Maria Taylor: 11 Facts About The Famous Sportscaster

At times, it seems that Maria Taylor is everywhere. She hosted the 2022 Super Bowl in California, appeared at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and absolutely shone at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Her face appears on television so often that it seems like the most natural thing in the world to see her on the small screen. But, things weren't always this way for the star sportscaster. There was a time in her life that taking on such a huge role seemed unlikely. "You can't make up the story lines that end up leading to my very first Super Bowl," she once told Vanity Fair.

The fact of the matter is that, not too long ago, female sportscasters were non-existent. American beauty queen Phyllis George became the first woman to cover a sports match in 1974. Four years later, Jayne Kennedy became the first Black woman to do the same. Since then, dozens of highly qualified women have tried to make careers in the sports world, only to encounter a glass ceiling. Since pursuing a career in this highly-competitive area, Maria Taylor has challenged many of the barriers preventing Black women from achieving their sportscasting dreams.

From her days as a college athlete to her current success, Taylor has had an exciting path. In the end, though, she most hopes that her story can inspire others who hope to replicate what she's done. 

Maria Taylor may be famous for talking about sports, but during her college days, she was able to compete with some of the best athletes in her age group. While she was studying at the University of Georgia, Taylor played both volleyball and basketball. Considering that she was at a Division I school, this feat was all the more impressive. "You know you're going to get a great education and compete in one of the best conferences," Taylor once told the Southeastern Conference (SEC) about her time playing in their sports league. She later added, "There is plenty of support from the top down. All the coaches want to win, but it is also a really loving and supportive environment."

As much as Taylor enjoyed playing sports, though, she knew that her future was in academics. She applied herself in the classroom and frequently made the Honor Roll. Speaking in the same interview with SEC, Taylor explained that she never wanted to let her athletics interfere with other aspects of her identity. "I think the biggest thing to remember is that [even when you're an athlete] you're still a student and still a person. You can never lose that. You have to stay the same and stay true to who you are," she said. With this in mind, Taylor never stopped applying herself in her classes. Her decision to balance academics with athletics would ultimately pay off.

Although Maria Taylor was very focused on academics, she did not always have a clear idea of what she wanted to study. When she first enrolled at the University of Georgia, Taylor had no interest in broadcast journalism. Instead, her dream was to become a doctor — preferably for a sports team. Reflecting on this in a chat with the SEC, Taylor shared, "When you're 18, you have no clue where your strengths lie. In high school, I had really liked biology, but when I got to college, I realized that I wasn't in love with it like I had been in high school."

Taylor did not immediately recognize her own talent for language — but luckily, one of her professors did. "I really loved writing and one of my teachers told me that I should think about becoming an English major because I seemed to like it," Taylor revealed in the same interview. This inspired her to take some business classes and some English classes.

Her interest in broadcast journalism was first sparked when she saw Fox Sports South covering one of her volleyball matches. "I had been an exercise science major, then business management, and right then, I switched to journalism. I got into the program and I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do," Taylor said. She has not looked back since.

These days, Maria Taylor is famous for her sportscasting skills. However, when it first came to trying her hand at broadcast journalism, Taylor was not necessarily a natural. "As far as volleyball is concerned, you have to practice anything in order to be good at it. Television is the same way," she revealed in a conversation with SEC. "You need to know everything inside and out. Just like you study the game, you have to study your craft." 

Whereas some recent graduates try to jump directly from the classroom to the newsroom, Taylor decided to slow down and hone her skills. Before leaving the University of Georgia, she completed an internship. In her opinion, this was a game changer. "I always tell people how important internships are. I interned at Fox Sports South in Atlanta my senior year. If you know one person and make a good impression, then they will give your name to someone else," she told SEC. "It's all about internships and building relationships. And practice, practice, practice."

The early hurdles that Taylor faced in her career forced her to recognize that hard work is more important than raw talent. With this in mind, Taylor grew resolved to work her way to the top. "I feel like I am a freshman in my career. One day, I hope to be a leader in my field," she added. 

Maria Taylor may have considered herself a broadcasting "freshman" at the beginning of her career, but that didn't stop her from dreaming big. Even when she was just starting out, Taylor knew that she wanted to be one of the most influential figures in her field — and she didn't hesitate to communicate that to her workmates. 

Greg Moore hired Taylor for a position at SIAC broadcasts in 2012. Even years after that initial meeting, Moore remembers his former colleague for her ability to shoot for the moon. "During the interview, I remember asking her who did she want to emulate in terms of career aspirations? Her response, 'Oprah.' I thought to myself, 'Well there you have it,'" he told HBCU Gameday. 

Taylor's confidence was impressive to her employers, and it didn't take long for her career to take off. Shortly after cinching that job with SIAC, Taylor moved on to bigger and better things. She signed a contract with ESPN, where she eventually became the host for "College Gameday." Less than a week after her time at ESPN ended, Taylor signed a new contract with NBC. Although Moore never could have imagined how quickly his former colleague would rise in the ranks of television, he was not surprised to see her soar. "She had a physical presence and an intellectual presence. She was the complete package. Anyone could have seen that," he said in the same interview. 

Although Maria Taylor's career path might sound like a dream come true, her success story is not the full story. She left ESPN for NBC not on a whim, but after she heard a colleague make some racist comments about her career trajectory. 

The trouble started when Taylor was selected over fellow ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols for a position as one of the "NBA Countdown" hosts. Rather than take this loss graciously, Nichols — who is white — complained about it. Speaking tapes that were later leaked by The New York Times in 2021, Nichols stated, "If you need to give her more things to do because you're feeling pressure about your really crappy long-time record on diversity ... like, go for it. Just, you know, find it somewhere else." In that same clip, Nichols can be heard laughing at a flippant remark about #MeToo and the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Nichols eventually issued a public apology for the remarks, but the damage was already done. Reflecting on this experience on an interview with MSNBC, Taylor said, "I felt that way sometimes coming up in sports because ... it's very white male dominated. ... I've been on both sides of it where I worked really hard to get to, you know, the NBA Finals. And, I've had a white woman raise her hand and say, 'You only got the job because you're Black.' I've had my company stand behind that thought." In 2021, Taylor decided to part ways with the company and take her talent elsewhere; Nichols left ESPN the following year.

Although Maria Taylor has not always had it easy, she hopes that she can inspire other women — particularly Black women — to pursue a career in the world of sports coverage. As she revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair, Taylor is very motivated by the idea of breaking cultural barriers, especially in the minds and hearts of young people. "I'll just be doing TV, and I hope a Black girl turns it on and says, 'You know what I can do? I can host Football Night in America. You know what I can do? I can host the Olympics. I can sit up there with the guys and go toe-to-toe, and I belong there,'" Taylor said. "So at the very least, I know I can do that."

Whereas many television personalities aim to inspire others from afar, Taylor is a bit more hands-on. In 2015, she co-founded The Winning Edge Leadership Academy, a non-profit that supports women and people of color who want to get into sportscasting. The organization helps aspiring sportscasters find mentors, internships, and professional opportunities. For Taylor, it is gratifying to see young people follow in her footsteps. As she told NBC Sports, "I have always uplifted others — specifically women. I have made sure that, you know, one of the things that is my guiding light is the responsibility of being a role model." 

In 2021, Maria Taylor married Jonathan Hemphill. Although the two appear to have an adorable marriage, Taylor was not always sure that Hemphill was the one. In fact, the pair actually broke up at one point in their relationship. In a conversation with XO Necole, the sportscaster shared, "I knew probably when we got engaged that neither of us was ready to be engaged and that he definitely wasn't ready to be a husband."

Despite her initial suspicions about Hemphill's marriage readiness, she continued to go out with him. It wasn't until she finally had a conversation with her pastor that Taylor realized that she needed to end things with her then-fiancé. "I was like, 'I just can't do it. I don't think I want to do it,' Taylor recalled. To this, her pastor replied, "I've actually been praying that you would come to this decision."

Following Taylor and Hemphill's break-up, the pair followed the effective no contact rule. This gave them time to mature and focus on themselves. By the time they crossed paths again two years later, they were ready to give things another try. "We separated for two years, didn't talk at all, and then started talking again February of last year right around Super Bowl. All the changes and whatever growth that was supposed to happen happened, and we got married in May," Taylor said.

On December 14, 2021, Maria Taylor's life changed forever when she and Jonathan Hemphill welcomed a beautiful boy named Roman Ryan Taylor Hemphill. "When my son was placed on my chest, our hearts were overwhelmed with love and gratitude," Taylor told People after Roman's arrival. "I immediately knew I had given birth to my soulmate."

Taylor was not always sure that she would become a mother. After experiencing hurdles in her career and challenges with IVF, Taylor wondered if there would ever be room in her life for a child. "My journey to motherhood has not been a straight line. It has been long and difficult, and there were several times I thought I would never become a mom," Taylor admitted in the same conversation with People.

In the end, however, she was thrilled with her choice to become a mom. Working while pregnant was not always easy, but Taylor was determined to balance her personal life with her professional one. "My baby boy traveled and worked all across the country, and even overseas with me. He let me work all the way up until one week before he made his entrance into the world," she wrote in a Facebook post after Roman was born. 

Being a working mother is not always easy, but Maria Taylor has relied on a wonderful role model to light her path towards success. As Taylor revealed in an interview with XO Necole, her grandmother has long balanced home responsibilities with her career — providing Taylor with a blueprint to do the same. "My grandmother, too, played a big role in raising us because she lived in Atlanta and owned a dump truck business. Although she couldn't go to the University of Georgia because at the time they weren't accepting Black students, she still found a way to get her associate's degree; she still found a way to own her own business," she explained.

Taylor's grandmother did not just show her granddaughter how to juggle multiple responsibilities — she also taught her how to face tough situations with her head held high. As a Black female business owner during the era of segregation, Taylor's grandmother certainly did not have things easy. The dump truck industry does not have a reputation for being especially female friendly, and Taylor's grandmother experienced quite a bit of sexism and racism at work. Even so, she never gave up on her dreams. 

These days, Taylor sees her grandmother's struggles and conquests as a huge part of her own identity. "I come from this strong lineage of black women that have always done it by themselves," she said in the same interview. 

While Maria Taylor's grandmother provides her with inspiration, someone else has guided her through the ins and outs of the broadcasting world. "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts has supported Taylor through good times and bad. The more experienced journalist has even helped Taylor navigate career changes and job opportunities. "Robin Roberts has been kind of like my go-to person. Every single time I have to make a big decision, 'Let me call her and see if she thinks this is right,' or 'Should I make a big deal about this?' Or, 'What direction do you think would be the best direction?' You know, that type of thing," Taylor told XO Necole. As far as broadcast journalism career advice is concerned, you really can't do much better than the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

Taylor also said Roberts has been frank about how the challenges Black women face in their industry, but she's encouraged her mentee to just keep pushing forward. "One of the things that really stuck with me is that she said no matter what job or direction you decide to go, every day that you show up for work, you need to act as though there's no place in the world you'd rather be and that this is the only job you could see yourself having," Taylor said. 

Maria Taylor has done her best to follow Robin Roberts' career advice, and her efforts have paid off. After quite a bit of hard work and dedication, she was asked by NBC to represent the network at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. As a host for the late night Olympic coverage, Taylor was able to root on some of the most iconic American athletes of all time – including legendary Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. "Ever since I attended the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, it was a dream of mine to compete in the Games, which has now evolved to covering them," Taylor told NBC Sports when the announcement was made.

Of course, this was not the first time that Taylor was asked to cover the Olympics. In the past, she had flown to Tokyo and Beijing to cover the competitions. That being said, Taylor seemed particularly excited about the prospect of spending the summer working in France. In the same interview, she gushed, "As host of the Late Night show, I'm excited to tell the best stories of the day while moving about the city and hosting from the venues, cafes, plazas, and famous landmarks of Paris, one of the world's most inspirational cities." She delivered a gold medal-worthy performance, indeed.