Answers with Michelle Beadle

Answer 1

What sparked your interest in sports initially?

My interest in sports from the beginning was always an inexplicable competitive wiring that I've been either blessed or cursed with, depending on who you ask. I played pretty much anything I could growing up, until that fateful day that puberty relegated me to the slow group. They don't properly warn you about that. One day you're winning at life, the next, a participation ribbon. Being a fan of sports has just been an easy way to transition from a doer to a watcher. A way to still feel the competition and the energy, just from a different perspective. The stories, Behind the Scenes drama, good guys and bad guys are all the same ingredients that drive us to the movies. A good story is a good story.

Answer 2

You've done it all--you've been a studio host for ESPN's NBA coverage. You worked for "Access Hollywood," "The Today Show," "NBC Sports," "People," the list goes on...and now you're back at ESPN co-hosting "SportsNation." How do you think having this wide variety of experience in media has benefited you?

Unlike many of my peers, I really stumbled into this TV gig. The downside? I got a late start. The positive? I came into the journey with zero expectations or specific goals. I love doing as many different things as possible. It's the easiest way to figure out what you love and alternately, what is of no interest. I ventured into the 'Hollywood' world to give something new a shot. I love movies, music, and tv, but I quickly learned that the ways in which that news is delivered just wasn't for me. But I don't regret having given it a shot. Even doing sports varies from place to place, as I learned. I always tell anyone who asks, 'Do it all. Try everything once. It can't hurt. It can only make you better.'

Answer 3

How have you seen the opportunities for women sports personalities change over the years?

Female sports personalities have come so far in the last few decades. I mean, we will always be dismissed immediately by some based solely on our anatomical parts. But I've seen women go from being strictly sideline reporters to hosts, play by play and color announcers. I think there will always be the different types of women who enter this field. You have the former athletes who transition seamlessly into a role in front of the camera. The tomboys who want a career in television and lean towards sports broadcasting. The girls who may want a little celebrity and see a path through sports. Everyone is so different. It's a shame that sometimes an entire gender can be judged on the actions of a select few. But that's not specific to women in sports broadcasting. Everyone falls victim to that. We are definitely judged more harshly on our words, our looks and our lives than our male counterparts, but you know that going in. And you make sure you do your homework. Ask questions. Be interested.

Answer 4

You have such a fun and engaging outlook on sports that makes you extremely entertaining to watch. What do you believe separates you from other sports personalities out there?

Well first of all, thanks! I try to remember that TV is fun. I'm not delivering news of global tragedies or death notices of world leaders. I'm arguing whether or not Chris Paul is a whiny player or the whiniest player. (And yes, I'm a Spurs fan. And the Spurs are currently playing Paul's Clippers.) Sports is a way for many people to get away from life for a bit. To forget about bills or relationship problems for a few hours a day. I'm a fan because I enjoy the escape of sports. And to be honest, I love this job because it IS fun. It's supposed to be. I try not to take the subjects too seriously. I don't take myself too seriously. And I hope the audience feels that and wants to hang out for an hour a day.

Answer 5

Give us your best elevator pitch: For those viewers who are clearly missing out and haven't tuned in to SportsNation yet, why should they watch?

Do you like bright colors, videos of athletes failing in majestic ways, pop culture, artists from the worlds of sports, music and acting, and 3 hosts that love nothing more than to give each other a hard time without all the fake arguing and posturing? Then boy, do I have the show for you! SportsNation. ESPN 2. Weekdays at 3 eastern. (If that doesn't work, I'm prepared to give away fancy prizes.)

Answer 6

So, we know you're a huge wrestling fan but why wrestling? Where does your love for wrestling come from?

Why Wrestling? Why not? HA. I know. Why would a 39 year old woman continue to be so entertained by dudes in spandex throwing each other around a ring. Maybe that sentence answered the question for some people. But I actually love the stories. I didn't grow up in a house with Soap Operas. When I was first turned onto wrestling in my early 20s, I quickly became obsessed with the characters and their individual storylines. You had the rebel. The pretty boy. The jock. The outlier. Combined with seemingly unrealistic athleticism, wrestling is just another form of entertainment I enjoy.

Answer 7

As an avid Twitter user with more than 944k followers, do you enjoy the instant feedback you get from viewers after shows?

Twitter. The never-ending humbling machine. I have a real love-hate relationship with the Twitterverse. I've definitely taken my fair share of hiatuses in order to keep a little sanity. Instant feedback can be great. It's a wonderful way to gauge how the audience may have liked or disliked a particular show. It also provides a great way to interact with people that we never had before. You used to have to write a letter, get an envelope, stamp it, send it and then wait for someone to write back, IF they wrote back. Now, in a matter of seconds, you can let someone know exactly how you feel, good and horrible. I enjoy the back and forth Twitter provides. So many people are kind and want to be a part of the conversation. Big games become Twitter hotbeds for discussion. There are so many funny, creative people out there. We would never know that without Twitter. As for the trolls, you take the bad with the good, and know that life has a funny way of balancing things out.

Answer 8

What's one goal you'd like to accomplish during your lifetime?

One goal I need to accomplish during my lifetime is to open a refuge for dogs. My friends and family know I'm a person who prefers the company of pups over everything else. And before it's all said and done, I want a nice piece of land and dogs as far as the eye can see. A safe place so that every little furry baby can feel safe and loved no matter what hand they were initially dealt. I'll be known as the 'Dog Lady,' and kids will whisper my name as they ride their bikes past my land, 'She used to talk about sports or something.' Cut to the howling of the dogs. End scene.

Answer 9

And lastly, we have to ask...whose corner are you in for the big May 2nd fight: Mayweather or Pacquiao?

Ah yes, May 2nd, the biggest sports day in recent memory. A day in which all sports collide in an epic spectacle of sports, sports, sports! The culmination coming as Floyd Mayweather fights Manny Pacquiao, a fight that has taken 5 years to come to fruition. Boxing fans have been patient. Many disappointed it took so long. I haven't been quiet about my dislike for Mayweather. Here's a man who's twice been convicted of assaulting women, and accused many more times. His lack of respect for my gender makes it easy to root for whomever is fighting him. And I'm not saying Pacquiao is a man without his own problems, but I hope when the final bell rings, Manny is left standing, victorious.