When Erin Dolan appears on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday, she doesn't expect to get much sleep the night before.
With a three-hour time difference on the West Coast, the ESPN sports betting analyst anticipates on waking up around 3:30 a.m. PT for the spot. In today's fast-paced sports betting world, dedicated analysts have little time for rest. Determined to hone her craft, Dolan has hardly taken her foot off the gas since the NFL preseason began five months ago.
Dolan has set an early alarm for West Coast spots before, but the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas will introduce a new set of challenges.
“I can function on no sleep, I can push through, but on Monday I probably won't be functioning on the way home,” Dolan told last week.
‘Determined to be great’
Fueled by a dogged work ethic, Dolan admits that she hasn't had much time to go out since last summer. On Sept. 7, ESPN announced that it reached a multi-year contract renewal with the analyst, hours before the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off the regular season against the Detroit Lions.
As part of the deal, Dolan moved to Bristol, Connecticut, where she makes in-studio appearances on , , , and several other ESPN programs.
The hard work has paid dividends. As of last Friday, Dolan posted a record of 58-29-1 (+24.4 units) for her NFL picks since joining the network, producing a sparkling clip of 65.9%. For the 2023 season, Dolan is 26-11-1, +13.6 units, according to ESPN research. The performance is a marked increase from 2022 when she finished 26-16, +6.7 units. Dolan initially joined the network in 2021, four years after she worked there as an intern.
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SAME GAME PARLAY CASHES +575??
Oh, and the BIRDS WON. pic.twitter.com/KkWEwxY3Af
— Erin Kate Dolan (@erinkatedolan) November 27, 2023
“Erin continues to shine in her role at ESPN, and has been integral in providing a sports betting perspective to ESPN programming that we know fans want from us,” said Scott Clark, who serves as vice president of fantasy and betting content at ESPN. “Erin is determined to be great, dedicated to her craft, and a big part of growing our sports betting content efforts.”
A diehard Eagles fan, Dolan ran track at Cardinal O’Hara high school, located in suburban Philadelphia, about 18 miles northwest of Lincoln Financial Field. She worked at the Big Ten Network while majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State after transferring from the University of Oregon.
Dolan’s favorite athlete growing up was Steve Prefontaine, the legendary Duck’ runner. While Prefontaine passed away at 24 in a tragic car accident, his legacy lives on. At Oregon, track and field hopefuls adorn their walls with a famous Prefontaine poster. Nicknamed “The Gift,” the poster contains an image of Prefontaine trudging through a wet track at Heyward Field. The poster is headlined with his signature quote on determination: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
In many ways, it describes Dolan’s approach to her job. On Thursday, she will arrive in Las Vegas for an event that typically draws more than 150 million viewers worldwide. The event provides her with another opportunity to showcase her acuity for making picks.
Behind the scenes in Bristol
The Super Bowl represents a key inflection point for the network's betting team as the first since the Worldwide Leader In Sports rolled out ESPN BET in November. Launched in partnership with PENN Entertainment, the online sportsbook offers network personalities a litany of opportunities through cross-channelization as Disney attempts to integrate sports betting within the fabric of its brand.