Meredith Grimm, Media Communication Studies alumna and current Sport Management graduate student, showcases her creative process as a sideline reporter in the sports industry. Grimm appears on ESPN digital shows, covering a variety of Florida State University (FSU) sports teams ranging from volleyball, women’s soccer, women’s basketball, baseball, and softball.

In her role as a sideline reporter, she coordinates with two other talent heads while communicating with the producer prior to each game she is featured in. As a former athlete herself, Grimm utilizes this prior knowledge to aid her in understanding the content of a game and curating questions for her interviews.

Grimm comes overly prepared and makes sure she has done the proper research on each player before even beginning the process of interviewing coaches or athletes.

“You have to understand what is going on with both teams. When you go to ask a coach a question, they will be the first person to know if you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Grimm said.

Grimm found her storytelling approach- more conversationally based- by utilizing Seminole Productions to grow professionally. Initially, she began as a volunteer and in-game host, auditioning to be a sideline reporter in fall semester of 2022.

“To be able to say I interviewed athletes and given live sideline performances for so many sports at a Division I program in a power four conference and have access to the caliber of teams that we have is absolutely huge when it comes to presenting a reel to networks when I graduate,” Grimm said.

Grimm’s reporting style focuses on human-interest stories. “There is a person underneath the athlete persona” she said. Athletes’ hobbies or work that they do outside of their sport are personal interests that Grimm loves to bring attention to humanize and bring the full picture of an athlete to light.

One of Grimm’s biggest challenges as a sideline reporter is finding ways to stand out in a male-dominated space, something she has addressed by forming a community with other women who work in the sports industry.

“When you see that there is an army behind you, you are so much more empowered to go do incredible things.”

 

To see more of Meredith Grimm, find her on ESPN digital shows with a subscription to the ESPN app, such as ESPN + and the ACC Network Extra.