Tracey Wolfson ‘Can’t Wait’ to Cover Super Bowl from the Sidelines: ‘It’s an All-Time High, No Doubt’

Tracy Wolfson, 48, has a busy week ahead of her as she prepares to be the eyes and ears on the sidelines of Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wolfson, the lead NFL sideline reporter for CBS Sports (as well as the lead reporter for NCAA Men’s Basketball and host of the women’s only sports show We need to talk), is a pro at high-octane sports coverage, but the Super Bowl — one of the biggest sporting events on the planet — requires next-level preparation.

Ahead of the big game, she’s meeting with coaches and players — as well as doing extensive research and packing levels in the Navy SEALs (“I need a spreadsheet,” she jokes) — but she took a moment to talk to PEOPLE about the art of sideline reporting, her love of game and what goes into preparing to cover “the epitome of all games,” as she calls it.

Read on for our Q&A with one of the most prominent voices you’ll hear on Sunday night.

PEOPLE: You’ll be overseeing the game from the sidelines, right? Tracy Wolfson: Yes. I’m the chief correspondent. There are two guys in the booth, Jim Nance and Tony Romo, calling him from the booth. I’ll be on one side during the Super Bowl. They add another side reporter to work on the other opposite side — so I take one team and he takes the other. But normally I’m down there all year round.

Tracy Wolfson with Jim Nance and Tony Romo.

Courtesy of Tracy Wolfson

PEOPLE: How many Super Bowls have you covered? Tracy Wolfson: This is my fifth Super Bowl, my fourth as a lead reporter. The story is that when I first started, I was playing college football and they had me play before and after the Super Bowl game. That first Super Bowl, in 2013, it was the Harbaugh Bowl in New Orleans, and the lights went out. The joke was that they told me, ‘You only go on the air if the lights go out,’ and sure enough, the lights went out. And so I ended up at the Super Bowl, but I shouldn’t have been.

PEOPLE: What’s it like being a sideline reporter for the Super Bowl? Tracy Wolfson: That’s actually your dream, or at least my dream when I’m in this business. It is the epitome of all games. It’s the biggest event on television. It is watched by millions. It is a world event.

It’s something I dreamed about when I was a kid. I wanted to be a sideline journalist since I was 8 years old. I just love talking about sports… I’ve come a long way to get here, but I felt that as long as I was surrounded by sports doing something in the world of sports, I would be happy. So to have the opportunity to cover the Super Bowl, to be front and center in the world on Super Bowl Sunday, that’s without a doubt an all-time record.

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Tracy Wolfson does a postgame interview with Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes after the 2024 AFC Championship.

Tracey Wolfson/Instagram

PEOPLE: It’s also so inspiring for other little girls, like the eight-year-old you were, to see a woman on the sidelines doing this work. Tracy Wolfson: I hope so and it’s something I take very seriously. I mentor many young women who want to get into this field or just want to break into a male dominated industry. To show that you can do it – I’m really proud of that. I try to pay as much as possible. And I really hope to pave the way for others. Certainly, those who came before me paved the way for me; I wouldn’t be here without them and I take that very seriously.

PEOPLE: Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re doing this week to prepare for the game? Tracy Wolfson: It’s a unique week because you’re busy with so many different responsibilities than during a regular football week. But this week I approach the preparation for the game in the same way as any other game; it’s still two teams. Only the stakes are higher.

As for my preparation, I will do as much research as possible. CBS sends it to us. I follow beat reporters on Twitter. I use social media to find interesting stories. I read them, I call coaches and players. We have meetings with each of the teams, meetings with the head coach, coordinators, stars. And we will do that when we arrive on site in Las Vegas on Wednesday and Thursday.

I will be doing a pregame interview with Travis Kelce, I will be doing a press conference with [NFL Commissioner] Roger Goodell that week. There are many additional events and activities that you are involved in during the Super Bowl. But for the most part, you’re just preparing the game like any other game. We hope to get a really good game. I mean, that’s what you’re after in the end.

PEOPLE: Tell me more about the art of reporting from the sidelines for a big game like this. What do you think people don’t or shouldn’t know about the work you put into this? Tracy Wolfson: People think a lot has been written. They think that someone else is giving you the information or that it has been prepared for you. … But you are the eyes and ears down on the field. So you’re trying to find and get what Jim Nance and Tony Romo, who are in the booth, can’t see or hear. You’re kind of an investigative reporter, whether you’re tracking injuries, or listening to what a quarterback has to say about his offensive line, or watching some breakdown on the field, or just trying to get a feel for what the play is, and then adding whatever reports you can get.

During a regular season game, you want to bring up stories that fans may not know. But during a big game like this, we have a bunch of extra cameras, extra graphics, extra replays. We have three people on the side. I mean, a lot goes into it. And people just want to watch the game, so you don’t want to overload them with too much information. You just want to broadcast what people can’t see or hear, that’s really relevant to what’s playing at the time.

PEOPLE: It sounds very stressful to be down in the field. Tracy Wolfson: I accept that! I like that. People say, “Do you want to go in the booth and comment?” And no, I like to be front and center of the moment. You can really feel the energy. You get a good vibe, you feel like you’re part of the game. And yeah, I mean, one step up to you could be three dudes being attacked outside the playground — and you’re running just to make sure you don’t get hit.

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Tracy Wilson interviews Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.

Courtesy of Tracy Wolfson

PEOPLE: Have you ever gotten punched? Tracy Wolfson: I got hit by a defensive player during pregame. They were doing warm ups and one pushed another guy right into me and knocked me on my ass. And I got up so quickly because I was so embarrassed — I jumped up because I didn’t want anyone to see me. I was fine. The next morning I woke up and I said, “I’m in pain. What happened?” And then I realized I had a big bruise on my leg and I was like, “Oh my God, what’s that from.”

But it’s so fun to be down there because you can really feel the energy. You feel like you’re right. And I like to think on my feet, figuring out what’s really important down there. And then the other thing you have to do, which I really pride myself on, is I love doing interviews, whether it’s a player or a coach, at halftime or after a game or before a game — trying to get a really good response out of that player or coach.

PEOPLE: How do you do it? So many sports players and coaches don’t say much! Tracy Wolfson: It’s a challenge! This is my 10th year covering the NFL and you learn which players are good with the media, who give good answers and what they are like as players. There could be someone who is a little bit corny, someone who has a little edge, someone who is very dry, someone who has personality, someone who just [does] “coach is talking.” And you somehow learn that. And sometimes, frankly, if they’re not great, you’re not going to interview them — unless it’s a quarterback.

And I think the trust factor, I think when you cover those same teams over and over again, they get to know you and they get comfortable with you and they open up more. And it’s the same with those who have been in business longer, right? As they play longer and longer, they feel more comfortable. You can really get good answers, but you have to be prepared for curt answers — certainly frustration, from the coach, if they’re down at halftime and you’re asking them a question, putting them on the spot. You have to be ready for all that.

Jets head coach Adam Gase and Tracy Wolfson.

Courtesy of CBS

PEOPLE: What are you most excited about covering this Super Bowl? Tracy Wolfson: Of the Super Bowl games I’ve covered as the lead sideline reporter, we haven’t had a competitive game. So I’m looking forward to something that kind of goes down to the wire between two teams that are really at the top of their game. I love the fact that Kansas City wasn’t expected to be here; a lot of people doubted them, and they thrive on it. And then you can add, of course, the Travis and Taylor storyline, which is always hilarious and really fun as a fan.

The biggest thing is that the first Super Bowl ever was held in Las Vegas — bright lights, synonymous with big events. I can’t wait to see what the strip will be like, what the stadium, fans and crowd will be like for this team. It is certainly a unique experience. I think those are the things I look forward to.

When you think of a prelude to a game, it’s surely at the top of the list: the Super Bowl in Vegas, simply unimaginable. And I’ll get a chance to cover it.

I can not wait!

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Source: HIS Education