Beth Mowins chats with The Post’s Justin Terranova about the responsibility of being the second woman to call an NFL game. Mowins makes her NFL on CBS debut Sunday with play-by-play of the Browns-Colts game after she called Broncos-Chargers game on ESPN in Week 1.
Q: How did this come about?
A: I’ve always wanted to do this as a kid and it’s what I’ve always worked toward. Not necessarily with anything specific in mind, except for the same dreams that every play-by-play announcer wants. You want the biggest and the best games you can get. My agent was working with ESPN, (which) has always been good to me, and CBS and I am just happy it all came together.
Q: How have you dealt with the attention?
A: I understand and appreciate it’s a unique situation and it’s out of the ordinary for people to be hearing a woman calling the NFL. I certainly realize it’s important to give people out there a dream and to be a role model. Ultimately, the day-to-day preparation is quite similar to what I’ve done my entire life.
Q: Who have you gotten advice from leading up to the games?
A: Mike Tirico and Sean McDonough have been mentors of mine coming from Syracuse. I had a chat with Al Michaels and his advice was awfully good, “Don’t forget that a game is eventually going to break out. You want to cover what’s happening on the field.” I had a chance to spend a good hour with Jim Nantz at a preseason game and all the experience that he brings to it. His advice was rock solid as well, “Be ready for everything that comes your way and have a lot of fun with it, share that passion with the viewers.”
Q: What did this mean to you?
A: It’s an amazing honor. And I think Gayle Sierens and Pam Ward … and a lot of the other trail-blazing women in football from Lesley Visser to Andrea Kremer to a Michele Tafoya as reporters and studio people to a Doris Burke and Jessica Mendoza as analysts on big-time men’s sports. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do and hopefully moving forward we do just get a chance to talk about football and sports.
Q: How do you handle the reaction from social media?
A: It’s still important to try and engage with fans who do have questions and do want to have a conversation. You have to sift through the negative stuff. I’ve gotten to the point where my motto is, “I have no time for negative people with negative attitudes.” Life is way too short to worry about people’s opinions whom you’re never going to change anyway. So, I don’t really waste too much time on that.