Laura Rutledge Balances ESPN Duties With Motherhood Challenges

ESPN host and reporter Laura Rutledge is managing a demanding football broadcasting schedule while raising two children, discussing the challenges of her roles on NFL Live and Monday Night Football and the family adjustments required to maintain her career.

Rutledge, who has worked at ESPN since 2014, hosts NFL Live and serves as a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football after building a career that began in college radio at the University of Florida.

According to her Instagram response to fans, Rutledge acknowledged the difficulty of balancing travel, live broadcasts, and parenting while remaining committed to her work.

"There are definitely days when I feel like I want a break or can't do it, but you can't feel sorry for yourself if you're grateful," Rutledge said.

She explained that her passion for football storytelling continues to motivate her despite the pressure of her schedule.

"I try to always remind myself that doing this is beyond what I ever dreamed for myself, and I'm incredibly lucky to do it. I love football, I love telling stories, and I love bringing the best to the fans at home, so that keeps me going most days! However, I realize I have a dream job, and I have to earn it and be thankful for it, or I don't deserve it," Rutledge said.

Rutledge also discussed how motherhood has changed her ability to handle a demanding routine. She and her husband Josh Rutledge have two children, Reese and Jack.

"Being a mom taught me I can function on very little sleep," Rutledge said.

Her husband stepped away from his MLB career and supports the family while Rutledge continues her broadcasting responsibilities. She said she created a daily routine called special time with each child.

"I wanted to share with you guys, just in case it could be helpful to somebody else. We're calling it a special time," Rutledge said.

"I don’t know anybody who volunteered to do Morning Line. And if you remember, these were not 45-second morning lines," Steve Russell said on WRUF’s podcast featuring Rutledge.

Russell, Rutledge’s college radio mentor, described the demanding early broadcasts that helped shape her skills before her television career.

"They were a four-minute sports cast. Remember?" Russell said.

Rutledge credited those radio experiences for improving her ability to react during live broadcasts and communicate without relying only on scripts.

"Yes. Which trained me. I mean, those reps and the time spent, and honestly, the best thing about it was all the mistakes I made that you helped me correct. I would say, doing Morning Line was a huge piece," Rutledge said.

She later explained that radio helped develop the skills that ESPN and Fox Sports valued during her career progression.

"I think you could ask my bosses at ESPN and Fox Sports before that, they liked that I had the ability to think on the fly and to speak off the cuff," Rutledge said.

Rutledge said television was not her original goal, even after she became a major football broadcaster. She initially preferred audio storytelling and radio work.

"I did not want to do television, ever. I still don’t. I still love radio more. And now even podcasts are on video," Rutledge said.

She explained that storytelling remained the main reason she stayed in sports media.

"But I loved the idea of telling stories and just doing sports from audio only," Rutledge said.

Rutledge found her first sports media opportunity while seeking extra income as a University of Florida freshman. She expected to work in news but accepted a sports radio opening instead.

"I didn’t even think, I just said, ‘Yes.’ And then I was like, ‘I don’t know anything,’" Rutledge said.

Her career later expanded through Fox Sports work, San Diego Padres coverage, and ESPN assignments, including becoming host of SEC Nation in 2017.

Rutledge has also highlighted writing as a major part of her current role on NFL Live, where she prepares content with support from researchers.

"I love writing, though. That’s my favorite part of this. Growing up, I thought it would be a lot of different things.

This was not one of them. But I did think I would be a writer. So it’s funny, because I do write all day long now, just in a different way than I thought," Rutledge said.