As host of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” as well as a contributor to “NFL Sunday” and a field reporter for most major sporting events on Fox, Erin Andrews has a lot to manage. But in a conversation with NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and Fox Sports analyst at WrapWomen’s Power Women Summit, she emphasized the value of not caring what other people think.
“Once you stop caring, then it all falls into place. You just start doing you,” said Andrews. Working in the male-dominated field of sports broadcasting necessitated a thick skin, she said, especially as social media caught on.
“When all the social media stuff started and some guy in his mom’s basement could make these comments about my nose or my voice, that’s when stuff started to get to me a little bit,” she said. But she found solace by focusing on only the opinions of those who really mattered, she said.
“When it’s all said and done, the only thing I care about is the respect from the players and the coaches,” Andrews said. “I never played, I’m always at a disadvantage there, but the cool thing about players and coaches is that they see how hard you work and they see how much you care.”
The second annual Power Women Summit, which took place October 24-25 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, aimed to promote and inspire the female leaders of the entertainment industry and advocate for gender balance in media, entertainment and technology overall.