The world of sports media has traditionally been dominated by men, which can make numerous situations for women in sports controversial. Fox Sports personalities Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson discussed the taboo topic of dating athletes as broadcasters on Wednesday.
Andrews and Thompson received a fan question on their podcast Calm Down with Erin And Charissa, and were asked by someone with direct involvement with college sports coaches whether dating one of the coaches was off-limits.
Andrews said that she thought that it was off-limits, while Thompson thought that it depended on what type of involvement their job called upon with said coaches.
This sparked the topic of Andrews and Thompson talking about their history of dating athletes, where both thought that it was “a tricky situation”.
“I have dated athletes, but never anyone that I was covering at the time,” said Thompson. “So I don’t know, it feels like a tricky situation.”
Andrews chimed in, adding that whether it is right or not, broadcasters are typically looked down upon for dating athletes.
“It’s hard because in an everyday job, say if you were a contractor. I don’t know if it is as looked down upon as it is in our world. It kinda sucks, there is always this preconceived notion. It just sucks.”
Andrews in particular ended up settling down with a professional athlete, albeit in a sport that she is not traditionally known for covering. She has been married to former professional hockey player Jarret Stoll since 2017.
Thompson also didn’t shy away from the sports world in her relationships, notably marrying sports agent Kyle Thousand back in 2020 before getting divorced in 2022.
[Calm Down with Erin And Charissa]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.