Imagine giving birth, barely recovering from post-pregnancy, and being called out for the most significant football assignments? 59-year-old Holly Rowe handles it all like clockwork. She has been a vital part of the industry for over three decades. Balancing motherhood and a media career in the football industry can be challenging. Rowe does it to perfection, although she had some roadblocks at the beginning.

While speaking to the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday, Rowe shared the complete story of what happened that day. “So, when I got my first big break to work that ABC game, my son was eight weeks old. And I was breastfeeding. And I was trying to get through a five-hour football game without stuff coming through my suit,” said Rowe.

Holly Rowe had been trying to make it big as a sports broadcaster ever since she completed her broadcast journalism degree. But her big break came only after she gave birth to her son McKylin Rowe. It was the Western Athletic Conference Football Championship between the BYU Cougars and the Wyoming Cowboys. With this being a tremendous opportunity, Rowe decided to work her five-hour shift while breastfeeding her son.

There have been instances in the past when notable celebrities have breastfed live on air. Kylie Kelce, NFL star Jason Kelce’s wife, had fed her child during her podcast earlier this month. Back in 2021, British TV star Ashley James also breastfed her son during the ‘Jeremy Vine on 5’ show. Although James received criticisms from some corners, she defended her choice as a way to normalize public breastfeeding and balance motherhood with her career.

Notably, Rowe’s career was as important as motherhood. Starting her career in 1995 as a reporter for ABC Sports, she was a part of a few shows. In 1998, she officially joined the ESPN team full-time, including assignments as a sideline reporter for NCAA college football, women’s basketball, and the Women’s College World Series. She also holds the record for being the first female color commentator for the Utah Jazz and is the recipient of the 2022 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Personality/Reporter.

Moreover, Rowe became emotional while sharing that she has been a mom throughout her 30-year career, and despite that, she has only taken one day off in her entire career because of COVID-19. The 59-year-old broadcaster’s passion for her job had a downside. However, she made it hard for her family to spend some quality time together.

Holly Rowe reflects on missing moments of motherhood

During the same interview, Holly Rowe opened up about a Sunday ritual that her father made her do. Even as a kid, every Sunday evening, her father would ask Rowe to write down everything she had done throughout the week; it was, as Rowe would call it, a “personal progress report.”

While she did think of this routine as a bit psychotic, she believes that practice helped her be more driven and motivated every day. Rowe continues to practice the same exercise to this day. “I think I’m driven, and a hard worker, and a high achiever because my dad held me accountable as a kid,” she said.     

With that being said, she revealed that she never made her son sit down and make his personal progress report, and jokingly said that she has not done a fine job. “I don’t think I’ve done a good job. McKylin, have I? But he is a very driven young… Yeah. I was not as good of a mother as my father was,” she said. Rowe was pleased and grateful that her son, McKylin, made time to be present for her session at the Little Rock Touchdown club.

While Rowe may not have been present for most of her son’s childhood, nowadays, the two are spending a lot of time together. In 2024, the mother-son duo launched a podcast called ‘Call Your Mom,’ where they shared some of their stories with the world. Do you think Holly Rowe paved the way for more women to enter the industry?