future of athletics — Zoom locker room interviews could be a thing
As Maria Taylor explains it, her success in sports broadcasting was born at the intersection of doubt and empowerment.
“When I was graduating, my professor [at the University of Georgia] said, ‘You’ll never find a job in sports and you’ll never make any money in sports, so good luck with that,’” she recalls.
That professor was clearly wrong.
Eleven years later, Taylor is an ESPN host, analyst, and reporter. She not only bypassed the naysayers in becoming a bona fide sports media star, she also advocated for herself.
In 2017, after just three years at ESPN, Taylor walked into the office of the executive vice president of programming and production, clear-eyed with desire to helm one of the network’s most prized shows. “I went in there and told him I want to be able to host College GameDay one day. I asked, ‘What do I have to do to make you guys believe that’s possible?’” Taylor says. “We sat there and came up with a plan.”
