W&L Alumna Hartung Premier Sporting Events
Kaylee
Covering
‘Being honest, it’s a hard thing for me to consider at this moment in time. Whether we are talking about the Super Bowl or ‘Today,’ I’m living the dreams that I had as a kid, and that’s not lost on me.’ - Hartung
Editor’s note: This story has been condensed from when it originally appeared on Washington and Lee University’s The Columns website.
When one of Kaylee Hartung’s bosses at NBC casually mentioned to her that she would be working the Super Bowl, the 2007 Washington and Lee University graduate was left speechless.
“It was one of those moments where you don’t want to ask a follow-up question,” Hartung said. “You don’t want to be like, ‘Are you serious?’ I was like, ‘I think I just heard what I heard, but is that right?’” The breathtaking news that Hartung would serve as one of two sideline reporters for Super Bowl LX this year was confirmed via a phone call with NBC officials a few weeks later. Still, verification that she’d be covering the biggest singleday sporting event in the world didn’t seem real.
“I just didn’t believe it,” she said. “If I’m being totally honest, I was like, ‘Now I need to get the contract and then maybe it will feel like it’s really going to happen.’” Once Hartung saw the official announcement in print a few weeks later, she could rest easy knowing she’d have the opportunity to live out one of her professional dreams.
“I’m in disbelief,” said Hartung, who majored in journalism and politics at W&L. “It still feels surreal.” Interviewed prior to the big game on Feb. 8, she said, “I think maybe when I’m holding the microphone in my hand on the field at Levi’s Stadium, and they’re singing the national anthem, and I’m seconds away from my first report – maybe then it will feel real. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it.”
Little did she know the Super Bowl wasn’t the only dream about to be realized. She soon found out that just after the Super Bowl, she’d be heading to Italy to cover the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
ABOVE, At the studio of the ‘Today’ show, Kaylee Hartung (center) enjoys a moment with fellow broadcast journalists Savannah Guthrie (left) and Mike Tirico. (photo courtesy of Kaylee Hartung) AT LEFT, Hartung interviews quarterback Caleb Williams of the NFL’s Chicago Bears after a playoff win. (photo by Cooper Neill, Amazon)
Hartung, who doubles as a contributing correspondent with NBC News and the “Today” show, in addition to serving as a sideline reporter for “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime, is receiving increased broadcasting opportunities through NBC Sports, the official home of the Olympics. She worked her first Olympic Games in Paris in summer 2024.
“I had an unconventional role for the last Olympics working a show on Peacock called ‘Watch with Alex Cooper,’” Hartung said.
The streaming program, hosted by the popular podcaster, offered realtime reactions and commentary of live events featuring Cooper and several guests, including Hartung, who described her Paris Olympic experience as “magical.”
Astonished to learn she’d be covering two of the world’s biggest sporting events back-to-back, her first reaction was to ask, “Straight from the Super Bowl?” Hartung noted that she is one of many NBC employees pulling double duty.
“There are so many people in front of and behind the camera who are in the same position as I am,” she said. “It’s such a cool thing to share in that experience with them.”
The Super Bowl
NBC’s coverage of the Super Bowl, won by Seattle over New England, featured Mike Tirico on playby- play and Cris Collinsworth as the color analyst. Hartung handled sideline reporting alongside veteran Melissa Stark. Hartung covered the Seahawks sideline while Stark patrolled the Patriots sideline.
Hartung noted that there is an incredible team backing her up during every broadcast. It includes her producer and Mike Ryan, a former NFL athletic trainer, who regularly works with her on “Thursday Night Football,” as well as with Stark on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” Ryan advises the sideline crew whenever medical issues arise.
And then there’s Hartung’s relationship with Stark, whom she’s looked up to since high school and now considers a great friend and colleague.
“The beauty of working this game with Melissa is that we know each other well,” Hartung said. “She attended the University of Virginia, and we hit it off right away due to our Virginia connection.”
The two have been having professional conversations for years and had previously worked four games together, including three NFL Divisional Round playoff games.
“We have had a lot of crossover in our production crews, and that’s the beauty of being able to work this game with her,” Hartung said. “We talk all the time about how fun it will be to split the sidelines and what a gift it is as a reporter to be able to just focus on your team.”
“These are conversations we’ve been having for four years, so it’s great that we’re not starting from scratch here,” she said. “I’ve been grateful for her as a resource in so many ways.”
Hartung’s initial Super Bowl preparation began by watching the AFC and NFC championship games on Jan. 25, something she regularly does in advance of the game she’s covering that week. Ever the multitasker, she analyzed the two games from a hotel room in Los Angeles while preparing to interview actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi the following day for a “Today” show segment on their new film, “Wuthering Heights.”
Hartung, a Baton Rouge, La. native, is spending 23 days on the road, traveling between two continents, for the Super Bowl and Olympics. While in San Francisco for the Super Bowl, she interviewed NBA legend Steph Curry for the “Today” show. She returns to her home in New York City on Feb. 23.
Regardless of how prepared she has been for covering these major events, Hartung says she still has to overcome nerves that happen every time the red light turns on the camera for a live event.
“There hasn’t been a game where I haven’t been nervous, and this will be [the biggest events] I’ve covered … but I think nerves are actually healthy,” she said. “I think it just reminds your body that you care, and if I didn’t get nervous, I think that might be a little unsettling to me.”
Hartung said there’s an energy that courses through a stadium just prior to kickoff and that she uses a time-honored tradition to remain grounded.
“My first report is typically right before kickoff, and the national anthem always serves as my calming mechanism,” she said. “I always try to be present in that moment and put my hand over my heart and soak in that moment and remember how special it is to be a part of it.”
Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
The Olympics began Feb. 4 and continue through Feb. 22. A total of 116 medaling events are being held across 16 disciplines hosted by 15 different venues spread across northern Italy, making the Milano Cortina Games the most geographically widespread Winter Olympics in history.
Hartung has been reporting on freestyle skiing at a venue located in Livigno, a small town in the Italian Alps located near the Swiss border. Her first order of business upon arriving in Milan on Feb. 9 was to staff the “Today” show at 7 a.m., then take the four-hour drive to Livigno.
Hartung has provided commentary for the aerials and mogul events. Though she is versed in a variety of broadcast disciplines, the Olympics are presenting the unique challenge of building chemistry with an unfamiliar broadcast team and covering sports for which she is somewhat unfamiliar. Her broadcast team includes former Olympian and veteran play-byplay commentator Trace Worthington, with 2010 Olympic gold medalist Hannah Kearney providing analysis.
Hartung’s calling card of telling the human stories behind the performances is something she is relying on heavily for her Olympic assignment.
When asked what’s next on her professional bucket list, Hartung said she’s focused on what’s right in front of her.
“Being honest, it’s a hard thing for me to consider at this moment in time. Whether we are talking about the Super Bowl or ‘Today,’ I’m living the dreams that I had as a kid, and that’s not lost on me,” she said. “I think I’m just trying to be present in this moment – just be where my feet are and crush it. And then, we’ll see what happens next.”
Read more about Hartung’s career journey and what drives her as a journalist in “Working Overtime” from the summer 2024 issue of the W&L Magazine.
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