Courtney Cronin, who now covers the Chicago Bears for ESPN, honed her skills as a broadcast journalist while telling student-athlete stories during her NCAA digital communications internship. (Photos courtesy of Courtney Cronin)
Media Center Oliva Brown
Cronin, who now covers the Chicago Bears, used time at NCAA to build her portfolio, develop skills and tell impactful stories
Ten years after Courtney Cronin came to the NCAA as a postgraduate intern, she returned to the national office to interview President Charlie Baker.
In front of about 100 corporate professionals, Cronin sat on the stage with the NCAA president and led a conversation about Baker's transition from politics to sports, changes being made in college athletics, and what Indianapolis, where the Association is headquartered, means to the NCAA. Cronin asked thought-provoking questions, engaging with Baker and even making the audience laugh at times.
"I never thought when I was sitting in the daily meeting that was led by Mark Emmert when I was a 21-year-old intern that I would be back here in this capacity all these years later, now having the chance to sit in the seat that I was observing all those years ago."
As an ESPN reporter who covers the Chicago Bears, Cronin credits the postgraduate internship as the foundation of the skills she employs daily on a national stage. When Cronin recalls her time at the NCAA, she thinks of the stories she told at the beginning of her career.
During her NCAA internship in 2012, Cronin traveled to Missouri to watch two rival Division II colleges compete in a football game. The rivalry served as a Make-A-Wish fundraiser in honor of Charly Erpelding, an 8-year-old girl who had Ewing sarcoma, a cancer in her bones.
Cronin interviewed Charly, her family and the college football players, capturing the story of how two rival colleges united around sports for this young girl. Sadly, Charly died in 2022 after a recurrence of her cancer. The 2012 game, which was dedicated to Charly, raised money for the wish-granting organization and was a demonstration of support for the Erpelding family, which had ties to both teams.
"I had a chance to use the NCAA backing to tell stories of student-athletes that you just don't see in mainstream media," Cronin said. "I really appreciated being able to do that at such a young age when I was still trying to build my resume of some of my best work."
In high school, the Illinois native knew she wanted to be a sports broadcast journalist. After she attended college at Indiana, she accepted the postgraduate internship in digital communications because she wanted to develop and elevate her journalism skills.
"I knew how to shoot and edit and be in front of the camera when I was in college, but the NCAA internship gave me a chance to hone skills that helped me get my first job and be very successful," the multimedia journalist said.
Cronin used the NCAA's studio, green screen and editing bay to amplify her video production, sharing those stories through various platforms.
In addition, the postgraduate internship allowed Cronin to be involved in conversations at the national office, where staff members were transparent and open with the then 21-year-old.
"It was empowering," Cronin said. "I got a chance to really see the inner workings of college athletics from a communication standpoint at the national office."
After the yearlong internship, Cronin received a job offer at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, as a video journalist and later a high school sports and recruiting editor. Following those three years, Cronin worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as a multimedia sports reporter for a year and then became ESPN's Minnesota Vikings reporter and a national radio host.
Now, Cronin covers the Bears and hosts her own ESPN Radio show, additionally serving as a panelist on ESPN's "Around the Horn" and "First Take." Cronin credits the NCAA internship as a vital first step in her successful journey.
"I made sure I used every opportunity to network, to improve the quality of my work and to tap into the expertise of the other storytellers that were in communications," she said. "Being exposed to people who have done this at a high level and can be your advocates, who can help you was invaluable. I'm so grateful that I had that opportunity to do that."
"I will always be indebted to the NCAA for showing me the world of college athletics from a side that I would not have been able to understand had I not worked at the national office. To learn how to cover college athletics, both working here and then being in the field as a journalist, those experiences are invaluable," Cronin said.
"My whole career, I can tie back to starting here at the NCAA."
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