You name it, Kathryn Tappen has probably covered it.
The award-winning broadcaster is known as one of the most versatile hosts and sideline reporters in sports media, having worked Super Bowls, Olympics, Stanley Cup Finals, big-time college football clashes, and many other events.
From July 10-12, Tappen will be competing in the American Century Championship on NBC and Peacock. It is her 10th time competing in the star-studded celebrity golf tournament. PFN recently caught up with Tappen to discuss her career, advice for aspiring broadcasters, the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal, the American Century Championship, and more.
One-on-One With Kathryn Tappen
What advice would you give to an aspiring broadcaster? You’ve accomplished so much, won awards, and worked so many incredible events. What would you tell someone who is starting on their broadcasting journey?
Kathryn Tappen: “I think times are so different now from when I started 23 years ago, when I graduated from Rutgers in 2003. But I think the foundation of sports journalism doesn’t change and that is: if you’re passionate about something in your life, go out and do it. If you’re doing it for the wrong reasons, then you’re not going to be successful. You’re going to trip and fall too many times. And in this day and age, with social media and everybody wanting to be a celebrity and this and that, don’t use broadcast journalism as your platform to be an influencer or celebrity. Do it because you value the authenticity of reporting and journalism and conducting a hard interview and getting the facts.
“There are so many important elements that we learn in journalism school that take us through a long career, and the values that are important. And I think that would be my best advice to anybody: Don’t deviate from the values, don’t deviate from who you are and your integrity and the honor system and all of that stuff because that will set you up for longevity in the industry — not the amount of followers you have on social media. That’s going to come and go, but if you hold true to the values that you learn and you’re doing the right thing all the time, [you’ll have longevity].
“And it’s hard because this is a business, and it’s the entertainment business at the end of the day; there’s temptation, there’s opportunities, there’s swings and misses, there’s defeat. All of that comes into play. And you have to weather all the highs and lows. And when you’re at your lowest, you still have to maintain integrity and honor and all those things, and that’s when it’s the hardest to do when social media is blowing you up or you made a mistake on the airwaves; how do you handle that? I think, again, when your foundation is strong, that’s the most important thing and that will allow you to have longevity in the industry.”
It feels like the lines are blurred now since social media is such a big part of the job. If you are having success in the field, you’re going to get followers. But you’re right: there are a lot of people who seem to get into this because they want fame or followers.
Tappen: “Yeah, and that’s unfortunate. You can have a platform on social media and you can be successful; I think that’s great. But at the end of the day, you talk about the blurred lines, I mean, they don’t have to be blurred. I’ve been at this when there was no social media, and now I’m at a point where I’ve got a couple hundred thousand followers and there’s all kinds of DMs, all this stuff, but you’ve got to still maintain the same level of respect and integrity and do things the right way.
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“I mean, there’s going to be times where the lines are blurred. Case in point, like friendships; I might be friends with a lot of these guys at the American Century Championship, but if I’ve got to go interview Travis Kelce on the football field after a game or Patrick Mahomes, that interview is still conducted the exact same way it would be conducted if I didn’t know either one of them. You’ve got to separate church and state in a way. Sometimes you play with these guys in golf tournaments and you can be pals — and by the way, that earns a lot, that goes a long distance when you do have to do the hard interview after the games. So, I just think it’s about being mature in managing the blurred lines.”
You’re one of the most versatile broadcasters; you work so many different sports. At what point did you realize that you wanted to work a bunch of different events across numerous sports instead of honing in on one?
Tappen: “Well, I think it was kind of decided for me. I started in local TV in Providence, Rhode Island, and I was the weekend sports anchor and weekday sports reporter. And it was, ‘Go cover this kid wrestling, go cover basketball, go cover Rhody Ram.’ I mean, everything was thrown at me, and you just learned the art of storytelling very early on and had to do it the right way. Because at any given moment, my sports director, Frank Carpano, was sending me on a shoot of something that I didn’t know.
“Then, it transformed into New England Sports Network, NESN, where I spent the next five years, and I covered the Celtics, Bruins, Patriots, and Red Sox. We were the regional sports network, so you covered everything. We’d also go out and cover a Boston College football game or a UMass Amherst wrestling story or a hockey story. And then they might send me to BB&N High School and go cover them putting turf down on the field. So, I just think from an early stage in my career, I was always versatile and always thrown into many different things, and I just figured out how to do it.
“Now, I’m very grateful for that because this is an industry where everything’s changing so fast. Rights deals are switching networks all the time and you don’t want to be a one-trick pony because a lot of that is not valued. I mean, yes, there are the top dogs in what they do, and they stick to one sport, and I think that’s awesome if you can do it. But being versatile has also allowed me to meet so many people and build an amazing network in the industry. And I love the fact that I get to cover different sports. It keeps me on my toes, it keeps me challenged, and it keeps me entertained, quite frankly. Coming off a Stanley Cup Final and I know my next assignment is going to be a Big 10 football game, that’s so cool.”
You’ve worked so many big events, from the Olympics to Super Bowls to Stanley Cup Finals. Is there a certain event that you cover that stands out as being the most rewarding?
Tappen: “Well, I’ve always said this: I think they’re all amazing. Any chance you get an opportunity to do a big event like a Super Bowl or a Stanley Cup Final, [it’s special]. And I’m now taking more time to reflect when I do those events because you never know how much longer you have. But I would say the Olympics, to me, are unique and special. And I say that because I was an athlete as a young girl, and all through college I competed in track and field at Rutgers, and I always dreamed of being an Olympian. I would be glued to the TV set every four years (now it’s every two years, thank God we get to watch the Olympics every two years now).
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“But I dreamed of being an Olympian. That was the greatest accomplishment. When I was growing up, that was the highest level a female athlete could really achieve. And when I got the opportunity to cover my first Olympics in Russia and Sochi in 2014, I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I just thought, ‘God, I’ve made it. This is the greatest opportunity I’ll ever be given.’ And now I’ve done seven, and every single one of them is unique. Every single one of them has that pureness, competing for your country, athletes getting the once-in-a-lifetime chance on that stage, if they’re lucky. The ones we see repeat are the rarest of the field, and what a joy it is to cover those athletes — the Lindsey Vonn, the Katie Ledecky, the Michael Phelps. These are legends that you’re never going to see that level of competition again.
“And then we have moments like the USA winning gold in men’s and women’s hockey and Paralympic hockey this year, and those are incredible moments for our country. And so I think with all due respect to the Super Bowl, which brings in 150 million viewers, and the Stanley Cup Final, which is amazing every year, when you are competing for your country and your pride in your nation, that’s just a totally different level covering the event and being a part of those events.”
One of the biggest stories in sports media is the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal. Some female journalists have said that it makes things harder for women in the industry, while others like Elle Duncan have pushed back. What are your thoughts on how this situation impacts women in the industry?
Tappen: “I’d like to think that this is a situation that stands on its own. I don’t believe it is a reflection of female journalists and women’s sports broadcasters, writers, or podcasters. I think it’s a situation that is one in and of itself, and whether or not there are more of those situations going on, that’s none of my business. I would say the same thing for the industry. I think if you continue to hold your head high, do the right thing every day, work hard, put your nose down, be a good teammate — all the things that make a good sports journalist, male or female, be successful — I think it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. And I think time will tell what happens with that situation. But again, I think it’s one in and of itself at the moment, and we should treat it as one in and of itself.”
I totally agree. I’ve worked with some amazing female sports journalists, and I’ve seen the crazy comments and DMs they get. I hate that this may feed those negative stereotypes and potentially lead to even more of those comments.
Tappen: “Anyone that had that stereotype before is going to have it no matter what happens. In the industry, no matter what situation happens, we see those people are still going to have their opinions. So I really, quite frankly, don’t care what they think. They would’ve had it before and they’re going to have it afterwards. So the true people that respect female journalists for who they are, they’re always going to respect them; no incident is going to change their mind. The same thing with you, Alex, it’s not changing your opinion of what they do. It’s unfortunate that it’s public and out there, but what are you going to do? That’s for them to figure out, not us.”
You’ve been competing in the American Century Championship for years, and you’ll be doing so again from July 10-12 on NBC and Peacock. Why is this tournament so important to you, and how excited are you for this year’s event?
Tappen: “Oh, I’m super excited. This is going to be my 10th year competing in it. It’s important to me for a million different reasons, but I will start with that I have really developed a wonderful relationship with not only the people in the playing field, the athletes and the competitors, but also the American Century front office and American Century clients and all the people that come and support this event every year. It almost becomes a summer reunion every year for us; we all love seeing one another. I mean, even the volunteers that are helping at each hole with us that live in the Lake Tahoe region, they love coming out and supporting us every year. There’s so many familiar faces that I really enjoy seeing every single summer.
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“And then on top of it all, we get to raise a ton of money for charity, which is so great. We’re out there competing and it’s nationally televised on NBC, and then, oh, by the way, you’re going to get prize money and we’re going to donate $8 million to charity. It’s just great and it’s a beautiful place to go to. I bring my family, and they love it. I mean, literally, it’s on their account. The second I get the invite, everybody gets an email like, ‘Okay, book your travel. We’re going back to Lake Tahoe for the American Century Championship!’ So yeah, it’s a lot of fun. It means a lot to me. I always write my thank-you notes after the event. I don’t take a minute of it for granted. And I thank everybody that had a part in bringing me there and welcoming me to the event, now 10 years and running. It’s a special week for those of us that get to attend, and I think when you get there, you see why.”
Who are you most excited to catch up with or compete against this year?
Tappen: “Well, unfortunately, I don’t really compete against many people. I tend to bring up the bottom of the tournament. I’m hoping I perform like I did two years ago. I played much better two years ago than I did last year. But I’m always rooting for Annika Sörenstam. I grew up watching Annika and I love Annika. I’ve gotten to know her over the years and I’m cheering hard for her.
“Joe Pavelski, I actually just talked to Joe [recently] on my show ‘NHL Now’ because he was doing a different tour at the moment, so we did a live interview with him and I’m always rooting for Joe. I covered Joe as an athlete for years in the NHL and from his days in San Jose to his days in Dallas, so I’ve gotten to know Joe really well professionally, and then at this event, I got to know him really well. I know his caddy, Matt Forero, really well. And so last year when he won, I was standing on the 18th hole, the 18th green, and I had tears striped down my face. I gave him a hug. I couldn’t believe it. I was so happy for him. And I just think moments like that, I’ve watched Joe compete in that tournament and come so close so many years in a row and to finally win it, it was just like, oh my gosh, I was overwhelmed.
“Mardy Fish is out there to win it every year and he’s got a chance to win it every year, and he has won it in multiple years. But at the end of the day too, he’s such a nice guy. He’ll be standing there on the range practicing, and I don’t like to bother anyone when they’re practicing on the range. And he’ll be like, ‘What? You’re not going to say hello today?’ And then he’ll give me a hug and he’ll talk to me about my game. He’s so relaxed and that’s meaningful to me because I’m just there — again, I’m the sports reporter that’s playing my best, and I’m out there representing women in the field. But they treat me like a fellow competitor and like a sister, and it’s so great. It’s just really awesome to be around that.”
