This Thanksgiving, as plenty of people across the country gather around the table to celebrate the holidays, plenty of others suit up and head off to work, as is the nature of their grueling professions.
Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews is in the second boat, with her and many others in the sports industry often required to work on holidays given the constant and never-ending grind. Working in sports can be both one of the most rewarding jobs as well as the most taxing ones—everyone from TV anchors to camera operators to production interns may not get to rest their feet on national holidays and instead have to cover the biggest sports games of the day (usually NBA and NFL games on Thanksgiving and Christmas).
Andrews got candid about the sacrifices she's had to make in her career thus far, and some of her comments have since been taken out of context on social media.
Here's what she originally said on her podcast, Calm Down with Erin and Charissa:
"You gotta love what you do because I miss all holidays," Andrews said. "I didn’t get married until 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. I missed a lot of weddings. I miss a lot of events. You have to love it to get through the fact, ‘I’m not gonna be home for Thanksgiving next week.’ Or, you know, Christmas is cut short."
You miss out on a lot of holidays, weddings, events and you live out of a suitcase - @ErinAndrews explaining why you have to love what you do to work in sports pic.twitter.com/yf5gDbwY5P
— Calm Down with Erin and Charissa (@calmdownpodcast) November 25, 2025
Her holiday comments have since gone viral as some on social media thought Andrews was complaining about her job when in reality, she was just making a broader statement about her life and her career, and the passion for it outweighing the inconveniences.
ESPN's Jenna Laine said she wasn't trying to "single" Andrews out but implored people to have "perspective" given that many—not just those who work in the sports industry—are required to work this holiday.
"Saw Erin Andrews’ remarks about the challenges in this business…starting out making $40K a year and not having holidays. I appreciate what she’s trying to say, but let’s consider the folks working 2-3 jobs in retail, in warehouses and in the service industry right now, just trying to make ends meet," Laine wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Others, like SI's Albert Breer, sympathized with Andrews:
"Here's the thing for aspiring young reporters—the games are played when other people aren't working. That's never changing. Nights, weekends, holidays. You'll miss happy hours, parties, weddings, Christmases, Thanksgivings," Breer wrote.
Still others appeared to criticize Andrews for seemingly complaining about her job or asking for pity.
That’s literally what they pay you for. Erin said it herself once: they pay you for the travel and the sacrifices because doing the games is the fun part. https://t.co/gd2PWnB4oF
— trey wingo (@wingoz) November 27, 2025
Thanksgiving is always a work day. Christmas usually is. Fall Sundays always are. But you’re getting paid to be in a place you love. When the rest of my life is total crap, I can zero in on work, on ball. Living the sporting life is pretty cool. No one’s shedding tears for us. https://t.co/PYNGkmnenh
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 27, 2025
For everyone saying she’s complaining…she’s absolutely not.
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 27, 2025
Listen to the actual clip…all she’s doing is keeping it real.https://t.co/31nBYv9nND https://t.co/xCxfeIuQe1
Those upset about this didn’t read the article. @ErinAndrews is addressing the realities of the job, not complaining.
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) November 27, 2025
I made $20K a year in my first job working weekends & holidays. I walked dogs, my roommate donated plasma to get by. This stuff doesn’t get talked about enough https://t.co/9Jc2gORU3k
Andrews also clarified her original comments to make clear she was not complaining or looking for pity, just making an honest admission about what she's had to give up for her job:
"And I’m sure you went back and saw that I wasn’t complaining about working," Andrews wrote on X in response to Trey Wingo. "I’m sure you saw it was a segment where we answer questions from people. Young woman asking abt being a sideline reporter. What to know about it. What you miss. My whole point its not just abt wanting to be on camera and hanging with athletes. You have to work and love it. And deal with overreactions to click bait."
In the end, Andrews's comments about her career really shouldn't rile anybody up or warrant criticism of any kind. Especially on a day like Thanksgiving, everyone would do well to treat each other with a little extra empathy and respect. Some jobs are different than others and some people are more fortunate than others—both these things can be, and are, true.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Erin Andrews’s Comments About Her Sports Career Are Going Viral on Thanksgiving.
