If you follow a television personality long enough, you can see the starts, stops, and shifts in their career. At times, you sense when a personality is ready to take a major step in their profession. That growth shows in their development as a talent, their on-air comfort, and the expanding scope of their work. This rising star is versatile—able to report, opine, and host, excelling in all three. Right here and now, that personality is ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
She came to the forefront at ESPN as a Minnesota Vikings and then Chicago Bears national reporter. Even then, you could see the Midwestern grit and savvy from the Glenview, IL native and Indiana University graduate.
That attitude has remained as Cronin has become a regular on a number of ESPN programs. She was always a bright light whenever she appeared on Around the Horn, battling back and forth with sports reporters of all generations and more than holding her own.
Cronin’s talents go beyond mere sports opinion. She has taken some fine turns as a SportsCenter anchor—an ESPN role as pressurized and highly touted as any. Cronin took to the position with ease. She rifled through highlights, interviews, and reports with incisive delivery, never losing that Midwestern sports fan mentality.
When I think of Cronin, the word balance comes to mind. She’s a fan of the games, and we see that in her passion and enthusiasm, but she does not overdo the fan persona. She is a true television professional who has climbed that perilously slippery ladder at ESPN.
Cronin is also not afraid to camp it up a bit. In fact, she did so this past week, donning a blonde wig and teenybopper duds while paying tribute to the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Hannah Montana on the ESPN/Disney+ show Vibe Check. Cronin played the part to the hilt, clearly enjoying it in the process.
This is a big part of her own vibe. She expertly walks that fine line between a sharp, polished television personality and an approachable, accessible presence. We like listening to and watching her because she’s one of us.
Cronin is supremely multimedia. She is a regular contributor on ESPN Radio with a background in print journalism. Her reporting includes work at the San Jose Mercury News covering Bay Area sports. Also at Mississippi’s The Clarion-Ledger, where she covered collegiate and high school sports.
These print journalism chops are still clearly visible, but make no mistake—Cronin is a television star. Her presence has grown alongside her resume at ESPN. She now presents a smart, slick style on the air. You might say she’s gone from the girl next door to the woman who owns the house next door, a couple of condos, and beachfront property.
Cronin’s rise at ESPN has been steady. She has worked at her craft, branching out from a regional NFL reporter into a prepared, well-versed, and impactful presence across a number of assignments and productions. ESPN has responded by wisely giving Cronin more airtime. The television business is ultra-competitive. At ESPN, that competition is multiplied.
Every hopeful talent who arrives in Bristol, CT, longs to be the next Chris Berman, Robin Roberts, Dan Patrick, Stuart Scott, Rich Eisen, Linda Cohn, or Laura Rutledge. Some make it; others don’t. Few can handle the pressure of being at the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” and others fold under it.
Some of the most talented local and regional sportscasters have missed the cut at ESPN.
It is safe to say that Cronin will not be one of those people. On the contrary, she’s on the precipice of greatness at ESPN. Hopefully, the network continues to find vehicles for her abilities. With all of Cronin’s roles and programs, perhaps her best work came last week when she filled in for Shae Cornette, hosting ESPN’s top-rated daily talk show, First Take.
It is one thing to report on a Big 12 Tournament game for ESPN Radio or work with an ensemble cast on Around the Horn. It is another to take control of the network’s top program alongside its most prominent talent, Stephen A. Smith.
Cornette has done an outstanding job as the permanent successor to the terrific Molly Qerim on First Take. It has been a smooth transition, with Cornette adding stability and hard-edged commentary. She has made the host’s seat her own, effectively interacting with Smith and an array of guest panelists.
With Cronin at the helm, the show did not miss a beat. She began by orchestrating Smith, along with ESPN NBA insiders Brian Windhorst and Shams Charania. Cronin let these three basketball mavens run the fast break, moving up and down the court with opinions and topics, but there was no doubt she controlled the show’s pace and timing.
She later welcomed two more loquacious guests in ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg and betting expert/commentator Joe Fortenbaugh. I liked the way Cronin handled the host chair—teasing upcoming topics, smoothly transitioning in and out of breaks, and interspersing her own opinions within the conversation.
It’s really hard to stand out on a program like First Take, but Cronin did just that in an authoritative manner.
In a discussion of NCAA tournament top seeds, Cronin pointed out that Michigan does not have any Big Ten teams in its bracket, beat several Big Ten teams by double digits this season, and was undefeated on the road in conference play—strong, relevant details.
On this edition of First Take, Cronin worked alongside articulate and seasoned colleagues. She managed the division of time superbly, giving everyone a chance to ply their wares. As the show headed into its final half hour, she led a stand-up segment with Fortenbaugh, Greenberg, and Smith discussing March Madness upsets. She continued to guide the show seamlessly between topics, including the Tom Brady/Dwyane Wade collaboration to educate pro athletes on financial management and the effect of the NIL era on college basketball.
In the early days of NBC’s late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live, the cast was called the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players.”
At ESPN, Courtney Cronin is definitely not in that category. She is prime time and then some, creating engaging television on every show and assignment. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this exceptional sports personality who has truly arrived.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
