Christmas looked different for ESPN veteran Holly Rowe this year as the constant grind of college football finally slowed. The day was filled with family love and holiday warmth, all thanks to the 12-team playoffs that provided Rowe with the perfect getaway.

ESPN commentator Holly Rowe posted a glimpse of her Christmas celebration with her family on Instagram, wearing matching PJs alongside her son, McKylin Rowe. Holly was lying around on the carpet, and her son was sitting right next to her, enjoying the festive time.

The 12-team playoff system makes it easier for Holly Rowe and other ESPN crew members, such as Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee, to enjoy Christmas with their families. Bowl games used to be a significant event in four-team playoffs. As every team couldn’t enter the national title, a bowl game victory felt almost as important.

As a result, fans were more invested, players gave it their all, and coaches took them seriously. However, with a 12-team playoff, the focus has shifted, as teams that don’t make the playoffs no longer take bowl games seriously.

It’s pretty much evident by looking at teams like Notre Dame, Iowa State, and Kansas State, which opted out of the Bowl games after missing out on college football berths. This illustrates how teams prioritize playoff appearances over non-playoff bowls.

Even Rowe herself showed appreciation for the expanded playoff system last year.

“I’m so excited for the new playoff system. But first of all, I don’t want to offend the bowl games because they are such a huge part of our culture and tradition, Rowe said.

I’ve been going to bowl games with my family since I was a little girl, having repeatedly in her presentation cited trips to the Holiday Bowl to watch BYU in her youth. But I also think more teams involved in the playoffs is exciting. More fan bases get to be involved.”

Additionally, Rowe loves celebrating Christmas. Back in 2023, she and her family members spent a perfect Christmas Eve together playing games and dancing, making it a day to remember for life. Molly Rowe even posted a video of “Christmas madness” on her Instagram, accompanied by a caption that perfectly described it all.

“Rowe Family Holidays are undefeated,” Rowe said. “So much love for the hilarious, up-for-anything friends and family who make life so fun! ❤️❤️”

However, with all the fun and happiness, she even faced a significant health setback. Holly Rowe’s broad positive smile hides the pain of suffering from years of health battles.

Back in 2015, Rowe was diagnosed with desmoplastic melanoma, which is a rare form of skin cancer. It eventually spread into her lungs.

During her darkest days, Holly recalled how doctors urged her to spend her time fulfilling all her wishes as tumors in her lungs were becoming life-threatening.

Even with all the setbacks, she never gave up. Rowe began checking off items on her bucket list, traveling the world, starting a band, and taking piano lessons. She also kept a journal tracking daily moments of her happiness. And all this worked for her, as today, Holly Rowe is cancer-free and credits chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs for saving her life.

Now, she works towards saving other people’s lives.

Holly Rowe works towards uplifting others

Holly Rowe made her suffering a cause, which she now uses to ensure that no one else faces what she did. As per Holly Rowe, it was tanning beds that caused her diagnosis. What’s interesting is that more Gen Z people are using them now, as the number of salons operating them in the US went to 22,000 as of 2023, compared to the 2000s, when there were just around 6,000.

So now, after a tough battle with cancer, Holly Rowe encourages others to avoid using tanning beds and protect themselves from the sun. She often emphasizes the importance of sunscreen use, especially during long college football games, and motivates people to live their lives to the fullest.

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“I know it’s not a sexy message—people are like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know about sunscreen.’ No, you don’t know that you’re going to go sit in a college football stadium for seven hours because of all the time [a game can] take,'” Rowe said. “I promise you, you do not want to get melanoma. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.”

Alongside her reporting, Holly leads Joy+US, which is a nonprofit foundation she created to help others find joy in their lives. In this, she also gives funds to a young softball player whose life has been affected by cancer. She started the Alex Wilcox Memorial Scholarship in honor of former Mississippi State softball player Alex Wilcox, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2018.

Watching things go out of hand in front of her taught Holly Rowe a valuable lesson, and now she motivates all college football players to take care of themselves both on and off the field.