In her four years as a sideline reporter for ESPN, Erin Andrews has been outrun by football coaches, knocked over by a defensive lineman and forced to fight rumors that she was dating West Virginia University's quarterback, Pat White.
"If you want to be in sports, you can't have thin skin as a woman," Andrews said in a speech Wednesday night at UF's College of Journalism and Communications. "I'm walking into a guy's world - I know that."
Andrews graduated from UF in 2000 with a telecommunication degree.
Growing up, she said she watched sports with her father, an investigative journalist for an NBC affiliate.
"I always knew I wanted to do sports," Andrews said. "I was a huge fan of teams he liked."
As a UF Dazzler in college, she said she was more concerned about the Gators winning than her academic work.
"I had a blast here," she said.
"You can tell from the scars on my legs - Florida-Georgia games."
After graduating, Andrews was unemployed until the NBC affiliate her father worked for asked her to cover a Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game - for little pay.
She began freelancing, working paycheck-to-paycheck until she landed a position covering the Tampa Bay Lighting hockey team, which she deemed the best year of her life.
Andrews gradually moved her way up, covering Atlanta Braves games with Turner Broadcasting System and, finally, snagging her ESPN position in 2004.
Although she loves sports, Andrews said her job isn't all fun and games.
Each interview requires days of studying, she said.
"I've never played, I've never coached and that's what motivates me," Andrews said. "I don't just read one article on Tim Tebow going to the Philippines - I read 25 of them."
Still, after years of experience, Andrews said she hasn't learned it all.
"I'm still looking for ways to perfect my technique," she said.
In response to an audience member's question about how it feels to be the subject of a YouTube video montage glorifying her "being hot," Andrews said, "I just don't care. Boys are gross."
She added with a laugh that attitudes about her appearance motivate her to stay in shape. Still, she said she's never felt sexually exploited.
"If they're going to talk about that, they're going to talk about that," Andrews said of her looks.
John Wright, dean of the College of Journalism and Communications, said in an interview after the speech that he's continually impressed with Andrews' commitment to helping students.
Andrews also came to speak to students last year, despite her busy schedule, Wright said.
Thursday's speech marked the first day of Andrews' vacation - the first one she's taken in four years, Andrews said.
Brittany Larson, a telecommunication junior, said Andrews offered a lot of valuable advice by encouraging students to start looking for job opportunities now and explaining her day-to-day schedule.
"I like that she's so down-to-earth," Larson said. "I think she's a really good role model."
