Meet Olivia Harlan, The Next Big Sideline Reporter
Meet Olivia Harlan, The Next Big Sideline Reporter
And
yeah, the 22-year-old is exceptionally young to already have three pro
gigs: She works as an ESPN college football reporter, travels with the
Atlanta Hawks for FOX Sports Southeast, and hosts ACC All Access, a weekly studio recap of ACC sports that's filmed in her home base of Atlanta.
What
Harlan would like you to do now is to see beyond the blond hair and
blue eyes and recognize that she's busting her ass, just like she did in
college: The Georgia Bulldog earned her broadcast journalism degree in
three-and-a-half years while pledging a sorority, working for UGA's
athletics website and, in her final semester, traveling for a job with
Fox Sports South covering SEC football games. While still in college.
This girl's got game.
How do you manage three jobs at once?
It's busy but there's a routine to it. Monday I research both football teams so I'm prepped for Tuesday's production calls with the on-air talent, producer and graphics people. That's when we set the stage for our coverage. Wednesday is a two-hour conference call with the visiting team's coaches, and you have to be really prepared for that too. Sprinkled in there I have an NBA game usually on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I do the ACC studio show on Thursdays. And I write my own script for that, which often happens Wednesday night after the basketball game. Then Thursday night I fly to wherever the game is that Saturday.
It's busy but there's a routine to it. Monday I research both football teams so I'm prepped for Tuesday's production calls with the on-air talent, producer and graphics people. That's when we set the stage for our coverage. Wednesday is a two-hour conference call with the visiting team's coaches, and you have to be really prepared for that too. Sprinkled in there I have an NBA game usually on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I do the ACC studio show on Thursdays. And I write my own script for that, which often happens Wednesday night after the basketball game. Then Thursday night I fly to wherever the game is that Saturday.
Working
amid a sea of guys—on the court, on the field, in a team plane, in the
stands, watching on TV—puts a natural emphasis on your looks. Does that
bother you?
Every time I pick up that microphone I'm representing thousands of people who work for the company, and I want to look as good as I can. It's not sexy that I'm going for, it's just put together, polished and confident. At the end of the day it is a TV position, it's visual, so I respect that aspect of it. What bothers me is when that's all they pay attention to.
Every time I pick up that microphone I'm representing thousands of people who work for the company, and I want to look as good as I can. It's not sexy that I'm going for, it's just put together, polished and confident. At the end of the day it is a TV position, it's visual, so I respect that aspect of it. What bothers me is when that's all they pay attention to.
You mean when your looks trump your coverage?
Yeah. I'll see the Twitter comments after a game and think 'I prepped so hard and that was just a really good story I told; were you even listening? Was your TV on mute?' Ninety-nine percent of the tweets I get after a game are 'Wow, your eyes' or 'your hair…' I can't tell you how many times I'm just called Erin Andrews because that's the only female reporter people can think of.
Yeah. I'll see the Twitter comments after a game and think 'I prepped so hard and that was just a really good story I told; were you even listening? Was your TV on mute?' Ninety-nine percent of the tweets I get after a game are 'Wow, your eyes' or 'your hair…' I can't tell you how many times I'm just called Erin Andrews because that's the only female reporter people can think of.
Do you respond to the tweets and come-ons?
The only tweets that make me upset are the ones where someone tags my dad in a comment that's lewd. They'll be like 'Whoa, @KevinHarlan, I want to do bad things to your daughter.' I hate that my dad, who is so conservative and so paranoid, has to see that. But the only tweets I'll ever respond to are the ones that question something I said. I worked too hard to get my facts right to have someone tell me I got something wrong. I haven't been wrong yet.
The only tweets that make me upset are the ones where someone tags my dad in a comment that's lewd. They'll be like 'Whoa, @KevinHarlan, I want to do bad things to your daughter.' I hate that my dad, who is so conservative and so paranoid, has to see that. But the only tweets I'll ever respond to are the ones that question something I said. I worked too hard to get my facts right to have someone tell me I got something wrong. I haven't been wrong yet.
Do you ever hear rumors of nepotism, people assuming you're here because of your dad?
Of course. When I got my first job last year with Fox doing college football, they found me on YouTube, and they had seen my work with UGA. When I went in for the interview they didn't know who my dad was, since he doesn't work for FOX or cover college ball. And then I got my ESPN job through the work they saw me doing on FOX. So nothing I've done has had anything to do with family connections.
Of course. When I got my first job last year with Fox doing college football, they found me on YouTube, and they had seen my work with UGA. When I went in for the interview they didn't know who my dad was, since he doesn't work for FOX or cover college ball. And then I got my ESPN job through the work they saw me doing on FOX. So nothing I've done has had anything to do with family connections.
Are you dating anyone?
No. I go on dates and I'm a social person, but the time has been minimal. And when I do have a night off I don't want to go on a random date with a guy I'll probably not like. So I have a great group of girlfriends I want to see, and that's usually what I do. I think whoever I date next has to be someone super confident, someone who's working toward a goal as hard as I'm working toward mine.
No. I go on dates and I'm a social person, but the time has been minimal. And when I do have a night off I don't want to go on a random date with a guy I'll probably not like. So I have a great group of girlfriends I want to see, and that's usually what I do. I think whoever I date next has to be someone super confident, someone who's working toward a goal as hard as I'm working toward mine.
What's your drink of choice?
My friends say my blood type is Cabernet Sauvignon. I worked at a vineyard one summer, and I've already set up a fund to own my own vineyard in the south of France someday. I just want to make one really good Cab and call it a day. But my other go-to drink is a spicy margarita, and I'm very serious about it. I marinate a big pitcher of silver tequila with half a jar of jalapeños and all the jalapeño juice overnight in the fridge. Then I add in fresh mint, fresh lime and a bit of club soda, served up in martini glasses with crushed ice and a little cayenne pepper on top. Love it.
My friends say my blood type is Cabernet Sauvignon. I worked at a vineyard one summer, and I've already set up a fund to own my own vineyard in the south of France someday. I just want to make one really good Cab and call it a day. But my other go-to drink is a spicy margarita, and I'm very serious about it. I marinate a big pitcher of silver tequila with half a jar of jalapeños and all the jalapeño juice overnight in the fridge. Then I add in fresh mint, fresh lime and a bit of club soda, served up in martini glasses with crushed ice and a little cayenne pepper on top. Love it.
Your Instagram feed is sprinkled with clips of you singing. Is this a hobby?
Yes, and that's something I might want to get into when the season dies down. The music business is so slow compared to sports though, and that just kills me. It's like watching paint dry. But I'm always singing and I'm always writing songs, and if the opportunity presents itself I'd love to write more songs for an artist. I have a demo done with four original songs, so I might release a couple of those singles on iTunes this summer and see what happens.
Yes, and that's something I might want to get into when the season dies down. The music business is so slow compared to sports though, and that just kills me. It's like watching paint dry. But I'm always singing and I'm always writing songs, and if the opportunity presents itself I'd love to write more songs for an artist. I have a demo done with four original songs, so I might release a couple of those singles on iTunes this summer and see what happens.
Are you covering any postseason college football games?
Yep, I'll be covering the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 30 on ESPN, then the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 on ESPN Radio, and finally the Cactus Bowl on Jan. 2. Then I'm going to Mexico with my family and friends for a week to drink those spicy margaritas.
Yep, I'll be covering the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 30 on ESPN, then the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 on ESPN Radio, and finally the Cactus Bowl on Jan. 2. Then I'm going to Mexico with my family and friends for a week to drink those spicy margaritas.
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