Alyssa Roenigk: The Path to ESPN

By Emily Hanson

Alyssa Roenigk, a senior writer for ESPN, got her first job in a unique way. As a self-described “brash 21-year-old,” she sent the editor-in-chief of American Cheerleader magazine a letter telling her all of the ways she’d make the magazine better. The editor wrote her back, flew down to interview her, and Roenigk got a job with the magazine in New York City.

Roenigk remembers her confidence as an undergrad at the University of Florida when she provides advice for aspiring sports journalists.

“Take big chances, and bet on yourself,” Roenigk said.

Students should take chances when they’re young because many people are less willing to take chances as they get older, Roenigk said.

Two years after starting at American Cheerleader, Roenigk moved on to ESPN. She started as a copy editor, was eventually offered a full-time job covering action sports, and in 2008 was promoted to senior writer. She writes for ESPN the Magazine, espn.com and has become an on-camera reporter for the X Games.

“I’ve been at ESPN 12 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped learning,” Roenigk said. “It’s probably what’s kept me there.”

It was tough for Roenigk to come up with just one favorite experience as a sports journalist because her job has taken her so many places through the years. Her trip back to her hometown of Pittsburgh with her mom sticks out as the most memorable. Roenigk’s mom went with her on assignment to learn why the Steelers have such a large number of loyal female fans. Growing up a Steelers fan, Roenigk truly connected to the story.

“I was reporting a story that was really meaningful for a whole lot of Steeler fans across the country,” Roenigk said. “It was equally as meaningful to me, and I was learning about myself while I was reporting the story. So it was really, really special.” 

Transcript:

E. What was your path that led you to ESPN?

A. That’s a good question. It’s a path I certainly couldn’t have foreseen when I set out. I studied journalism at the University of Florida. There was no sports journalism degree at the time, but I started realizing everything I wrote about somehow revolved around sports. So I interned at The Gainesville Sun, which is the big newspaper in Gainesville…pretty much for anyone who would let me write. And it was always sports. I was a huge Sports Illustrated reader my whole life. My junior year of college, ESPN the Magazine launched, and I immediately connected with it. It was funny and irreverent. There was beautiful photography and long-form features, and it just felt like my vibe. So in the back of my mind, it was like my dream job, but it seemed sort of out of reach at that point.

I was a cheerleader at the University Florida and was told how many times…I’m sure you’ve been told…write about what you know. So my senior year I was taking grad school classes and thought finishing grad school would be nice if I was going into teaching. But for working in journalism, I wanted to get out and into the workforce and start learning hands-on. I wrote a letter to a magazine I had never seen before, but it had been around for a while. It was in the gym we worked out in – American Cheerleader magazine. And I picked it up, thought it was a terrible magazine at the time quite honestly, and with the brashness of a 21-year-old, I wrote the editor-in-chief a letter telling her all the ways I would make her magazine better. And it was based in New York City, which is where I knew all of the magazines I wanted to work for were based. And she wrote me back, flew down and interviewed me and hired me. So that got me to New York, and I had two years at that magazine learning anything you could possibly want to learn about putting a magazine together. And after about two years, I left to freelance and start studying the heck out of magazine editors in New York, and I got an interview with ESPN.

I started out as a copywriter, or sorry, copy editor, and I was just pitching stories. So I was freelance writing for them and copy editing and finally was offered a full-time job covering action sports. So my first full-time job there was running, with another guy, EXPN.com, which is our old action sports site, and writing for the magazine. Then that site went dark for a little while, and we would run it just during X Games events. And I moved on to the magazine full-time as an editor and writer, and in 2008, I was promoted to senior writer, and I was writing full-time. Where I’ve been since then…I now write for the magazine and .com, and the last few years I’ve become our on camera reporter for the X Games. I host some TV shows called the World of X Games. It’s a really cool company because if you want to, you can really spread the web out and work across all platforms – radio, tv, .com, podcasts – I mean, you name it. So it’s a really fun learning curve. I’ve been there 12 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped learning. It’s probably what’s kept me there.

E. You mentioned writing the letter to get your first job. What is your advice for aspiring sports journalists to break into the industry?

A. Well first of all, read. The biggest piece of advice I can give anyone is to read and write a lot. And especially when you’re young, not worrying about anyone paying you. Just writing and reading constantly. And reading people you love and people that you don’t love – and being able to distinguish the difference. And figuring out what you think at that moment you want to do. Certainly at that moment, I couldn’t have even imagined doing what I’m doing today – and they weren’t sports I really was even aware of. I went to ESPN as a football writer, which I still do obviously, but I couldn’t have even imagined it. At that moment in your life when you’re graduating college, what is it that you want to write about? Who are the folks you like? Doing what you’re doing. Reach out to people. Ask for advice. 21-year-olds should be brash and extremely confident in what you’re doing. Being willing to take a chance on yourself because at a younger age, it’s a lot easier. It’s a lot harder to do it, and I think we all become – I don’t know if fearful is the right word – but less willing to take big chances the older we get. Take big chances, and bet on yourself.

E. How do you feel women are treated in the sports journalism world compared to men? Do you think it’s tougher for women?

A. Yes and no. I think as a woman if you focus on why it’s tougher for you, it probably is. To be honest with you, I never really thought of it until someone asked a question. And partially I think I’m very lucky for that. I’ve worked at… the first magazine I was at, there were many women there – of course it was a cheerleading magazine. At ESPN, I didn’t think about the fact that I was a woman as much as I thought about the fact that I was young and new. And still, a good idea always won out. If you raised your hand in a meeting, a good idea won out.

That said, you definitely deal with going to… where I find it more is there’s a lot of old school men who work with teams, and I’ve certainly been called ‘little lady’ more times than I care to be. I’m small, and I can look younger than I am. You get a lot of questions about why you’re in an area you’re probably not supposed to be in, even though you’re wearing a press credential. ‘How did you get that credential?’

But when it comes to the job itself – I’ve been really fortunate at ESPN. I feel like being a woman… there’s a huge advantage, especially in the writing and reporting I do. As a woman, you walk into a locker room, and you look different. People remember you. A woman is just going to stick out a little bit. And if you know your stuff, that’s going to make you stick out even more.

E. What has been your favorite experience as a sports journalist?

A. Oh my goodness. That’s so hard. There’s so many! One of the cool things about this job is you get to take friends and family to very cool places. So I’ve had the opportunity – we’re from Pittsburgh originally – had the opportunity to take both of my parents to watch the Steelers play in the Super Bowl. And those were really wonderful memories, but last year I took my mom back to Pittsburgh on assignment. I was on assignment. She was sort of on assignment with me.

I had read several years ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers have the greatest percentage of female fans of any big four sports team. And that surprised me not at all. But I’d never seen anything about why women connect with the Steelers. I’m from Pittsburgh, and it’s just a different city. And when I moved away, I realized not every woman… I mean I have cousins who are just the girliest of girls who could tell you the Steelers starting 22. And I wanted to find out why Pittsburgh has connected so well with women and it’s held on to them. And why when families move away, the women take the Steelers with them and why they’re such a national team. I was able to convince my editors, and they sent my mom and me to Pittsburgh for a week last year. And that was, by far, the coolest experience I’ve had because I was reporting a story that was really meaningful for a whole lot of Steeler fans across the country. But it was equally as meaningful to me, and I was learning about myself while I was reporting the story. So, it was really, really special.

Interview audio: https://soundcloud.com/eahanson12/emily-hanson-interview-with-alyssa-roenigk