Atlanta Beat Defender Calls World Cup Games for ESPN
June 29, 2011 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Atlanta Beat News Release
KENNESAW, GA (June 29, 2011) - When it comes to the world of women's soccer, Atlanta Beat defender Cat Whitehill has an impressive résumé. At the age of 29, her legacy already includes scoring two goals against North Korea in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, earning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, being named a two-time Women's Professional Soccer All-Star, and winning two NCAA National Championships with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As she continues to be a dominant presence in the women's professional game, she is also in the midst of a budding new career as a broadcaster.
Whitehill graduated with a communications degree from UNC and earned her first broadcasting opportunity when ESPN approached her to be a color analyst for the 2008 NCAA Women's College Cup.
"I've put my name in that hat for a long time," said Whitehill about living her on-air dream. "I've been telling people that are near to the soccer world and ESPN that I wanted to get into it. Fortunately, and with the help of my agent, I've been able to do it for the past three years."
Covering the 2008 Women's College Cup was only the beginning for Whitehill. In fact, it has proven to be a perennial opportunity that continues to evolve. She is now in Germany with ESPN as a color analyst for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup where she will lend her expertise for several games during the group play stage.
"I'm so excited about being on the World Cup broadcasting team," said Whitehill. "I'm just really nervous because it's such a big deal, and it's my first major event."
Below is Cat Whitehill's list of assignments:
Japan vs. New Zealand (Monday morning, June 27)
Colombia vs. Sweden (Tuesday, June 28 - 12:15 PM ET)
Norway vs. Equatorial Guinea (Wednesday, June 29 - 9:00 AM ET)
Japan vs. Mexico (Friday, July 1 - 9:00 AM ET)
North Korea vs. Sweden (Saturday, July 2, - 8:00 AM ET)
Whitehill returns stateside and will serve as an in-studio analyst in Bristol during the following:
New Zealand vs. Mexico (Tuesday, July 5 - 12:45 PM ET)
Canada vs. Nigeria (Tuesday, July 5 - 2:45 PM ET)
Equatorial Guinea vs. Brazil (Wednesday, July 6 - 12:00 PM ET)
North Korea vs. Colombia (Wednesday, July 6 - 2:45 PM ET)
Although she is away on World Cup duty, Whitehill will continue to fulfill her on-field obligations with the Atlanta Beat. Fortunately, ESPN has worked out a schedule that allows her to miss only one of the Beat's WPS matches during World Cup play. After she departs from Brussels, Belgium to return back to the U.S. on Sunday, July 3, she will travel to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, to be an in-studio analyst. Whitehill will then be stateside and available for the Beat's next match against the Boston Breakers on Sunday, July 10.
Most will be surprised to know that Whitehill would love to take her broadcasting career down a different path in the future. The soccer star sees herself on the sidelines, commentating for a sport quite unlike her own . "My dream would be to do something with college football," she said. "It would be so fun. I love football." Whitehill enjoys the atmosphere of college game day and sideline reporting."
Michelle Beadle, Erin Andrews, and Wendy Nix are a few of Whitehill's favorites in the broadcasting world. She hopes that this World Cup opportunity will be another stepping stone for her career and land her a position doing something else she loves once she hangs up her cleats for the last time.
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Women's Professional Soccer Stories from June 29, 2011
- Atlanta Beat Defender Calls World Cup Games for ESPN - Atlanta Beat
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