Holiday weekends are the best when it comes to checking your timeline. Pictures and videos of family enjoying a holiday meal mixed with college football conspiracy theories and random complaints from egg icons about sports media personalities. Maybe it’s my algorithm. Maybe it’s not. For me, Thanksgiving reminded me of the grind of working in sports media, all thanks to comments by FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews.
The great Kermit the Frog once said, “it’s not easy being green.” It’s was a worldwide sensation of a track that speaks about the challenges of being green while explaining the joys of it and why it’s what Kermit wants to be.
After watching Andrews’ comments from her Calm Down With Erin and Charissa podcast, I thought about the ironic nature of the podcast’s title compared to the reaction her comments received. Unfortunately, in the world without nuance that social media is, Andrews became a target when everyone should have just calmed down.
In case you missed what Andrews said, she was replying to a listener question about taking a new job that would mean more money but the same amount of stress on married life. It’s a question many of us face in our careers. More money and added responsibility can increase stress and hurt your quality of life. Or you take a little less money for less responsibility and more time for your quality of life.
Both Andrews and Charissa Thompson have faced this dilemma in their careers. Both have worked for several networks and taken on numerous other roles on top of their network jobs. There’s no one more perfect to “calm down” the listener of their podcast than Andrews and Thompson, who both shared their perspectives.
Andrews went on to explain that the choice for the listener is choosing which one they like doing the most: the quality of life or the job being presented.
“This is what I say to everybody who asks about our jobs, and this is what one of my first professors said.. and because I grew up with a dad who was on television for a living, I got it,” explained Andrews. “He said If you don’t want to make 40,000 in your first job, get out. If you don’t want to be told you need a nose job, get out. If you don’t want to be divorced, get out.”
Andrews continued, “If you don’t want to work holidays, get out. I don’t say it like that, but I say you have got to love what you do. Because I miss all the holidays. I didn’t get married till I was in my 40s. Not that that is going to be your route, but I live out of a suitcase. I miss a lot of stuff, and miss a lot of weddings. I miss a lot of events. You have to love it to get you through the fact I’m not going to be home for Thanksgiving next week or Christmas is cut short. But I’m getting to work Packers, Lions.”
The reason for the full quote is context. Andrews is the daughter of longtime television investigative reporter Steven Andrews. She understood the challenges of working on television from a very young age and took her career to a national superstar level. Andrews provided context by citing the lessons of her childhood alongside what she was taught at the University of Florida.
The sacrifices of the careers we choose are not always for public display. In Andrews’ case they are. Therefore, a backlash is always guaranteed because nuance on social media is lacking.
The post on X read as such.
Eighteen million views and counting later, the level of vitriol and backlash filled timelines all holiday weekend including my own. Several members of sports media called out Andrews for her full remarks, showcased in a singular sentence. Former ESPN personality Trey Wingo said, “that’s literally what they pay you for.” ESPN Tampa Bay Buccaneers reporter Jenna Laine spun Andrews’ comments into a lack of acknowledgement of the realities many people face. People who share the same challenges but don’t have the lofty paycheck Andrews has.
Many others on social media felt Andrews was complaining about the sacrifices of her job. Others mentioned how doctors, nurses, police, and firemen and firewomen share the same sacrifices but never “complain” about the work. Some of the vitriol was even directed at Andrews’ professor.
When you take any job, there are sacrifices. They are all different, and not every sacrifice is the same. For twenty years, I worked nearly every holiday, and more of them as a manager than as an employee. I attempted to allow my team added time with their families because I understood the level of sacrifice we all make for the roles we choose to chase.
The bigger the star, the wider the platform, and the larger the tsunami of criticism you can expect. Andrews has come to understand that in a world of 280 characters or less, more often than not you can’t win.
The simple fact is that for all the time it took for people to reply or share their critique of the tweet posted, many of them didn’t take time to read what she said. If there’s no time for context, nuance will never survive.
The Thanksgiving lesson we can all take from what happened this holiday weekend is twofold. If we choose to ignore perspective, none of us will ever learn from one another. The second item is we should look internally.
Was this about “missing holidays,” or was this about envy? A feeling that because the paycheck and brand is bigger than yours, any level of perspective is considered complaining about the role.
In the end, the outrage is nothing new for Andrews, who continues to be the star of NFL on FOX’s top team. There’s a reason she’s there, and success breeds envy. The bigger the star, the wider the platform, and this weekend was just the latest misguided tsunami to hit her. It’s not her fault, it’s more on all of us to correct it before the next one hits. But will we?
Andrews’ perspective carries more value than any response in 280 characters or less. She chooses to live the dream she wanted and accepts every sacrifice that comes with it. That should be celebrated and appreciated that she allows a look into the window of her professional career, so others can learn from it while choosing their path.
Because it’s not easy being green.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
Excellent analysis. The multitude who think she is complaining are only demonstrating their own ignorance and/or shortcomings. It was wonderful to get a peek inside the life of someone in her position, and to understand the love of the work needed by someone to do it well.
Stuff like this is so annoying. I mean, even if she was complaining- so what?! Andrews was offering her perspective, and she was miles from being tone-deaf. News flash: highly-paid people with great jobs are actually allowed to point out the not-so-perfect things about their lives just like anyone else. This is a classic case of “offended for the sake of getting offended.”
Thanks John. Your perspective is greatly appreciated. I believe she was only speaking for herself. And everyone has their own perspective. And everything can’t be predicated on that everyone doesn’t have the same thing or everyone doesn’t get the same opportunity or everyone has their own issues. She wasn’t being disrespectful to others. Seems like a lot of people who comment on things have a chip on their shoulder and just look for the angle of criticism.