South Jersey Magazine - Moorestown / Mt. Laurel

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SJM_People_Dept_0524FINAL_Reg2 . qxp_layout 5 / 29 / 24 4 : 50 PM Page 1 It seems like you’ve already held so many Q & A different posi - tions and covered so many different events during your career even though you haven’t been doing it forvery long . Has sports broadcasting been every - thing that you wanted so far ? Oh yeah . It’s funny , I think in this industry you have to be so motivated and such a go - getter that I struggle at times to ap - preciate how far I’ve come , and my parents do a great job of telling me to look back . A year and a half ago , I was still in Jack - sonville and I thought there was no way I would ever make it to this big of a market in my 20s , so I definitely have to remind myself at times to appreciate how far I’ve come , still being young . But to me , I think , ‘ Gosh , I am so young and I still have so much to do , so much to accomplish . ’ So I’m constantly trying to balance the ap - preciation but the motivation to get where I want to go . Southern Whatled you down this path to begin with ? Were you a big sports fan growing up and were you an athlete yourself ? Charm Both . I’ve been a sports nut my whole life . I’m so grateful [ because ] I know so many people who are young and have FLORIDA NATIVE ASHLYN SULLIVAN OF NBC SPORTS no idea what they want to do , who have PHILADELPHIA HAS WON OVER THE DEMANDING LOCAL changed careers three times . … Since I was 5 years old , this is all I ever wanted to FAN BASE WITH HER DOGGED WORK ETHIC AND IN - DEPTH do . I’ve known for so long that this was COVERAGE OF THE FLYERS AND EAGLES . the only option . I think you have to be that way in this industry , because you’re by Matt Cosentino going to get bumped and bruised and thrown off the path , and this has to be Theanswer is always yes . the only way you see it to succeed . It’s That philosophy has served Ashlyn Sullivan well during her quick and impres - been this way forever [ with me ] . My dad sive rise up the ranks in the demanding industry of sports broadcasting , whether it always tells the story of me picking up meant accepting gymnastics instead of football as her first beat in college , taking the sports [ section in the ] newspaper , freelance work covering the Korn Ferry Tour for the Golf Channel or applying for a and it was always a race to see who would job she wasn’t really interested in just to get her foot in the door with an NFL team . wake up first , because I wouldn’t fold it It was also the approach she took in late 2022 , when “ the best sports market in correctly the way he wanted it . … That the country ” beckoned and she left her home state of Florida to join NBC Sports was my whole childhood . I have a dad Philadelphia , primarily to cover hockey , which wasn’t exactly a sport she grew up and a brother who are sports nuts , they with . In the 18 months since , she has already won over the notoriously brutal Philly love SEC football , so I was born and bred into that . I was going to Florida Gator sports fans , who can be just as hard on the people who cover their beloved teams football games when I was 5 , 6 years old , as they are on the players , coaches and general managers . and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since . A host for the network’s Flyers coverage who conducts live intermission inter - views as well , Sullivan also co - hosts Birds Huddle , a talk show centered on the Itseems like you jumped at every op - Eagles , and provides additional reporting from practices and games . Viewers portunitythat was presented to you , appreciate not only her pleasant demeanor and knowledge of the teams , but also whetherduring college or right after the clear preparation she puts in behind the scenes . yourgraduation . Sullivan , who also works as a sports talk host on 94WIP , has certainly come a Your answer is always yes . You’re never long way from the little girl who used to race her father to the sports page each going to make any money at first , and morning before honing her on - camera skills at the University of Florida and during that’s OK . When I was in college , I went a six - year stint as a team reporter for the Jacksonville Jaguars . to Steve Russell , who was our sports di - She spoke with South Jersey Magazine about her adjustment to the Philadelphia rector , on the very first day of classes . I region , the next steps in her career and why Erin Andrews is still an important was 18 years old and I said , ‘ I want to mentor to this day . work Florida Gator football . ’ He said , ‘ Great , so do 30 other people . Why should SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 21 issue 2 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 60 |

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SJM_People_Dept_0524FINAL_Reg2 . qxp_layout 5 / 29 / 24 4 : 50 PM Page 2 I give it to you ? ’ So my first beat was actually gymnastics . I knew nothing about gymnastics , but it was funny because it was the first sport I covered and they ended up winning the national champi - onship that year . That was honestly one of my fondest memories , and by the time my sophomore year rolled around , I was able to be placed on football . You don’t get the job you want right away , and I think that’s a misconception in this in - dustry , that you just arrive and show up . No one sees the 30 steps before that . One of the big breaks in your career was working as a team reporter for the Jacksonville Jaguars , where you served in many different roles . Was that a rewarding experience for you ? Oh my gosh , yes . I look back so fondly on the team and everything . … There was a seasonal broadcasting assistant position that I applied for and thought nothing of it . There was no promise of being on camera ; it was logging footage , labeling sacks , labeling interceptions , wrapping camera cords , shooting press confer - ences — nothing that I wanted to do , but I saw it as hopefully an in to joining an NFL team . I got it , and I just bugged the heck out of them every day to put me on camera . They finally did with little as - signments , and it grew into the team re - porter role . I loved being part of a team . You really didn’t , but you felt like you had an impact on the wins and the losses , getting youwere traveling with the team , to know the players , eating lunch with them . It was a really cool experience , and I feel like it helps me now , being on the other side of it , because I know how to treat these athletes ; I know how to talk to these athletes . These guys are human and I think we need to treat them like that . What did you know about Philadelphia sports before getting this job ? I knew they were nuts in the best way , and that has absolutely been confirmed two years later . I flew up for my tryout in late October and November , and that’s when the Phillies were playing in the play - offs . I remember flying in when they had a home game , and seeing it firsthand in the parking lot and thinking , ‘ Oh my gosh , I hope I get this . I want to be a part of this . ’ Two years later , it’s been that and so much more . I live in Old City and I love when I’m walking my dog in the morning and I see [ someone wearing ] a Phillies T - shirt , a Flyers ballcap , an Eagles jersey and it’s 8 a.m . on a Tuesday . I think there’s no other sports town like it . It unifies everyone , and in the Northeast where people can sometimes not be the most unified , that’s the one thing that everyone can agree on . SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 21 issue 2 SouthJerseyMagazine.com | 61

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