The streaming platform went after a true legend to serve as its play-by-play voice in Al Michaels. Then, it brought in Kirk Herbstreit, a well-known college football analyst making the jump to the NFL level.
The network then added several former NFL players to serve as its studio analysts. It also added respected hosts, reporters and news analysts to support them and create a cohesive, well-rounded broadcast.
That said, not everyone will recognize her name, as she hasn’t worked directly in sports since 2017.
Who is Kaylee Hartung?
Hartung grew up in Louisiana and studied journalism and politics at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. She worked as an assistant to Bob Schieffer at CBS in the early stages of her career and that led her to get a chance as a college sports sideline reporter with the network in 2010.
Eventually, Hartung moved to ESPN where she became a key part of the SEC Network rotation. She served as a correspondent and sideline reporter for that network, appeared on SportsCenter, and worked various college sporting events including the College Football Playoff and the College World Series.
Hartung left ESPN in 2017 after five years with the company. She spent the next five years working at CNN and ABC as a news reporter. Her work has been seen on “ABC News,” “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight with David Muir” and “Nightline.”
But now, the 36-year-old Hartung is set to return to the sidelines and make her debut as an NFL reporter. And there are a few reasons she decided to take on that job opportunity.
Why did Kaylee Hartung become the Thursday Night Football sideline reporter?
Hartung revealed in a recent interview with Barrett Sports Media that she had originally left her sideline reporter job at ESPN in 2017 because she wanted to grow as a journalist. That led her to a traditional news role with CNN and later with ABC.
However, after five years away from sports, Hartung was ready for another change.
“I just spent five years in a lot of scenarios showing up on the worst days of people’s lives and that’s the job in news so often,” Hartung explained. “I was in Parkland, Florida, in the hours after that mass shooting. I’ve been at more natural disasters than I can count, from hurricanes to wildfires where people have lost everything, not just their homes but loved ones as well."
“It’s a job I didn’t take lightly and a job that I have so much respect for,” she added. “But now, I’m just so thrilled to get back to celebrating the best days in people’s lives.”
Hartung has spent a lot of time preparing for her new gig. She will tap into her experience as a sideline reporter for ESPN, but she has also been watching former NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya’s work to further ready herself for the role.
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At the same time, Hartung is trying to make sure she gives the fans something new while knowing that most die-hard fans watching will know more about each player than she does.
“The challenge that I try to give myself with every game is that no matter how hard I prepare, I will never know as much about these teams as their most tried and true fans," Hartung said. “My task on the sidelines is to ensure that from my vantage point, that I can tell them something they didn’t know or something that interests them … to make sure that I’m enhancing that viewing experience."
Of course, Hartung also has some jitters. She knows that sideline reporting can be difficult and it will take her some repetitions before she is fully in the groove at her new role.
“I’m worried that my head is going to explode at Arrowhead Stadium before the ball even gets kicked off,” Hartung said. “I’m sure there will be a lot of emotions that come along with that."
“It hasn’t sunk in,” Hartung said of her position. “I think when the ball gets kicked off at Arrowhead, it will all become very real. When you talk about the people involved and the opportunity that this is, I just feel so lucky to be part of the team.”
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Al Michaels, play-by-play Kirk Herbstreit, color commentary Kaylee Hartung, sideline reporter Charissa Thompson, studio host Richard Sherman, studio analyst Tony Gonzalez, studio analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick, studio analyst Andrew Whitworth, studio analyst Taylor Rooks, feature reporter Michael Smith, news analyst Dude Perfect, alternate broadcast hosts
