As consumers continued to fuel the increase of sports betting across the United States, Erin Dolan knew that the niche would begin to grow at ESPN consistent with its slogan predicated on serving sports fans. Just a few years removed from her undergraduate studies, she had navigated auditions and interviews to earn a job with the network as a sports betting analyst, responsibilities of which include reviewing metrics, staying updated on sports news and delivering picks across network programming. Dolan would not have signed with the network if she did not sense a commitment towards the offering, but it became apparent to her that the company was interested in the space and looking to optimize its growth.
Dolan worked from home over her first three years with the network where she formulated content and took part in programming from afar. Over the last year, she has been live at the ESPN Bristol studios where she has been a conspicuous on-air personality associated with ESPN BET, the network-branded sportsbook. ESPN entered into a 10-year contract with PENN Entertainment to create the sportsbook, which launched last November. As part of the deal, ESPN has utilized its media properties to promote the sportsbook. Dolan is among the ESPN talent who have starred in commercials detailing the product.
Dolan appears on the weekday studio show alongside analyst Joe Fortenbaugh and host Tyler Fulghum where she provides her insights and analysis to the audience. While on the program, she seeks to blend her knowledge with her authentic personality.
“If someone hears something from you and they lose money on it, there’s a different type of level of hate rather than an opinion on something, so it definitely stresses me out to some extent,” Dolan said. “But at the end of the day, I think I’ve grown the last couple of years that I’ve been here, and as my platform has grown, to really let that go because that’s out of my control.”
From the onset of her time with the network, the integration between linear and digital outlets has been embedded across several ventures. As the pay TV penetration rate continues to decline Dolan has been able to exhibit her versatility and identify a target audience while leaving room for others regardless of their sports betting proficiency. Equipped with a cognizance of how numbers can be overwhelming to viewers, she tailors both her content and personality apropos to the content being presented.
“At times, of course you’re serious, but this is supposed to be fun,” Dolan said. “You want to be sitting on the couch with your friends winning bets or wherever you are… but I really try to bring the side of me that’s just myself and authentic, and I think that’s what kind of stands out on television.”
Dolan recognizes that her personality might not appeal to everyone and that consumers can decide whether or not they want to tune in. As a Philadelphia sports fan and native of Delaware County, she professes having a thick skin and works to tune out criticism predicated on misogyny.
“I would never change my personality or dim any type of light or anything to make people feel that I wasn’t conceited in a way, but I also don’t think I’m conceited,” Dolan said. “I just think people take to different personalities differently.”
When Dolan first started attending the University of Oregon, she was focused on becoming a physical or occupational sports therapist. A prerequisite journalism course she nearly ended up dropping began discussing Erin Andrews, a venerated sideline reporter for FOX Sports, and the responsibilities within her role. Realizing for the first time that she could pursue a similar career path, she set her mind towards working in sports media and explored different concentrations.
“I’ve watched this industry, [and] I’ve studied everyone,” Dolan said. “I had a list on my computer in college of all the girls, where they were and what they were doing and how they got there, and I was like, ‘Okay, I know how this works now, so how do I navigate through this myself and get to point X,’ which, to be honest, I didn’t know was going to be ESPN, ‘and just position myself the best way possible.’”
Dolan later transferred to Penn State University and the Big Ten Conference. For the year-and-a-half she was on campus, she participated in a wide array of media endeavors and worked professionally for several companies. A combination of hard work, perseverance and talent earned her the Harry Kalas Award, becoming the first female to win the prestigious honor given by the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I was like, ‘I have to use this to get to where I want quick,’ and I knew I wasn’t probably going to go the traditional route,” Dolan said of her time on campus, “but I really used college as, no joke, [a] fast track as opposed to maybe just sitting back hoping something was going to happen.”
By conveying her unwavering ambition and demonstrating persistence, Dolan positioned herself to land a job as a freelance sports reporter with PHL17. The eight-hour shift, which involved covering sports stories within a news format, began at 3 a.m. Although she was off the clock before noon, she also worked as the sideline reporter for Philadelphia Wings lacrosse games, resulting in a dearth of tangible respite.
When leaving PHL 17, Dolan was presented with offers to join NBC Sports Washington and PointsBet, and she surprised many people by choosing the latter. From hosting segments to reporting on VSiN, Dolan gained salient experience and conveyed her personality; however, everything changed with the onset of the global pandemic. While employees at PointsBet lost their jobs, Dolan retained her position with added obligations pertaining to individual content creation and production.
“Fortunately for me, I never really shut down in that time,” Dolan articulated, “and what that had me do is learn how to work from home and work remote and just create digital content even more so, whether that was a selfie video or a promotion here or just different ways that we can put out content that was not the traditional, ‘Come into the office and stand in front of a camera.’”
Dolan eventually moved on from PointsBet and began working as a contract employee for FanDuel where she created her own show, Girls Who Bet, and was able to divulge picks for the first time. In combining her sports betting acumen and media skills, she earned a multiyear contract with ESPN and continued leaning into her personality and opinion.
“You just go, and I think that’s something I’ve learned being at ESPN and what all the other talent is doing,” Dolan said. “You just go, and then you just do as much as you possibly can during that day, and then you’re on to the next day.”
Concurrent with the growth of sports betting, Dolan recognizes that some employees at the network are still trying to learn more and become familiar with its vernacular. As a result, she proffers background information and suggestions to staff members of television and radio programs to better guide the interview.
Through her time with the network, Dolan has not kept her Philadelphia sports fandom clandestine but remains objective on the air. While there is subjectivity rooted within the practice of sports betting, she has built her credibility through a combination of results and accountability. Dolan has an NFL “Best Bets” record of 61-29-1 since joining ESPN and provides analysis backing her selections.
“I’m not just like, ‘Oh, here’s my pick. Have a nice day,’” Dolan said. “I give you three to five points during the shows, and I think that’s how I built credibility, but of course, records don’t lie, but now trying to sustain them is going to be the hard part.”
In addition to her obligations on linear television, Dolan is consistently creating digital content. As the host of The EKD Show, Dolan talks about various topics within sports betting and other aspects of her life, such as covering Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. On top of that, Dolan is active on TikTok and creates a variety of different short videos such as taking viewers through a day of her life at work.
“This new wave of content is all authentic, whether you’re on TikTok, YouTube or anything,” Dolan said. “It’s all personality-based, so I think just being yourself and being authentic and showing the real thing instead of maybe the most buttoned up, professional content, people take to it because it’s relatable.”
As sportsbooks continue to enter the marketplace, ESPN BET looks to endure and grow by leveraging the strengths of ESPN and PENN Entertainment. ESPN BET will launch in New York in late August pending regulatory approvals, bolstering its reach to 46% of the U.S. population as it tries to draw from the average of 10 million monthly visitors using the ESPN App, ESPN Fantasy and company website.
“Sports betting as a whole is going to continue to get bigger – it’s not going to slow down, even if at times it feels like it’s plateaued,” Dolan said. “More states go live, more users. The football season is going to be insane.”
When Dolan considers what is ahead, she tries to shift her mindset back to the present moment and remain aware of tradition and innovation. At the same time, she is discerning new opportunities and challenges in the space and prognosticating their implementation. Dolan is grateful for what she has and is targeting strong bets while fostering chemistry with her colleagues on ESPN BET Live, especially with the cast being together in studio to start the NFL season for the first time.
“Obviously I’m already on SportsCenter and our pregame shows, but more so, the success would be having a bigger presence on some of our bigger shows and continuing to push to get on those,” Dolan said, “and the success would also be just having fun [and] being happy.”
Staying grounded in the present moment, Dolan is ready for the NFL season and to provide users with expert betting insights, analysis and expertise across a legion of ESPN programming on linear and digital platforms.
“It’s definitely a long-term play for me,” Dolan said. “I like being a betting analyst. I’ve worked really hard to do this. It’s also one of these positions that’s brand new to, not only me, but to everybody, so really working with people and establishing myself in this space, I think it would be silly for me to then just try to pivot and do something else right now, so I’m in it for the long run.”
Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
