ESPN analyst and reporter Katie George covers a variety of properties for the industry leader. She jets from college football to F1 races and back to NBA sidelines, but there’s one with truly personal ties, college volleyball.
George spent her playing career as a Louisville Cardinal and this week, she returns to the KFC Yum! Center to call her third-straight NCAA Volleyball Championship.
As a Louisville Cardinal – what does it mean to you to be able to call these Semifinal & Championship matches not only at your alma mater but also your hometown?
It will be an honor to call the national semifinals and championship in my hometown at the KFC Yum! Center, the arena I played in during my four-year career as a student-athlete. I never had the chance to play in a national semifinal or championship, so to have the opportunity to call these matches as an analyst now is special. To be on the call in the very city I grew up in and fell in love with the game of volleyball is surreal. Louisville is a hotbed in youth volleyball for developing young talent in club and high school. The community also loves and supports the sport. I will feel a great sense of pride as Louisville fans and volleyball fans in the community pack the KFC Yum! Center Thursday and Sunday (regardless of if my alma mater advances). It will be a great scene and a great celebration of college volleyball.
You have been a part of so many huge matches in the sport – what has been the most exciting aspect as you’ve seen the game grow?
It’s been exciting to see and hear how many new fans are made after they watch a volleyball match on TV. I usually get texts when I cover college football or NBA games. Now, I get texts from people when I’m on the call for a volleyball match, or if they watch one I’m not even working. It’s such a fun, easy sport to watch. The women are so incredibly athletic, it’s fast-paced, and something wows you every 30 seconds. It’s entertaining! It’s been rewarding watching the growth of volleyball over the last ten years. There has been a clear commitment from ESPN and other networks to grow the game. We continuously break viewership and attendance records. The want and need to watch this sport is there, just check my texts! I’m happy the players and coaches are getting the flowers they deserve.
As a member of the ESPN family, how proud does it make you to see the role they have played in expanding the game of volleyball?
An ESPN exec once told me, “You have to show the game to grow the game.” ESPN is showing the game and it’s growing rapidly. I’m grateful ESPN sees the value in college volleyball and is committed to giving the sport the resources it needs to engage new fans. I also feel lucky to play a small part in promoting the sport I love. I am extremely passionate about this sport and I hope my enthusiasm shows through in my work as an analyst.
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