If you’ve watched any sporting event, you notice that there are sideline reporters at every game. These reporters present info that is key to the game you’re about to watch, whether it’s an update on an injury to a player, field condition, or even a story about a player that you may not know.
A lot of people focus on simply the attractiveness of a sideline reporter and look past the story that the reporter presents. Even I see a lot of attractive sideline reporters, but that’s not what sports fans should look for when hearing a sideline report. They should be listening to the story that’s presented.
Sideline reporters work a lot of hours to present these short reports. They not only present the reports, but interview players after the game, arrive at the park hours before fans do, and probably know twice as much about the report they’re presenting as Twitter trolls do for criticizing them.
Here are five of the best MLB Sideline Reporters I’ve seen from following them on Twitter and their Reports.
Kelly Crull
Kelly is a seasoned veteran at the sideline reporting game, and she has logged a lot of miles doing so. Now with NBCSN Chicago and the Chicago Cubs, she started her professional career at Fox Sports Oklahoma, doing reports for the 2012 Western Conference Champion OKC Thunder. (Yes, she’s interviewed Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant) Then, she traveled to Fox Sports San Diego for a season with the San Diego Padres, with Dick Enberg (A scholar of the broadcasting game) and Laura Rutledge. After that, CSN (Now NBCSN) Chicago brought her in to cover the Cubs which she has done ever since. In fact, in the offseason, she now works with the Chicago Bulls, doing sideline reports for them. She also does studio work for NBCSN Chicago as well as co-host “Beer Money”, a show at which contestants at a bar play for $10, $20, and $100.
Kelly not only works hard for the stories she presents, but she is also very personable, and the players and networks love her. She is also not afraid to get in the game, as she played tennis in college at Mizzou, and has even taken batting practice in San Diego. And, she’s worked with the Wrigley Field Grounds Crew for a day. She is a true professional and a very fun person. Follow her (@Kelly_Crull) on Twitter and Instagram (@kelly_crull) and tweet her this article. She’ll greatly appreciate it!
Julia Morales
Julia Morales is also a seasoned veteran at the game. She was born and raised in Texas and got her start locally in Texas. She has now been with the Houston Astros since 2013. With a visit to Cincinnati, she has now visited all 30 Major League Ballparks. This will change after this season, but briefly. The Rangers are building a new stadium, and with the luxury of both Texas teams in the same division, she will again have visited all 30 ballparks.
Julia works primarily as the field reporter for the Astros (at roughly 150 games every year) and in the offseason, she does studio work for the Houston Rockets on AT&T Sports Southwest (Yes, another Westbrook and Harden reference). When she is not in the studio, she is usually on a #MorningRun or vacationing internationally cheering on her husband, Matt Clark. She is very personable and always enjoys hearing from fans personally, especially those looking to work in sports. Give her a follow on Twitter (@JuliaMorales) and Instagram (@juliamoralesclark) and tweet her this article. She’ll greatly appreciate that!
Erica Weston
Erica has traveled nationwide for her career, just like Kelly and Julia. She started as an LA Lakers dancer (when Kobe Bryant won his last title in 2009) and has been an in-arena host for the Dodgers in the Don Mattingly managerial days. She also has worked in news, as most sports reporters start out, and landed on her feet with the St. Louis Cardinals and Fox Sports Midwest in 2018.
Erica, like Julia and Kelly, seemingly works 24/7. If she’s not reporting at Busch Stadium or on the road, she’s traveling to either cover the Indiana Pacers for Fox Sports Indiana or the St. Louis Blues, who won the Stanley Cup this season. Not only does she sideline report for three teams at the same time, but she also keeps fans updated on Twitter with all three teams at seemingly the same time. (So, if she doesn’t respond to you on Twitter, it’s for a reason… a hard-at-work reason.) She has also worked in-studio at Ballpark Village St. Louis and has worked round-the-clock at the reports she presents. If she’s not at a ballpark, hockey rink, hardwood, or studio, she’s on vacation. A well-deserved vacation.
Follow Erica on Twitter (@EricaLWeston) and Instagram (@erica.weston) and tweet her this article. She’ll greatly appreciate that!
Sophia Minnaert
Sophia, like Julia, is a great local reporting story. She aspired to work with the Brewers and in 2012, Fox Sports Wisconsin gave her that opportunity. She’s hit it out of the park ever since.
From getting hit by a baseball to reporting in the NLCS, Sophia has seemingly done it all in the baseball world. She has also spent time as the sideline reporter for the Milwaukee Bucks in the MLB offseason before taking on baseball full-time in 2018. She, like Julia, works roughly 150 games a year and spends lots of time preparing her reports, like the other reporters I’ve mentioned.
One standout thing Sophia is great at is her bilingualism. A great example of this is this postgame interview with Orlando Arcia. One of my mentors, Jon Morosi (Oh, yes, another great follow on Twitter, @jonmorosi), is very bilingual, which helps players who primarily speak Spanish feel more comfortable around the TV cameras. Sophia is very talented at this, and it baffles me how she is not more nationally known because of this proficiency.
Follow Sophia on Twitter (@SophiaMinnaert) and Instagram (@sophiaminnaert) and tweet her this article. She’ll greatly appreciate that!
Guerin Austin
Guerin is amazingly hard at work, even when she’s not at Fenway Park. She tweets the starting lineup for the Red Sox every single day, (even while on vacation!) and she takes a lot of time to prepare her reports, interacts with fans and deliver said reports.
Guerin has been with the Red Sox since 2015, and she has been a fan favorite among Red Sox fans and fans nationally. She is very fan-friendly and is not afraid to call out trolls. (Of course, on that specific tweet, I stood up for Guerin. Sometimes, reporters need a lot of support from fans. I hope she appreciates that.)
Guerin, while taking time for her reports and work, has also been very fun to follow on Twitter. Just ask Steve Perrault from the Section 10 Podcast. Are they dating? The world may never know. (And yes, I hilariously trolled this… but I’ve yet to hear from Guerin since. Perhaps this article may change that.)
It has also not all been fun and games for Guerin. Just two years ago, she suffered a massive concussion on a flight. She had to re-learn who she was, how to walk, talk, brush her teeth, the whole nine yards. When I first heard this, it scared me. Imagine how scary that was for her. So, people’s support for her means that much more to her.
Follow Guerin on Twitter (@guerinaustin) and Instagram (@guerinaustin) and tweet her this article. She’ll greatly appreciate that!
The Point of it All
Networking is a huge part of working in sports, broadcasting, and communications. I’ve been lucky to network with Kelly, Julia, and Guerin. I almost got the chance to meet Sophia, but the restrictiveness of Wrigley Field sadly precluded me from doing that. I hope I get the chance to meet Sophia and Erica someday. I’m sure it will be a great conversation.
I also hope you guys follow these reporters and take the time to listen to their reports. They, as well as the other reporters in the MLB, work long hours and long days. They appreciate your support. Go follow them.
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