From the small screen to the big screen, Elle Duncan of ESPN is an up and coming star.
In less than two years at ESPN, Duncan (who had a cameo as a news reporter in the 2015 Kevin Hart comedy "Ride Along") has come a long away. The Atlanta native is a candidate to succeed departed co-anchors Jemele Hill and Michael Smith on the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, say sources. Along with Katie Nolan, she's one of the anchors of the new "SportsCenter on Snapchat."
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As the proud granddaughter of one of the famous African-American Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, Duncan doesn't forget her roots. But she's also self-deprecating and likes to laugh. Exactly what in the hell is a "Bomb Cyclone?" asks Duncan, who's still adjusting to the freezing snows of New England.
Duncan is funny and straightforward as she discusses everything from working under the microscope at ESPN to the sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Adrienne Lawrence to her upcoming maternity leave.
She joined ESPN in 2016 after working her way up the ranks at New England Sports Network (NESN) and Atlanta TV/radio, where she served, among other jobs, as a sideline reporter for Atlanta Hawks games. Duncan will appear mostly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings until she takes maternity leave later this year.
Sporting News asked Duncan if she's worried SportsCenter will go the way of MTV music videos, why she considers Robin Roberts her role model and if Atlanta has become the hard-luck capital of sports. Excerpts:
SPORTING NEWS: You’re coming up on two years at ESPN. How goes it?
ELLE DUNCAN: I love it. This is certainly not lip service. It’s been my dream to work at ESPN since I was a little kid — just like a lot of people that you talk to who have worked there. It has actually blown my expectations away in terms of reality vs. fantasy. For a lot of anchors, especially someone like me who really didn’t have tons of years coming up anchoring, I assumed it would be very competitive, very catty. I’m not going to lie. I kind of thought it would be what you see in movies. People wouldn’t get along. It wouldn’t really be so much of a family environment because it would be very cutthroat. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’ve made friends there. I have co-workers who are so willing to help. Everybody just wants everybody to do well. I think that’s because everyone has worked so hard to get to this position. There really isn’t anywhere else to go. There’s no up from here. It’s more about making sure we’re all doing the best that we can and living up to our expectations. There’s such a fantastic support group there. I’ve just really been blown away by how much of a family environment that I walked into.
SN: Your name is mentioned to me as a candidate for the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, one of ESPN's biggest, most high-profile shows. Your response?
ED: Obviously, I think there have been incredible names (who have worked on the show). People who I admire as talents and as people who have held that position. I think it has seen its fair share of challenges, even for some of the most talented people in the industry. I would revel in that opportunity. I think it would be an incredible opportunity… At the same time, I have mixed feelings. I work really closely with Matt Barrie. I love my show group. We have a great rapport. I feel like as I’m close to a win-win, can’t lose opportunity, as you can be in. The opportunity to have a new opportunity would be incredible. On the other side, I just get to continue what I’m doing now. So I’m in a good situation. I have to be honest, you telling me my name has been thrown around, is sweet. All of the speculation that I hear is purely Twitter.
SN: Do you and other SportsCenter anchors worry ESPN's flagship show is going away — because fans get their highlights on their phones? MTV doesn't show music videos any more.
ED: I think there is obviously a lot of anxiety. Simply because you can look right now at SportsCenter and some of that landscape is shrinking in terms of some of the new shows and programming that have already been announced as on their way to ESPN. We are constantly battling that narrative, that people aren’t watching highlights the same way, our style is antiquated, etc. Some of that has been greatly exaggerated. We’ve spent a lot of time trying to focus and think about how we can present storylines and highlights in a way you’re not going to get on your phone. Truth is I get the same highlights on my phone. But I don’t get the same highlights we can do when we get three and a half minutes and can really hone in on particular storylines. We’re just trying to find our footing. We see all these opinionated shows that do really, really well for themselves. And then you see that SportsCenter, in some areas, is shrinking in terms of real estate. You wonder: Do I need to be more opinionated? Do I need to be less opinionated? Should I follow that narrative that people don’t care about highlights? Do we need to do extra highlights?
I think for us it’s a matter of trying to find our footing. I feel like we’ve done a really good job over the last six months or so trying to redefine who we are and what’s important to us. I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say there’s certainly some anxiety. At the same, television is all about evolution and adapting. That’s what we’re all trying to do. We’re trying to figure out consistently how we stay relevant. I don’t think that is specific to SportsCenter. I think that’s specific to everyone on TV who has to battle YouTube stars and Snapchat shows. We’re all just trying to figure out how we can still be palatable to our core audience. And also continue to try to bring in a young audience that has ADD and consistently turns things off quickly. So that’s kind of our battle in general.
I don’t think it’s specific to SportsCenter. We focus very much on trying to make sure if you’re going to get a highlight on your phone of a LeBron dunk, and you’re going to see it 36 times, what can we offer outside of showing you the dunk that maybe you’re not going to get on your phone. Like every other time he’s had a 360 degree dunk. What does that mean in terms of the game? Little-known fact: last time he had 15 360 degree dunks in a season, he was the MVP. We try to give it a little bit more meat. I don’t think you can always get that on your phone.
SN: You've said your role model is ex-SportsCenter anchor turned "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts? Why?
ED: I feel like I’ve been chasing Robin Roberts my whole life. My grandfather served under her father with the Tuskegee Airmen… We used to work at the same radio station, obviously at different times, in Atlanta. Just as a little kid I remember watching her on ESPN and thinking she was the epitome of class, and intelligence, and strength. I wanted to be her. Or at the very least try to be somewhat like her. She has always represented, to me, my beginnings. That you can come from Alabama, or a small town in Georgia, and that you can continue to work your way up and you can land on the SportsCenter desk at ESPN. She’s someone who’s tangible to me. Someone I can touch and look at and say, ‘If I can do half of what she’s done, then I have an opportunity here.’
When I finally got to meet her for the first time she lived up to and exceeded every expectation I had ever had of her. You know sometimes you hype people up, and you meet them, and you’re so disappointed. She was as gracious and wonderful and kind and as incredible a person I’d always imagined she’d be. She was my Oprah. I watched her. She was the girl I watched on Sundays on SportsCenter. I started on Sundays on SportsCenter — when no one wanted to work. It just incredible that things have come full circle in this way.
SN: ESPN tapped you, Katie Nolan and other younger talents to host the first-ever SportsCenter on Snapchat shows. So how’s this SnapFace thing working out as Patriots coach Bill Belichick would say?
ED: Full disclosure. When I learned I was getting the Snapchat gig, I was like, 'Well let me focus even more on Snapchat.' My Snapchat skills are pretty subpar. I knew how to turn myself into a Teddy Bear. Other than that, I didn’t use it a lot. So that’s been a work in progress as well.
I love how willing they are to take chance on the Snapchat show. They’re trying to appeal to a totally different audience than linear SportsCenter. Despite the fact that it still has a SportsCenter branding, they have been really good about trusting our digital team and Snapchat team to throw things against the wall and see what sticks. They’ve really let us loose. It’s been pretty good. Especially considering that it’s been more successful than they imagined. You know how that works. Sometimes people have a lot of opinions. Everybody wants in on one. It can water down the creative process. They haven't done that at all. So they’ve left us alone. We’re seeing pretty good feedback... It's something totally different than what I do Friday through Sunday. So I’m able to live two different lives if you will — and that’s been pretty cool.
SN: Is ESPN like joining the Yankees? Do you and other new hires underestimate how every statement you make — and tweet — will be judged in the public sphere once you put on that ESPN jersey?
ED: You have no idea. I came into ESPN at such a tumultuous time. As soon as I got to ESPN, there were the layoffs. I’ve dealt with layoffs. I’ve dealt with narratives, false narratives in my opinion, about ESPN and the people that work here and that we’re left-leaning and that we’re political. It’s just like one thing after another. Even if doesn’t involve you it involves your colleagues and your co-workers. It’s an affront on where you work. There’s been so many times you’re like, ‘Good God, just let up.’ But you’re right. It’s the Mothership. People don’t hate on the 5th, 6th, 7th-best option. They hate on the No. 1 option — and they always will. For me, it’s really been a lesson in patience. What is the appropriate time to address things and what is not the appropriate time to address things? For the first year I was here, I found myself wanting to defend where I work, to defend colleagues constantly, to defend myself and defend what we’re talking about to Twitter and anybody who stepped to me with these false claims. But it’s exhausting. Sometimes you just have to just let people assume what they’re going to assume.
The people at ESPN know what ESPN is all about. It’s not perfect. No place in the world is perfect. But it is in no way shape or form what other people outside of ESPN describe it or claim it to be. Not even close. It can be very frustrating. Lately it just seems like it’s one thing after another and you want to be very vocal about your admiration for the place that you work. Our job is to keep our heads down and continue to make good product. I think the product should speak for itself. All TV is taking a ratings hit across the board no matter what it is and it doesn't have anything to with their quote, unquote, affiliations. So for us, the proof is in the pudding. We’re still the world leader. We still work very hard to hold that title. The rest is just background noise.
SN: In her lawsuit against ESPN, Adrienne Lawrence alleges female employees are “humiliated, degraded and forced to navigate a misogynistic and predatory culture.” When asked why she filed the suit, Lawrence said she did it for “women there who I left behind.” What do you say?
ED: I’m not here to speak about other’s people’s experiences at ESPN. But I will tell you as far as my experience at ESPN I don’t see it being further from the truth. As far as her statement she couldn’t leave us women behind, and had to speak for us, I don’t think there’s any women that I know of at ESPN that need her to speak up for them. We’re all pretty strong and vocal on our own rights. It’s a culture where it’s preached to you from the day you walk in that if you have issues and concerns, there are people there to hear you. One of the first times I met John Skipper and he said, ‘Listen, if you ever have an issue with sexual harassment, misogyny, if you feel like you’re not being taken seriously, you come to me. You don’t have to worry about HR. Come to me. I want to know. That is not acceptable here.’ So while no place is perfect, they take everything very seriously at ESPN. For many people, she doesn’t speak for us. If she wants to speak for herself, that is her experience. In terms of feeling like she needs to speak out for everyone who’s left behind and doesn’t have a voice, she’s not speaking for me. I will leave it there.
SN: Congratulations to you and husband Omar on your upcoming baby girl. What has your experience as a pregnant woman at ESPN been like?
ED: I think there’s always anxiety for professional women in any industry when it comes to having a child. There is concern that higher-ups will assume you’ve lost your ambition. Or that being gone for four to five months will mean, all of a sudden, you're choosing your family and shifting your priorities. So there’s always some anxiety there. I’ve had anxiety in this industry — what it would look like to have a kid — for 10 years and I’ve been at ESPN for two [years].
As far as my experience goes, I told them fairly early on in the process, once I was past the danger stage, because I wanted it to be out on the table and clear. They couldn’t have been more helpful. They asked if I was good with working my full load. I told them I wanted to work my full load until I couldn’t work my full load. And I’ve seen nothing but support. Support from directors. ‘Are you good with standing until you announce this? Do you want to sit? Do you want help hiding?’ So they’ve been fantastic. They rallied behind me.
The best part is they really haven’t treated me any different. That’s all I think any of us ask for. Don't treat me any different. Just like you wouldn’t treat a man any different if you found out his wife was having a kid. I think that’s really been the biggest thing. As far as what we do, I told them early, because there is a certain amount of planning that has to go into replacing someone for three to four months. So I wanted them to go ahead and know that from July to September they’d need to be thinking about what they're going to do with SnapChat and my particular shows.
SN: President John Skipper suddenly resigned due to a 'substance addiction.' Now Disney boss Bob Iger has installed outsider Jimmy Pitaro as the new president of ESPN? What is the reaction in Bristol to the new boss?
ED: It’s been one of optimism. I’m Southern, so I call everybody 'Mr.' until I meet them formally. Everything that I’ve heard is he’s a huge sports fan. That’s really all you can ask for as a creative person. There’s always a concern they’ll just bring a very business-minded person in who doesn't love, or care, about sports and only looks at things from the purview of business sense and business acumen. I think with Mr. Pitaro we’re really getting a mix of everything. We’re getting great business sense. We’re getting somebody who’s obviously huge in the digital world, which is where a lot of focus is shifting. And we’re getting someone who really cares about sports. I think, obviously, there was some apprehension at first. John Skipper was adored and loved at ESPN. He’s a big part of why a lot of us currently work here. There was a lot of concern about what the next person would like. I think this is about as optimistic a choice that anyone up there could have expected. For now, it’s kind of a wait and see approach. But I think everyone is pretty pleased with the pick.
SN: Did Skipper hire you?
ED: He did.
SN: Your previous TV experience was in Atlanta and Boston. So how did you get to ESPN?
ED: I was at NESN. One of the benefits of being on NESN is it's televised in Connecticut. Even at ESPN, or the bars around Hartford, or Bristol, NESN is on because it’s the regional network. Me and my agent at the time put a reel together and sent it to (ESPN). Within a few weeks, we got a call to come in and meet some people. I got a chance to meet with Rob King, who was instrumental in hiring me. I auditioned with Zubin Mehenti. Couldn’t have been a better guy to work with. He’s probably the nicest guy in the building. About three weeks after my audition, I got the call I was getting a job at ESPN. Honestly, I auditioned thinking this would be a great chance for me to go through a very formal audition at a big huge national network, just get my feet wet, cut my teeth. I honestly didn’t know, or believe, I would get the job. I was shocked when I got that call. But I feel like I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time. So I was like, 'Let me prove these people right.' That’s what I hope I do every day.
SN: Hey, you just gave a great career tip to young sports TV pros. If you want to work for ESPN, one of the fastest roads is through NESN, no?
ED: Hello! We’ve got a lot of NESN alumni, whether that’s on-air, producers, HR. We have a lot of people who come from NESN because of the proximity. There’s a lot of people I work with who say, ‘I used to watch you’ or ‘I used to see you on Red Sox games.” Connecticut is so 100% either Red Sox or Yankees fans. There’s obviously a lot of people who don’t like me because they associate me with the Red Sox. Then there’s a whole other group of people who do.
SN: Who you do work with most at ESPN?
ED: Matt Barrie. Me and Matt have kind of been partners in this thing for over a year now. I work with Matt and Kevin [Negandhi] on Fridays consistently. But I do probably 90% of my work at ESPN with Matt Barrie. That’s been great. We couldn’t be more different. I think it works really well. We bring totally different opinions and views. When push comes to shove, he’s one of the smartest people who works there. I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s great.
MegaCast: Elle Walks Out from ESPNFrontRow on Vimeo.
SN: After the Atlanta Falcons choke job to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, and Georgia’s narrow loss to Alabama in the National Championship Game, is Atlanta the new hard-luck capital of Sports?
ED: It is so brutal. Whenever I hear the narrative about how awful sports fans are in Atlanta, I say there’s a couple of reasons. First, there aren’t a lot of people who are from Atlanta. It’s a transient city. A lot of people move to Atlanta and they already have their teams. For those of us born and raised in Atlanta, like me, this is a lifetime of disappointment. We have the Braves. One championship (in 1995). Then we have them winning two in the Bronx, coming home and losing four in a row, then have them getting swept a few years later (1996 and 1999). Then we have trading Dominique Wilkins for Danny Manning, trading away Brett Favre and we have the face of our franchise (Michael Vick) going to jail for dogfighting. It’s just one thing after another.
Then we have the 28-3 [the Falcons ill-fated lead against the Pats] and the Bulldogs and [freshman ‘Bama quarterback] Tua Tagovailoa coming in and snatching victory out of our claws. Atlanta is such a transplant city, mixed with the fact it’s so built on entertainment, that it's very difficult to rally behind these teams when they just live to break your heart. It’s very difficult to have nothing to grasp on to when you do have a city that has so many other options.
But look no further than Atlanta United FC. When people say we suck as fans, I say look at Atlanta United. We broke every record that there is in MLS at this point for attendance for a first-year team. There is support there. It’s just that they want the ownership of the [teams] to care as much as they care. In a lot of instances in Atlanta, it doesn’t seem like they do. It doesn’t seem like winning is as important as entertaining… It’s difficult to swallow as an Atlanta fan.
SN: Do Atlanta sports fans expect their teams to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?
ED: It’s been really, really hard, but it almost has become this mantra. We’re waiting for it to happen. We know it’s coming. I knew something was going to happen in the ['Bama vs Georgia] National Championship. It was just all going too well. Knew it was coming… We’re waiting for the other shoe to drop every single time. Watching that Falcons [Super Bowl]. My husband is a die-hard fan. He couldn’t even celebrate the entire game — even when it looked like it was out of reach. Even when the Patriots fans were leaving the parties and throwing in the towel. He couldn’t even smile. He was like, ‘It’s Atlanta. Something’s going to happen.’
And, of course, it happened. It’s like a prophecy fulfilled. It’s just become this joke that really isn’t funny to anybody that lives in Atlanta — but is somehow hilarious to everybody else. I’m fine with the Boston fans. I know they had a lot of years of ‘The Curse.’ But they have more than made up for that. I don’t want to hear it any more. We still have one championship in our entire city’s history. One. So even when they were the lovable losers with the Red Sox, they had the Celtics, they had the Bruins, they had something. We have nothing. Nothing!
SN: When Georgia lost to Alabama, you walked off the ESPN 'MegaCast,' then wrote, 'Duncan's Do Nots for dealing with sad Georgia Fans." So tell us: How do Georgia fans feel about the Crimson Tide and Nick Saban?
ED: Listen, Alabama is the bane of our existence. If we didn’t have to contend with Alabama every year, we might have actually won a couple more since Herschel [Walker in 1980]. I think too it’s the tradition of Alabama… The state of Georgia loves football much like the rest of the South. But I just think there’s a richer tradition in Alabama… So we were losing a lot of the 4-star and 5-star recruits to a guy like Nick Saban because of who he was. That’s why I just think it’s incredible Kirby Smart now has the No. 1 recruiting class. Those tides are turning, pun intended. Kids are finally choosing to stay home — instead of going to other schools in the SEC where they think they will get drafted higher.
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Correction: An earlier version of this story included an erroneous reference to Sara Walsh’s saying that she was mistreated by ESPN management. Walsh tweeted that she was laid off from ESPN while on maternity leave, but did not say anything about how she was treated during pregnancy.