Cindy Brunson is an anchor. Cindy Brunson is currently a member of Pac-12 Networks’ broadcast team and is well-known for her work as a sports anchor and reporter on ESPN’s flagship show SportsCenter.
Brunson is a woman that will not hesitate to speak her thoughts, and she has inspired many sportswomen and other reporters and newscasters with her strong opinions and supporting personality.
Table of Contents
Childhood, Family, and Education
Cindy Brunson, who was born on June 10, 1975, in Tacoma, Washington, went to the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
Curtis Senior High School in University Place, Washington, was where she enrolled.
Brunson grew interested in sports broadcasting after she observed American newscaster Robin Roberts on ESPN talking about sports when she was 12 years old.
However, she would face prejudice for being a girl interested in sports before she even started her profession.
Her mother would appoint her as the ‘beverage girl,’ delivering drinks to her father and his buddies who would shout in the living room on Sundays while watching football games, which she thought was ‘lame.’
So she took out an encyclopedia and began memorizing the referee’s signals.
‘That was not a hold!’ she said the following Sunday in the living room. That flag was thrown by the ref, and I can’t believe it.’
Brunson and her father became regulars at home Seahawks, Sonics, and Mariners games after that.
And it was only natural that she would choose the road that would get her closer to her ideal job.
By enrolling in and graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Broadcast Communication and a minor in Political Science from Washington State University.
Net Worth and Salary
Cindy Brunson’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $2 million.
Regrettably, her current salary and earnings have not been revealed.
Cindy has worked for a number of networks and has hosted a number of shows.
Brunson has probably amassed a sizable fortune from her career as one of the most well-known television anchors and reporters.
Facts of Cindy Brunson
Full Name | Cindy Brunson |
Birth Date | June 10, 1975 |
Birth Place | Tacoma, Washington, U.S. A |
Nick Name | Not available |
Religion | Not available |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Biracial |
Education | Washington State University |
Horoscope | Gemini |
Father’s Name | Not Available |
Mother’s Name | Not Available |
Siblings | Not Available |
Age | 47 years old |
Height | 5’9″ (1.78 m) |
Weight | Not Available |
Shoe Size | Not Available |
Hair Color | Brunette |
Eye Color | Brown |
Body Measurement | Not Available |
Build | Slim |
Married | Yes |
Spouse | Steve Berthiaume |
Children | None |
Profession | Anchor/Reporter |
Net Worth | $2 million (2018) |
Broadcasting Affiliations | Pac-12 (Current), ESPN (Former) |
Social Media | LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram |
Shoes | Not Available |
Last Update | June 2022 |
Early Career
Cindy began her career at KATU in Portland, Oregon, where she worked as a weekend sports and news anchor/reporter at the age of 23.
She covered the Portland Trail Blazers (National Basketball Association), the University of Oregon, and Oregon State’s football team, to mention a few, throughout her time at KATU.
She had previously worked as a weather anchor and news reporter at KHQ-6 in Spokane, Washington, before joining KATU.
ESPN
She was hired full-time by ESPN as an ESPNEWS anchor after a year at KATU, where she became one of the most popular SportsCenter faces.
Cindy went on to work for ESPN for the next 12 years, serving as an anchor for SportsCenter, a host for Hot Take, and an analyst for College Basketball Live, among other roles.
Despite landing the big break with ESPN, Brunson faced many challenges as a female broadcaster, learning early on about the ignorance and fickleness of certain listeners.
Viewers sent her nasty messages the day after she debuted on the show, with three urging her to “get back to the kitchen” and the rest complimenting her appearance.
Brunson opted to view the racist comments as motivators after receiving guidance from Stuart Scott, a prominent SportsCenter anchor who only played back the racist messages he had received.
She preserved the first ‘go back in the kitchen’ message for her personal reminder.
Similarly, her hard work paid off, as her stint at ESPN helped her become one of the most well-known faces among ESPN SportsCenter’s sportscasters.
Brunson has been a part of some of the sports’ most remarkable moments in later years.
Brunson revealed in one of her interviews with CougFanCom that Tiger Woods’ weekend vehicle accident outside his Florida house was one of the most fantastic things she had the opportunity to cover in sports.
Brunson was also the anchor when ESPNEWS covered the no-hitter by Florida Marlins rookie Anbal Sánchez on September 6, 2006.
Similarly, she was a SportsCenter anchor when Barry Bonds hit his 755th and 756th career home runs, surpassing Hank Aaron for the most career home runs.
Brunson officially left ESPN on December 29, 2012, after anchoring her final sports broadcast with Bram Weinstein.
Arizona Diamondbacks and Pac-12 Network
Brunson joined Fox Sports Arizona’s broadcast crew in April 2013 as the pregame and postgame host and reporter for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Since May 2013, she has been a Play-by-Play Commentator and Analyst for the Phoenix Mercury.
Cindy, on the other hand, has been a commentator for Pac-12 Networks since 2014.
She has worked as a sideline reporter for college football and men’s college basketball, as well as a play-by-play announcer for women’s college basketball.
She was also hired by the Texas Tech Athletic Department in November 2019 to improve the Lady Raiders’ television coverage.
Personal Life and Marriage
In June 2009, Cindy Brunson married her longtime boyfriend, Steve Berthiaume.
Steve, like his wife, is an American television sportscaster who works for the Arizona Diamondbacks as a play-by-play broadcast announcer.
He has also worked as an ESPN anchor and a SportsNet New York sportscaster.
Brunson and her husband have a similar professional background: in Massachusetts, where he grew up, Steve ran cross-country and also worked as a basketball announcer.
During his time at WTIC-HV in Hartford, Connecticut, Steve, an Emerson College alumnus, covered the University of Connecticut men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as their participation in the NCCA tournament.
Brunson went on to work for the now-defunct CNCCI network before joining ESPN in February 2000.
Later, he joined ESPNEWS and worked as a SportsCenter anchor. Brunson and Berthiaume co-anchored her debut SportsCenter broadcast in February 2001.
Despite leaving ESPN in 2006 to become the new SNY network’s top sportscaster, Steve returned to ESPN SportsCenter on March 28, 2007, to be closer to Cindy.
Brunson later did the same for Steve in 2013, when she joined the Arizona Diamondbacks after the baseball broadcast team selected Steve to replace Daron Sutton as a play-by-play broadcaster for FOX Sports Arizona in 2012.
Since then, they’ve been working for the same broadcasting network.
Women in Sports
Throughout her career, Cindy has proven to be a trailblazer, paving the way for women in a field that has long been dominated by male personalities and views.
From being a new face in sportscasting who was not well received by the public to becoming one of the most well-known faces in the industry.
Cindy’s grace and positive attitude have greatly impacted many people. She has definitely set the bar high for female sportscasters on the rise.
To establish credibility in sports broadcasting, Brunson had to overcome major preconceptions such as “women cannot comprehend sports” and “female sportscasters are simply another nice face.”
Brunson says that her work needs a lot of planning and homework, despite the fact that she makes it appear effortless.
Brunson advised Beth O’Donnell and her classmates that a woman in sportscasting should “learn everything you can about sports you don’t know.”
Brunson acknowledges that she can’t give anyone an excuse to urge her to ‘go back into the kitchen,’ so she has to be as brilliant as the rest of the ladies.
Personal Interests
Brunson was motivated by Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and chose to sign up for the Climate Reality Leadership Corps session in Pittsburgh in October 2017.
She’s now a part of The Climate Reality Project. Since May 2013, she has also been a member of The Association for Women in Sports Media.
She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists as well. Cindy is also a graduate of Washington State University’s Murrow College of Communications.
She credits her schooling with placing her in a “position to achieve” and assisting her in realizing her “television broadcast goals.”
Cindy is also well-known for her coffee addiction; in an interview with Fox Sports Arizona, her husband said that she consumes two pots of coffee every day.
Brunson is a die-hard Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners supporter.
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Age, Height, and Nationality
Cindy Brunson is currently 47 years old. Her zodiac sign is Gemini.
Brunson is also incredibly tall, standing at 5 feet 9 inches (1.78 m).
She, too, has short brunette hair and wonderful brown eyes, which complement her large, broad smile.
Cindy maintains shape and appears decent in front of the camera as a television personality.
Social Media Status
Cindy Brunson has a Twitter following of 23.9K people and 459 followers on Instagram