By Yousef Mabrouk
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Bailey O’Carroll didn’t just send a resume to score her dream job: She boxed up a shoe and sent it to the hiring manager to quite literally get a foot in the door. The gutsy move caught the attention of leadership at KTVU San Francisco, launching a career that’s been turning heads ever since. Now a sports reporter at KTVU and part of the Bay Area’s first women-led sports production team, the Cronkite School alum is making her mark in a competitive field, blending sharp storytelling with unapologetic passion.
“When I was younger, a high school coach told me that women don’t have a place in men’s sports,” says O’Carroll. “That stuck with me, and I always told myself I would prove that wrong. I hope I have. So, I do this for the next generation, but also—selfishly—because I love sports, and I’m fascinated by people and their stories.”
Between broadcasts, the Sun Devil and San Marcos, California native reflected on her reporting role, her time at Cronkite—and that infamous shoe.
Note: The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
(ASU) Sending the shoe was such a bold move. What was the reaction?
(O’Carroll) I can’t take credit for it; it was my mom’s idea. I went to a Nordstrom Rack and I bought a pair of shoes. I took one shoe out of the box, and then I left one in the box, and I put a handwritten note. It said something like, “Amber, this is one foot in the door, I hope the next foot is as a member of your team.” A week later, they called me and said, “Bailey, this is the most creative thing we’ve ever seen. Our GM loves it.”
What does it mean to you to break barriers as the first female sports reporter at KTVU and be part of the Bay Area’s first-ever women-led sports production team?
I still pinch myself, even though I shouldn’t, because I know that I’ve earned the right to be where I am. It’s an opportunity I don’t take lightly, and I love getting to tell people that I have my dream job. And then to be a part of it with Cheyenne, my senior sports producer who started at the station around the same time as I did—I can’t think of a better teammate.
Working at KTVU, especially as a trailblazer in sports reporting, must be exciting but also demanding. How do you balance the fast-paced nature of the job while still delivering top-tier coverage?
This job becomes your life, and if you don’t actively think about the balance, it can consume 100% of your time. Finding that balance is something I’m still trying to figure out. People think it’s glamorous—that you get to be at all these games and do all these exciting things, but they don’t really consider the sacrifices you make in return. I don’t go to games with friends; I’m working. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This is what I’ve always wanted to do, and the fact that I get to do it every day is amazing. Getting to talk about sports for a living instead of being stuck behind an Excel sheet is incredible!
How did your time at Cronkite help you become the professional you are today?
When I was at Cronkite, I took advantage of every opportunity. I was involved with clubs; the Walter Cronkite Sports Network was a big part of that. I even worked as a camp counselor. The real-world opportunities that Cronkite gave me were so valuable, and having people trust you to live up to that trust was crucial.
What Cronkite course challenged you the most?
Sports reporting. That class was the hardest for me, not necessarily because of the content, but because of how tough the professor was on us. He had a ton of experience, having worked as a senior producer at ESPN, including on their baseball shows, like “Baseball Tonight.” Looking back, though, I realize that tough approach was exactly what I needed.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in media?
My advice is simple: If you know what you’re capable of, figure it out and work hard enough until someone believes in you or takes a chance on you. I applied for over 200 jobs, got only two interviews, and was ready to quit before I even started because I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I remember applying for jobs I was underqualified for, but if you don’t take the shot, there’s no one there to catch it. Throw deep. And outwork everybody. That’s what worked for me.
What is your “why”?
I’m a journalist, but I’m also a fan. I love sports and what it does for people, and how it connects them. The world can be a really depressing place at times, but sports is such a bright spot; I love contributing to the happy memories that people have through storytelling.
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