Lauren Winfrey: Sports is a family affair

By Tim Durr 

Lauren Winfrey

When it comes to a love of sports, it’s a family affair for Lauren Winfrey.

Winfrey grew up in Detroit and went to college at the University of Michigan and got a degree in English Literature.

For the majority of her life, sports have been part of the fabric of her family. Her dad played college football at the University of Wyoming, her older brother works at Nike, and she said one of her favorite things to do is talk sports with her grandparents.

“Whenever I was with my grandparents we’d be watching some type of sports,” Winfrey said. “I think it’s just growing up around people that are always watching sports and going to sporting events [that got me into sports].”

Growing up with sports as part of her culture, Winfrey has always leaned toward being a sports journalist and continues to take steps toward her goal.

At Michigan, Winfrey worked with the Big-10 network and its Student-U program. As an intern she was able to work in all aspects of sports coverage. She reported from the sidelines, worked the camera, and kept stats.

After graduating she interned with the All-American Games, who put on the Army All-American Bowl, where she got to report from the sideline. After finishing her internship, she moved back to Detroit and decided she wanted to get more education and create better opportunities for herself.

The choice of where to go was obvious to her. Syracuse University was always popping up in her life.

“When I was an undergrad, one of my friends told me that a lot of sports journalists come out of Syracuse and the Newhouse program,” Winfrey said. “When I was working with my mom in the city of Detroit, I was able to meet Mayor [Dave] Bing, who encouraged me to come.”

Beyond a former basketball player at Syracuse advising her to come, Winfrey said she wanted to refine her craft since she never formally studied journalism in her undergrad.

With a dream job of reporting on the sidelines at ESPN, Winfrey hopes to get on camera so she can still have those conversations with her grandparents, this time they’ll be talking to her through the television.

"I know [my grandparents] would be proud of me," Winfrey said. "If there's one thing I want to do, it's make my family proud."

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Lauren Winfrey Interview Transcription

Q: What were some of the experiences you had while at the University of Michigan?

A: I studied English there and really enjoyed the program. I got a lot of opportunities working in media and journalism. We didn’t have a journalism program but I was able to intern with the Big-10 Network. It was with their Student-U production program and we were able to produce a lot of sports game. Also, I was in the band for a year, which was interesting, it was cool to lead the team out at the Big House onto the field. I was in color guard. I was in a lot of internships.

Q: What were some of the internships that you had at Michigan and after graduating?

A: I worked with a Rivals.com affiliate, I worked for All-American Games and they produce the Army All-American Bowl, so I got to do some sideline reporting at that game.

Q: What impact did your family have on your interest in sports?

A: I think it’s just growing up around people that are always watching sports and always going to sporting events, and my father played football at the University of Wyoming, whenever I was with my grandparents we’d be watching some type of sports. My oldest brother is really into sports, he collected baseball and football cards and he played football, I was always a cheerleader. I was always around it and it was just so interesting to me.

Q: What happened to move you in the direction of coming to Syracuse?

A: I was at a crossroads. I really want to be a journalist and it’s kind of hard when you come out of a college that you never studied or went through a journalism program. I didn’t have a lot of experience even though I did internships, I feel like I don’t have as much experience as I thought I should have or that I wanted. When I was in undergrad, one of my friends told me very early on that a lot of sports journalists come out of Syracuse and the Newhouse program. That peaked my interest initially. Then when I was working for my mother in the city of Detroit, I was able to meet with Mayor [Dave] Bing who was a former basketball player here at Syracuse and he spoke very highly of the school, and he really encouraged me to come. I figured, if nothing else, it would be a great way to expand my network, meet people, and hone my journalism skills.

Q: What do you think it will be like for your grandparents to see you reporting sports on TV?

A: I think it will be really cool. I hope that they are able to see me do that because my grandparents are relatively old but I hope that they hang in there. I’d be extremely excited. I know that they’d be proud, and if there’s one thing I want to do, it’s make my family proud.

Q: What is your dream job?

A: I want to start off as a sideline reporter for a network such as ESPN, I don’t want to stay in sports forever, I want to graduate beyond that, and I want to one day do morning news. Something like the career path of Robin Roberts, I really admire her.