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As a television sideline reporter for CBS during the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, Allie LaForce (H.T.C. ’11) is covering the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games in the Los Angeles region. She calls her vantage point from the sidelines, the “best seat in the house.”
In an email, LaForce said the NCAA Tournament is her favorite sporting event to cover. “It is inspiring, unpredictable, exhilarating and exhausting. It's...MADNESS!” But she’s honored to be one of the women blazing a trail for others in sports media.
“Women have always loved sports but lacked the opportunity to be hired in the most prestigious positions,” said LaForce. “We see women in play-by-play roles now more than ever and also analyst roles. It is inspiring and exciting. I do hope always that regardless of being a man or a woman, the most talented and prepared human gets the job. The key is that the opportunity is there for all.”
During the tournament, LaForce says her schedule is wild and unpredictable.
“I have a flight every two to four days. I’m in different hotel rooms and beds in dozens of different cities, and I carry one 60-pound suitcase,” said LaForce.
It’s a March schedule LaForce has become accustomed to, as she has been covering the NCAA Tournament for the last several years. And even though she can barely keep up with what time zone she’s in, LaForce said it’s totally worth it.
“I hope I bring information that makes the fan have the most thorough and interesting perspective for their viewing experience and allows them to get lost in the game.”
LaForce is not the only Bobcat covering the tournament. Others include: Sarah Stier (BSVC ’18), a staff photographer at Getty Images, who covered the Duke vs. James Madison game in New York and Kyle Henn (BSC ’22), a remote operations technician for SMT (SportsMEDIA Technologies), who provided statistics for CBS in Salt Lake City, Utah for the first and second rounds of the tournament.
LaForce worked at WOUB Public Media when she was a student at Ohio University and says she learned a great deal about storytelling, multitasking and how to have fun managing it all while in Athens.
“I worked four jobs, played women’s basketball, and studied while also traveling around the state taking any game gig I could get,” said LaForce. “It was tiring and fun!”