Anchor and reporter Laura Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 and has taken on an increasingly important role.
From “SEC Nation” to “NFL Live” to coverage of the Masters Game, Rutledge is a fixture on the network’s major television shows.
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In 2025, Rutledge took on the most high-profile role of her career. That’s when she served as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast along with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters.
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While Rutledge makes her job look easy, she says anxiety and self-doubt always accompany her before completing her most difficult tasks.
“I think there are probably some people in the world who feel great every day working in television; but I’ve never been in that situation,” Rutledge said on former ESPN colleague Shannon Spake’s “Sons & Daughters” podcast.
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“I knew in my heart that I was capable of doing these things, but was always my own worst enemy. Beating myself up or telling myself I couldn’t do it or I would fail.”
Rutledge, 37, signed a new multi-year contract with ESPN in February 2025. The University of Florida alumna and Miss Florida 2012 – is married to former MLB player Josh Rutledge. She is a mother of two children.
In the podcast, she said getting into game time or show time is the hardest part of her job. As soon as the lights came on, she was ready to go.
“I had a lot of trouble with that last season,” she said. “Before the day starts, get yourself pumped up and say, ‘You can’t do this, you’re going to be in big trouble today,’ and beat yourself up really hard. When I start playing, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m good.'”
Additionally, she will return to the sidelines on “Monday Night Football” this fall. This would lead to the biggest single event of her career: Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.