CORAL GABLES, Fla. come watch the Heisman show tonight mostly bc it’s great to be a Miami Hurricane. Williamson grew up in a family with Florida State Seminoles and many of her friends were diehard Florida Gators fans. So her path to Coral Gables wasn’t clear from the start. “When I went on my official visit - it was my first and my last official visit,” Williamson said. Williamson was sold after her visit. Her future teammates, the campus and the appeal of Miami were all she needed. She finished her career on the volleyball team with 929 kills and helped the Canes reach the NCAA tournament three times. “I saw how the fans responded to athletes on campus, whether it be students or just fans of The U, and the devotion and fandom really made me curious about sports in general,” Williamson said.
Williamson chose to shave her head during her redshirt sophomore year at Miami and plenty of people around her questioned the decision. Her inspiration? She found success at Clemson working in athletics. Then, after earning her master’s degree, came the “real world”. With Peyton Manning and Co., Williamson served as a digital media contributor for the 2016 season. “All of the storylines leading up to the event and no one thinking we would make it there was amazing,” Williamson said.
While at Clemson, a director gave her the advice to not let the negativity of others affect her drive for a career. Along the way, it’s her distinctive style, her tattoos and unwavering attitude of being herself that attracts her to eager, young sports reporters. “Part of my job is reacting to crazy things and you can’t pretend that you’re anybody else other than yourself because that’s going to get snuffed out real quick. I learned early that I can only offer me instead of trying to emulate or copy what somebody else is doing and I think that’s kind of what’s unique about me. Now, along with her appearances on Countdown to GameDay and SportsCenter, Williamson is a regular on several other ESPN shows, including The Wrap Up and Rankings Reaction.
“My boss told me he never wanted to do interviews or gave good answers, but I remember thinking I was going to get this guy to talk to me and everything will be fine,” Williamson said. Creating moments like those are what Williamson enjoys most about her job. While at ESPN, Williamson has been able to put her hands into countless opportunities. Learning as much as possible while at ESPN is her short-term goal. Christine, please share your story with us.
I started building my brand while I was in graduate school at Clemson University. I studied broadcast journalism at the University of Miami and went on to cover and report for Clemson’s Athletic Department. It sparked the idea to make my unique look a focus of the brand I began building. The biggest struggle for me has also been the biggest blessing for me. The Bald Girl - what should we know? What do you guys do best?
I currently work for the Big 12 Conference as a digital correspondent. The digital network was established when I started at the conference office, and we have since grown our digital media reach significantly. We definitely compete with our peer conferences in creating unique content. Since we are so small, typically the content that we specifically created for our institutions doesn’t necessarily share the same content as networks like ESPN or Fox Sports. Instead, we compliment their coverage with stories that they aren’t already telling. The moments that are the most fun for me are typically the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Big 12 Football Championship. My responsibility during games is to host, so, during dead balls, I am on the big screen talking to the crowd about anything from what’s happening on the field to doing sponsored hits - sort of like commercials.
Christine Williamson joined ESPN in October 2019. In 2024, she joined the College GameDay Covered by State Farm team as a reporter traveling to college campuses each week. Before joining ESPN, Williamson worked with Fox Sports and Big 12 Network as a digital contributor and on-camera host. The Tampa, Fla., native, earned her bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Miami. During her undergraduate career there, she was a scholarship athlete in volleyball. She then obtained her master’s degree from Clemson University, where she studied Communication, Technology & Society.
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