So it all started on a Thursday night when I decided to go and take some funny photos at the College Gameday set before the craziness on Friday morning. I jokingly (but also seriously) posted this picture saying how much I would love to meet THE Maria Taylor. If you don’t already know, my dream job is to be a sports reporter and someday have my very own sports show! So with that in mind, you see why this is all incredibly important to me...
The next day was insane!!! I had been milling around Memory Mall in search of free stuff around the time the of first College Gameday taping. I thought my day had been made when a Coke Zero marketing employee randomly gave me a “Section Zero” premium seating ticket for College Gameday on Saturday morning purely because she was proud to see a young African American female pursuing sports broadcasting! After handing me the ticket, she said and I quote: “everybody eats.” And wished me the best of luck in school. Later that day I somehow made my way to the front of the barricades and had a perfect view of everything.
The location I was in allowed me to shout Maria’s name after the show ended and from that, things just took off. She came over to me where I was then able to tell her that she inspired my goals in life and that I truly admired her drive and talent so much. After we snapped a few pictures (and my friend Aidanna secretly got the whole greeting on video), I asked her to follow me on Twitter: she said yes. Then, I added not-so-seriously that I would love to send her my resume (that has absolutely nothing to show for yet) and she said YES! That night, my heart was racing. I could not believe that this busy woman wanted MY resume?!
While in the car on my way to a @cruatucf event that Friday evening, I received a notification from twitter that said, “Maria Taylor followed you.” Of course, I freaked out and tried my best not to scream in front of Brandon and Mel who were also with me. The video below was a true turning point. I would be lying if I said BayBay didn’t cry and/or feel like passing out… Thanks for the tagteam of God and his abounding blessings and the right place and right timing of my friend Chris DiDonna, Maria told me to come shadow her on the sidelines of the game with the whole College Gameday cast and crew that Saturday (The video was sent after the CGD taping that morning). Chris, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing my story with her and getting that video that will quite possibly change my life forever.
I was so overwhelmed from the video and nervous because I had no idea how I would possibly “find myself on the sidelines” that night. I tried to calm my nerves by calling some friends and napping but I could not sleep without a solid strategy for getting onto that field. Below is a video from Chris's phone of the initial invitation... EEEEEK!
After struggling to breathe and sleep upon the news that Maria wanted me to shadow her, i DMed her asking how I could get on the sidelines and from that she gave me her phone number (holy poop!!) and just said to get to the game at 6:45pm and she would give me this all access pass, aka my “golden ticket”. On my way to the stadium, it was once again, another miracle from the Lord, that I was given free hotdog and water by Carillon Church. In my head, I was worried I would pass out because I had yet to eat a full meal and I was very dehydrated from being in the sun for hours that morning.
Finally, I arrived at the stadium and waited in line with some friends. I shares snippets of the news and let them hype me up and encourage me to just be myself. Allowing them to see my dreams coming true firsthand was so indescribable. Hotdog in hand, I walked into a night I would never forget...
Once I got into the stadium, I called her and she came over to me and had one of the guys throw me an all access pass. I was lowkey shocked that the pass worked and they didn’t stop me! When my feet touched the field I was immediately overwhelmed. Five seconds into being there, I had already lost Maria and freaked out (silently). I felt like I didn’t belong there. One guy even asked to see my pass due to my evident awkwardness! *nervous laughter ensues* Eventually, I found her and got a headset to listen to the producers, the reporters, and pretty much all audio you would hear on ESPN during a live game. It. Was. Surreal. There were many moments when I felt like I needed to be pinched because it all felt like one giant dream sequence. She let me hold her official microphone and clipboard, asked me to look out for players, and took me everywhere she went. I felt so official that night! I was speed walking from end zone to end zone, running up the bleachers to retrieve a clipboard full of stats, talking to other famous reporters and coaches, and learning from one of the best in the game.
During the first quarter I was so tense and worried I wouldn’t be funny enough or cool enough to hang with the crew but then after just walking around with her and talking to her--as the surprisingly normal human she is--my fears really began melting away. During half time I got to go into the tour bus and eat their food and just chill with Maria! We talked about fun things like hair and makeup to serious things such as why its so important to be precise and hardworking in the industry. She told me that as a girl, and as a minority, there is no room for error. You must be on it and accurate all the time. She explained that some people want nothing more than to point a judging finger at you. CREDIBILITY IS KEY!!
I also got a chance to ask her what some key elements of the job are and she said, “relationship building and hard work” are the biggest parts of her success in the industry. Trying to ask meaningful and professional questions in the environment I was in was hard because I wanted to ask things sparingly as there is so much happening all at once. And since there is an influx of information being blasted through our headsets and I didn’t want her to miss anything of importance.
At first, I wanted to impress her with my sports knowledge but I soon realized that pretty much anyone on that field had sports knowledge so it would simply just be a drop in an ocean to spew out what I’m sure, everyone already knew. By the third quarter, I felt so in my element. The fast pace, constant focus on the replays, and the tiny glances at her notes all restored my passion for sports broadcasting. It allowed me to see what my future could be like and have something to work towards.
A truly affirming moment happened immediately after the Knights won and Maria asked Mackenzie Milton the question about how his value of “Ohana” from the island of Hawaii plays into his leadership role as quarterback on this team: that was MY question! I got a chance to spitball ideas on things to ask him and gave Maria this question. She thought it was good enough to be used on primetime television. THAT was a real moment for me. “So maybe I can do this after all!”, I thought to myself.
At the end of a long but truly impactful night, I took some photos with her, went to retrieve the Chickfila salad I was eating during halftime, and gave her a big hug goodbye! She let me keep her pen and some Gameday production schedules she had. I then thanked the team and left the bus feeling important, but more than that, believed in. Maria herself even called me “the future Maria Taylor”!
I woke up on Sunday to about 60 notifications asking how I got this opportunity and how it all went down. It was overwhelming and scared me a little because I has this inner battle between wanting to just enjoy the experience privately for a little while and wanting to share without seeming like I was bragging. So I wrote a to do list, took a long snooze, and decided it was time to share this amazing and unexpected story with the world.
To anyone who has a certain aspiration and dream in life: shoot your shot!!! Cast your net into the Ocean of Opportunity because you never know when you may catch your biggest moment yet! I’m a firm believer in putting oneself out there as much as possible because you will never regret trying and doing. You will only regret what you DON’T try and do. Fear disables us but it is often times just in our heads. You have to fight through self-doubt and reach for the realness of your dreams. I can speak from experience and just tell you that you really never know what could happen. 72 hours. That is about how quickly my life changed. Think about your 72 hours and step out in faith to one day live out those hours.
Back to the reality of a ten-page research paper and an exam to study for this week! By the transitive property of life, I am famous and should not be subject to the duties of a college student. Share this post if you agree!