When there’s a big NFL game on CBS, Tracy Wolfson is on the scene.
The CBS Sports reporter is covering the most anticipated clash of the season—the Buffalo Bills vs. the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC Championship. She’ll be working with her broadcasting teammates Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. While covering the game from the sidelines might seem straightforward, it is more nuanced than many realize. So much work goes into these reports.
We recently caught up with Tracy Wolfson to learn about her job, career, and the occasional occupational hazards of being so close to the action.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: What will this Sunday be like for you?
Tracy Wolfson: “It’s a lot of hurry up and wait because the game kicks off so late. There’s a lot of anticipation. And weather is always a big part of it. I spend a decent amount of time preparing so that when I head out there three hours before game time you’re not freezing by kickoff.
“When it comes to the actual game, this week, it’s me on the Kansas City sideline, and we bring in Evan Washburn, who will be on the Bills’ sideline. I’ll do an interview pre-game that’ll go in our open, most likely unless something changes last minute, with Patrick Mahomes, which I love because I always feel like it’s great to hear from the stars.”
How will you spend the rest of the game?
“I have a lot of stories prepared. Maybe we’ll talk about Travis Kelce’s future or maybe I spoke to someone during the week who can talk about the rivalry or how they’ve improved over the year, whatever it might be. But for the most part, what I love about these games is you’re trying to just read and react to what’s happening on the field. Following the game, listening to Jim and Tony in my ear. Watch what’s happening on the sideline. If there’s an interception, I watch the quarterback and see how they react and what they might say to the team. If there’s a long drive, the defense gives up a touchdown. I go to the defensive side of the ball and maybe listen in. You’re trying to find what you can get from the field that Jim and Tony can’t get from the booth. And then, of course, you’re going to follow the injuries or any other situations that might happen, or as I mentioned, weather as well.”
What is the biggest misconception about your job?
“I think (viewers) don’t realize what goes into it behind the scenes, the prep work all week, the knowledge you need to have of the game to make sure that your reports are correct, concise, on point, and at the right time. I think the relationships you have with these players and coaches are so important to your job. The fact that they trust you, they might give you more than someone else might give you. We cover the Bills and the Chiefs all the time. I can get stuff from the field sometimes that I couldn’t get from other teams that I might not cover all the time. That’s a big part of it.”
What’s the worst weather you’ve had to deal with?
“”It was a Wild Card game. It was Miami-Pittsburgh (in January 2017). It was kind of the first time I felt freeze, that uncomfortable your-mouth-can’t-move feeling. Once you get into an experience like that over the years you learn how to prepare better and better for those moments. For example, everyone was talking about the cold last weekend. I walked away and was like, ‘Wow, that was OK. I’ll take that anytime.’
“The hardest part is when it’s raining. The cold you can prepare for. When it is pouring rain, you can’t. Everything is just a mess. You can’t write. You can’t take notes. You can’t see ahead of you. You’re just like a wet dog.”
Do you have access to a space heater like the players have?
“The biggest luxury I have is that my audio guy, Kevin Delaney, who’s the best in the business, built a little igloo-type she shed. It has a heater inside, zips up, and has a monitor with my stats. He put a mirror up for my makeup. Anything I might need is in that she shed. I can’t use it during the game because you have to be on the sidelines. (However, during) the pregame, being able to go in, take notes, sit down, and warm up a little bit, especially when it’s raining or snowing, certainly helps.””
Have you ever been accidentally hit on the sidelines by a player or a football?
“Yes. I’ve gotten hit by a player. It was in Dallas and I got knocked over by one of the linebackers. I wasn’t standing in a position that I shouldn’t have been, but they push so hard in pregame and they knocked me over. I jumped back up because I was so embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to see. And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m fine.’ Of course, they felt so bad. I remember the linebackers coach came over to me. He felt terrible.
“The next day I woke up. ‘Oh, I am sore.’ I had a huge bruise up and down my leg. Then it came back to me. ‘Oh, yeah, it’s because I got knocked over by a 200-pound linebacker.'”
Weather update from Orchard Park pic.twitter.com/qaeQWiBxZ1
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) January 19, 2025
Did you always want to be a sports reporter?
“This was it. I was about, eight, nine, 10 years old, watching Willow Bay on the NBA Inside Stuff. I remember being like, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to talk sports for the rest of my life.’ I loved sports. I was a little tomboy growing up. I played it. I watched it. It’s funny. I just had a conversation with my father yesterday. He’s like, ‘I remember when you said, Dad, I want to be a sportscaster.’ He laughed. He didn’t even know. When I went to Michigan, he told me to take some accounting classes and maybe think about business, in case it doesn’t work out.”
What was your first big break?
“I took a roundabout route. I was a runner for CBS and a researcher. Then I was an agent for a year. I was a sports producer for a year. I didn’t know how to get in front of the camera. So I needed a fake tape. When I was at News 12 Long Island, every time the reporter went out, I would go out and I would just do the same report, but nothing ever aired. I put it together. I knew how to put it together because I was an agent. I sent it all over the country. I got a job in Trenton, New Jersey. That was my first big break to get in front of the camera. They didn’t know it didn’t air. But I was confident in myself. If I just got the opportunity, I could do it.”
What advice would you give someone who wants to be the next Tracy Wolfson?
“First, you need to know your stuff. You will be exposed if you don’t. Knowing your stuff and loving what you’re doing, loving the sport is important. Be versatile. Be willing to cover anything. That’s how you’re going to get more opportunities. It’s how you’re going to have longevity. I think the other thing is to be yourself. It’s important to show your personality. I think that differentiates you from everyone else. And then finally, be a great teammate. If people like working with you, if you work hard, they see that you get along with people, then I think everyone’s going to go to bat for you and want to work with you.”
Have you run into a celebrity you were awed by?
“Honestly, I think it’s Taylor Swift. I watch her walk in every time to a Kansas City game. I don’t get awed by celebrities and in general. But I think it’s just her presence, the aura around her, the fact that I haven’t had a chance to meet her, and she feels a little unapproachable in a way. And the fact that she doesn’t do a lot of interviews. I remember last year going through the whole Super Bowl run, I was like, ‘How can we get her?’ Maybe she’ll do something with the impact that she had on football last year, especially on young girls wanting to watch. I would have loved to have heard from her (on) how she felt about all of that.”
Chiefs headed to the Super Bowl and Taylor headed to see Travis! #Chiefs #Swiftie #Taylor pic.twitter.com/yp4WINKvLW
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) January 28, 2024