Sportscaster and journalist Erin Andrews’ path to becoming one of the most recognizable faces in sports television was not nearly as smooth as it looks in hindsight. Before ESPN, FOX Sports, Super Bowls, and years on the NFL sideline, Andrews had a short stretch at Turner Sports that ended with the network letting her go.

“I got a call from Turner Sports. They had the Atlanta Braves. They had MLB at the time, and I was hosting a studio and I was freaking terrible,” Andrews said on the Call Her Daddy podcast. “I was so, so bad. I called my dad every night and cried. I felt like I was way, you know, over my skis. I wasn’t good. I knew I wasn’t good. It was killing me.

“They let me go after 2 years, and they should have. I wasn’t put in the best position to succeed. For some reason, it wasn’t working for me.”

Andrews’ first full-time sports broadcasting job came with the Tampa Bay Lightning when she was 22. She had graduated from the University of Florida in 2000 with a degree in telecommunications and began as a freelance reporter for FOX Sports Florida-South before becoming a Lightning reporter for the Sunshine Network.

That experience eventually led Andrews to Turner Sports in March 2002. Her work there extended beyond baseball, with assignments involving the Atlanta Braves, college football, the Atlanta Thrashers, and the Atlanta Hawks. But that stint clearly wasn’t very rewarding.

Losing the job after two years only made things harder, and her career was still young. But she wasn’t ready to walk away from broadcasting. Instead, she started looking for a way back in.

Andrews ended up taking a pretty bold approach to finding her next opportunity. She went to a bar where broadcasters gathered after games. Andrews told them that her contract was ending and asked who she needed to speak with about working the NHL playoffs. She eventually secured a phone interview and said her preparation helped her land the opportunity.

The timing proved significant. Andrews had started her career around the Lightning, and Tampa Bay went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2004. Months later, she secured a three-year contract with ESPN, where she built her name. Andrews’ portfolio later expanded to college football, basketball, and MLB. She spent eight years with the network and landed at FOX in 2012.

Looking back, the Turner setback did not define Andrews’ career. Instead, it became an important early lesson that helped shape her journey from local sports reporting to a recognizable role as a sportscaster. She believes her and her father’s persistence helped her all along her journey.

“Work your a– off,” Andrews added. “It’s just the number one thing. I don’t know, look, that’s what helped me. And I know that’s what impressed the people at ESPN at the time is that I was just like, ‘Hey, I’m showing up at a bar. Can I geta job?’ No, I knew where they were; I seek them out.

“My dad was always on me: Email them. Ask them if they’re looking for anybody new. I tell young girls that all the time, send an email, send a a text. Stay on the top of their inbox.

“I feel like I have to work five to six times harder because I didn’t play the game I’m reporting on. … My chip on my shoulder, not that anyone’s made me feel that way, is that I didn’t play. I got to show people, still at the age I am, I belong.”

Today, Erin Andrews is a role model for women in sports media. It is tough for women to break out in an intensely male-dominated space, and their opinions are quickly dismissed. But Andrews charged through all that adversity to put herself on the panel with some of the best across sports.