Q&A with Lisa Guerrero

Monday Night Football's new sideline reporter, Guerrero, 39, makes her debut on Aug. 4 at the Hall of Fame Game.

SI: Have you ever ridden in the Madden Cruiser?

Guerrero: I have not. I'm looking forward to it, though, and I'm looking forward to eating off the buffet there.

SI: Did you have to do a mock sideline report in going for the job?

Guerrero: ABC looked at three or four of my resume tapes and I think that gave them a pretty good indication of my ability to interview people. When you sit down and have a one-on-one longform with Barry Bonds and you're asking him about steroids and supplements and about getting into a fight with Jeff Kent in the dugout, I think the network could sense that I was comfortable in an interview environment.

SI: Is this strictly a Monday Night Football gig, or can we expect to see you on According to Jim or some other ABC show?

Guerrero: ABC signed me to a three-year deal that includes other sporting events in the offseason. I'm a notorious workaholic. I don't do very well even taking weekends off. ABC can work me like a dog.

SI: What was it like when you knew you had the job?

Guerrero: I grew up a huge football fan because my mom died when I was little and my dad raised me. He was a single parent and a huge sports fan. When I found out I was up for the job we were both laughing. It was like, 'Can you imagine? Can you believe it?' The thought of being on MNF has an emotional connection for me as well. When I got the gig around Father's Day, I called my father and said, 'Dad, it looks like I'm going to sign a contract.' I was bawling like a baby. And my dad -- a big, strong, tough guy -- lost it, too. It was great.

SI: Andy Rooney called out your predecessor [Melissa Stark] and female sports reporters in general. Did his comments tick you off?

Guerrero: No. He's of a different generation and I understand everybody has strong emotional opinions about sports because we're all sports fans and we have connections based on our childhood, our gender, our culture. So I don't have any bitterness or anger toward anyone who has that opinion. I just think his opinion is from a different generation than mine.

SI: ABC executives cited your entertainment background as one of the factors in hiring you. Are you a journalist first, an entertainer first, or an amalgam of both?

Guerrero: Absolutely both. First and foremost, I am a sports fan. That's the bottom line. Everything I've done in terms of sportscasting, reporting or acting has created my TV personality.

SI: Obviously, you're a very attractive woman. How much have you had to fight the stereotype that you've advanced in your career solely because of your looks?

Guerrero: I actually don't have to fight it. When I walk into a locker room to get a postgame interview, nobody denies me because they think I look glamorous. When I go about my business and write my stand-up on the sideline, or if I write a feature, what I look like has nothing to do with the topic at hand. There are critics out there who can make judgments and come to the conclusion they want, but the bottom line is this: I care more about the folks out there with the remote control in their hand than I do about the folks with the pen in their hand.

SI: Does sexuality have a place in sports broadcasting?

Guerrero: I think TV is a visual medium, and I'm not just talking about sportscasting. Sports entertainment, news, the weather, whatever the case may be, when you look at TV, you have hundreds of choices. If somebody stops on a station because they see an attractive face -- male or female -- that's certainly going to help the show the person is on. Looking good isn't going to help you be a better sportscaster. But looking good helps if you're on TV.

SI: Would you have enjoyed working with Howard Cosell?

Guerrero: I would have enjoyed working with him. I don't know if he would have enjoyed working with me.

SI: What's been your proudest moment in sports broadcasting?

Guerrero: Asking Barry Bonds if he uses steroids and then having him admit he takes supplements. That was the first time he had admitted that on camera and it made the wires that day.

SI: Which NFL personality do you find most compelling?

Guerrero: Terrell Owens.

SI: You once hosted a show called Sports Geniuses. Give me a percentage of people in the business who would fit under that banner?

Guerrero: (laughs) Five percent.

--Richard Deistch

Issue date: July 7, 2003

 

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