Erin Andrews

The sideline reporter for Fox NFL and the Super Bowl talks favorite players, going out with athletes, and why you probably shouldn’t wear a jersey on date night.

Have you been a sports fan since you were a kid? I never played sports, but my dad is a huge fan of the Packers, the Red Sox, and the Celtics, so I grew up a spectator of those even though I was raised in Florida. My dad is an investigative reporter and an awesome storyteller, so he would always explain players, team rivalries, organizations...all that stuff. Sounds like he got you hooked. Definitely. I try to be professional, but when I see the people that I grew up cheering for, I kind of lose my mind. The first time I ever got to meet Larry Bird, I had absolute vomit of the mouth, just telling him everything about my childhood. Same with Kevin Mchale of the Celtics—i saw him in an airport one time and ran up to him and started rambling that he was my first crush. Are you still close with your dad? I carry my phone on the sidelines, and my dad is always texting me during the game asking questions or adding his two cents. During Packers games, sometimes it gets so heated that I’m like, “Dad! I can’t deal with this now!” You started a line of clothes for female sports fans, Wear by Erin Andrews. Why? I’m at two stadiums a week and checking out the pro shops and talking to my fellow female sports fans: There just aren’t many options beyond pink jerseys and the bedazzled stuff. I’m a big tomboy, and that’s not for me. Speaking of jerseys, is it hot or a turnoff when you see guys rocking them away from the stadium? My husband [retired NHL player Jarret Stoll] wore one for a living. I know a lot of guys like doing it... but it’s not really my thing. Were you a hockey fan before Jarret? My first job out of college was with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which was the worst team in the NHL at the time, and it was absolutely baptism by fire. I didn’t know anything about hockey— the night before I started, I was reading Hockey for Dummies. But it was the best experience of my life, and I left a huge hockey fan. Being such a sports gal seems like it would make dating easier. Did it? It’s funny. Some guys would think, It’d be so awesome to date her because she loves sports. But sports are my life. I’m on the road more than I’m home, and that’s hard. I’m not around to make dinner, and I’m not around on Sundays to watch the game together. Did you always think you’d pair up with an athlete? I don’t think you should date the athletes you cover. But it’s like people dating at the workplace: You have the same interests; you get their schedules. With Jarret, we understood each other’s lives. He gets that I’m away quite a bit, and I get that he’s not going out the night before game day—no matter what wedding or big event I have, and that understanding bonded us. You’ve been open about how having cervical cancer has led to fertility issues. How’s it going? I’ve done five rounds of IVF, and it is such an emotional roller coaster. It’s a lonely, lonely space. So many people do it, but they just don’t talk about it. Jarret didn’t feel comfortable talking about it until he realized how many people have to go through it. I’ve gotten to where it’s nothing to be ashamed of, and I’m so thankful that we have the option. I’m also thankful my fertility doctor is a really big football fan because using those analogies are the only way I get things. I’m like, “Are you going to make an adjustment at the half?” When you Google your name, the first autofill suggestion is “Erin Andrews height.” Why is that a thing? I didn’t know that! Maybe it surprises people that I’m 5'10", 5'11"? I used to absolutely hate it growing up. I still have to deal with bad posture because in third grade I was very tall and very awkward. But now that I work with athletes, I love being the same height.

SPORTS ARE MY LIFE. I’M ON THE ROAD MORE THAN I’M HOME. AND I’M NOT AROUND ON SUNDAYS TO WATCH THE GAME TOGETHER.