Houson Chronicle

Inside the Super Bowl with sports broadcaster Lindsay McCormick

Story by Joy Sewing, Photography by Michael Ciaglo

[as originally published on chron.com]

If anyone can put Super Bowl LI into perspective, it's TV sports broadcaster Lindsay McCormick.

The 29-year-old Houston native has been to seven Super Bowls; she's covered three. Last February, she hosted a Super Bowl event in San Francisco for NFL sponsor SAP and the Maxim Super Bowl party.  In 2015, she hosted all of the NFL live events in Phoenix.

The Super Bowl is more than a game, she says.

"The NFL itself is so exciting. On top of that, here are two teams that have worked so hard all season and have finally made it," said McCormick, who splits her time between Houston and Los Angeles. "It's the best of the best going head-to-head. You have all these super fans who come out just for the entire experience."

McCormick, who graduated from Auburn University in Alabama, travels the country covering sports events and interviewing professional athletes. It's a natural fit, having grown up in a family of sports fans. By the time she was 5 years old, she knew many football plays by heart. It didn't hurt that her grandfather was a former collegiate and pro defensive player. Both her grandfather and her brother worked for NASCAR.

McCormick's first big gig was as an intern for ESPN "SportsCenter." She went on to work as a host for Comcast SportsNet's "The Fan" and reports on the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. She was the sideline reporter for the quarterfinals of ESPN's "The Basketball Tournament" and in 2013 hit the road with NBC's "Sunday Night Football" as the social host.

Another one of McCormick's passions is dance. She has competed in ballroom dancing - just take a look at her Instagram page, @lindsaymccormicksports. And she would go into high kicks to appear on "Dancing With the Stars."

But before the Super Bowl gets underway, McCormick is diving into acting. She plays a talk-show host in the movie "The Bounce Back," with actor Shemar Moore, which opens this month in theaters nationwide.

What's your favorite Super Bowl memory?

Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix in 2015. I got to work with Joe Montana, who, in my opinion, is the greatest quarterback of all time.

You've been to seven Super Bowls, so has it changed much?

The NFL experience has changed so much over the years. It used to be just about the game. Now, it's about the entire week. You have the Pro Bowl the week before, then events leading up to the game itself. So it's not just one big game anymore. It's an entire week of amazing events for fans.

Is there any sporting event that compares to the Super Bowl?

The Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao fight in 2015. It was amazing.

What was your favorite Super Bowl halftime show?

I don't think anyone will ever top Beyoncé's performance.

Do you have a favorite professional athlete?

Bo Jackson is the greatest athlete of all time. I have a signed photo of his on my wall. It's first thing I see when I wake up in the morning.

Are there any life lessons you've learned covering sports?

If you don't absorb the moment while you're working, you'll miss out on something amazing.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

My mom told me I could do anything I wanted if I worked hard. That has stayed with me.

Do people test you on how much you know about football because you're a woman?

Women are doing so much in the sports world, and being from Texas, I think it's more common to know about football than in other states. I do think women don't get the credit they deserve in this industry.

When it comes to dating, are guys intimidated by your sports knowledge?

They love it at first. Then, after awhile, they realize I really, really like sports. One guy I dated wanted me to set his fantasy football roster.

Would you cancel a date if a big game was on?

No, but I'd change the place to a restaurant that was showing the game.

Rick Krusky