After working for ESPN for over a decade, Laura Rutledge got promoted to a full-time sideline reporter for Monday Night Football. Initially, she had spot appearances, but from 2025, she became a regular member. Surprisingly, at one point in her life, she did not want to work on television at all. She was more than satisfied with the radio. But during an appearance on the Sons and Daughters podcast, she narrated the incident to host Shannon Spake, explaining how she finally had to break her vow and become a part of the TV.
“The one thing I’m not going to do is TV,” said Laura Rutledge on the Sons and Daughters podcast, via YouTube. “I do not feel comfortable with TV. I’m never gonna do it. And our news TV person at the time was like, “No, no, no. I think you have some talent. You should be doing TV. At that time, the only major option was a news television degree. So, I started thinking that’s what I need to declare as my major because I still didn’t have anything declared. And they were begging me to do TV, and I was like resisting it so hardcore. And now I think back to just like impactful people in your life that sort of lead you along the way.”
While attending the University of Florida, Rutledge was heavily involved with the radio. Besides pursuing her degree in broadcast journalism, she was working with student-run radio and television. Rutledge served as a reporter and host for WRUF and WUFT, which are University of Florida-owned media properties in Gainesville, offering distinct radio programming. Due to her excellent work for WRUF, she won the 2011 Red Barber Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.
Despite achieving such a prestigious award at such a young age, people still convinced her to venture into the path of TV. It turned out that she needed a major, and the only option was a news television degree. Although the reporter was against it, she ultimately gave in. However, standing in 2026 and speaking on the podcast, she exclaimed that she was happy with how her life turned out. It was thanks to the impact of people at the university that changed the course of her life.
Initially, she went to the campus radio station to do storytelling segments, since she grew up listening to NPR. Unfortunately, only one spot was open, and that, too, in the sports segment. With no other option, she accepted. But it was not easy for her. She had to wake up at 3:45 a.m. to co-host a morning show called Cheap Seats. It helped her earn the biggest break in her career. One day, a FOX executive was passing through Gainesville and happened to listen to her voice. He took a liking to her voice and called the station to offer her a job.
Legendary sports broadcaster at the University of Florida, Steve Russell, became her mentor and pushed her into television. The NFL Live host has currently immersed herself in TV and has become one of the most popular faces on the sidelines during Monday Night Football. Surprisingly, Laura Rutledge had a different profession in mind before joining the University of Florida. Not radio, not TV, but it was something barely any NFL fans could imagine.
Laura Rutledge aimed to be a ballet dancer earlier in her life
Laura Rutledge had developed a knack for dancing when she was three years old. But it was not until 16 that she finally started to see ballet dancing as a serious hobby. Moving to Shanghai with her teacher at 16, dancing with the Orlando Ballet in her senior year, helped Rutledge finally see herself walking the path of a ballet dancer. However, her parents halted her dreams when they forced her to attend a university.
“I’m going to be a ballet dancer. I did some summer intensives. I had some opportunities with Sarasota Ballet or Nashville Ballet,” said Laura Rutledge on the Sons and Daughters podcast, via YouTube. “I really started looking at it, and at the last minute, my parents had made me apply to two schools in the State of Florida, which were Florida and Florida State… I was like, “You guys are killing my dream…” I felt I had lost a huge chunk of me. But I also was a little excited about where I felt I was being pulled.”
Although she had to stop dreaming about becoming a ballet dancer, she is thankful to her parents for the decision. She understood that she was going to be a corps member and end up in the background. And compared to her current job, she would not be making much money. The decision turned out in her favor, as she has gained much popularity as a sideline reporter.
Besides ballet, she also did pageantry. Actually, she was pretty successful in it, too. In 2011, she was Miss St. Petersburg. The following year, she won the Miss Florida title. Later, she even competed in the Miss America pageant. Having tried different things during different phases of her life, the ESPN reporter has now found her true calling. She is doing a great job in her field and recently got a promotion.
