With Robin Roberts as her idol, new anchor Elle Duncan ready for SportsCenter
(Photo courtesy of Elle Duncan)
Elle Duncan, a veteran of both television and radio, will join ESPN on May 9 as an anchor for SportsCenter. Duncan, a native of Atlanta, has spent the past two years in Boston as a host for the New England Sports Network (NESN). She spoke with Front Row:
(Julie Cordeiro)
You’ve mentioned a former SportsCenter anchor was your idol…
I’ve loved sports my entire life and my idol was [former ESPN anchor and current Good Morning America co-host] Robin Roberts. It’s funny because we ended up working at the same radio station [V103 in Atlanta]. My grandma is very good friends with her mother. My grandfather who passed before I was born was a Tuskegee Airman and so was Robin’s father, so they knew each other in Alabama. It’s like six degrees of separation and I’ve never had the opportunity to meet her, but maybe someday.
What was your first visit to ESPN like?
I walked out onto the SportsCenter set for the audition and had to take a couple of deep breaths because I was thinking ‘I’m on the SportsCenter set right now – this is absolutely incredible.’ I did my audition with [anchor] Zubin Mehenti, who was fantastic and made me feel so completely comfortable, and a segment with [NBA analyst] Chris Broussard. We had a chance to talk after the audition and Chris gave me some great encouragement and advice. I have no doubt that they were the reason my audition was good enough for ESPN to call me back.
How did your role in the movie “Ride Along” happen?
I’ve known the producer, Will Packer, for years in Atlanta and he called me and asked if I would play a reporter. It was cool because they had to blow up this entire warehouse in East Atlanta and I’m doing my part as the reporter on the scene. It actually took hours to do even though my part is about 30 seconds long.
What are you most looking forward to about working at ESPN?
I always say in general working in sports is a dream job for me because if I wasn’t getting paid to do this, I’d just be in a bar somewhere arguing with people about sports. It’s a life dream realized, but it doesn’t mean that simply getting a job at ESPN is enough for me. I want to go in and learn as much as possible, grow as much as possible and be a great teammate and co-worker. It’s always my goal, and so this I hope is just the start of a fantastic relationship.
