When Melissa Stark got the call, the decision was easy.
It had been more than 20 years since she last reported from the sidelines of the Super Bowl, but an opportunity to return to the sport’s biggest stage was one she couldn’t pass up.
Stark’s first Super Bowl came at a defining moment in her life and career. She was 29 years old, preparing to report in front of an audience of more than 88 million viewers at Super Bowl XXXVII — all while pregnant with her first child.
She recalled thinking about the
mentors and opportunities she had received as a student at the University of Virginia and how those experiences helped shape her path in sports journalism.
That same son, who unknowingly joined her during her first Super Bowl, is now a fourth year student at her alma mater, preparing to graduate this spring from the McIntire School of Commerce. Stark called the moment “symmetrical.”
Now, Stark is preparing for her second Super Bowl on the sidelines, this time with years of experience behind her.
“It is the biggest stage, but I feel like for Sunday Night Football, we treat each week like a mini Super Bowl,” Stark said. “I think because I’m a journalist and I have such personal pride in what I do, I’d treat a preseason game the same way.
“You don’t want to think, ‘Oh my gosh, 150 million people are watching me,’” she said. “You’re under the lights, the energy is there, the adrenaline’s always pumping. The key is slowing things down in your mind.”
One of the changes Stark is most proud of is how the sports media landscape has evolved since she began her career.
When she worked her first Super Bowl in 2003, women were still rare on NFL sidelines, and earning credibility in the industry was often a challenge.
“Being one of the first women in sports during my first Super Bowl, it was an anomaly at the time,” Stark said. “Now it’s much more commonplace. There are so many more opportunities for women, in any avenue they want to pursue, and that is expected.”
Stark is widely regarded as a trailblazer for women in the industry. She served as a sideline reporter on ABC’s “Monday Night Football” from 2000 to 2002 before spending four years as a national correspondent for NBC News’ “Today” show.
“So many women have broken those barriers and earned great reputations,” she said. “There’s space and room to cover it. Women provide another perspective.”
When Stark began raising a family with her husband, she stepped away from sideline reporting to focus on her children: two sons and twin daughters. She always knew family would come first, even if balancing both careers was difficult.
Once her children were older, Stark returned to the sidelines. At 48, she rejoined NBC as a sideline reporter.
“I love the storytelling, the energy of being at the game and the people I work with,” Stark said. “You have to love the people you work with, and I work with the best of the best. It invigorates me.”
Family, however, remains central to everything she does.
While her son will be in Charlottesville for this year’s Super Bowl, Stark will be joined by her husband and daughter at the game.
“I pride myself on being a role model for my kids,” she said. “I think they see the hard work that goes into it.”
The Maryland native spoke warmly about her children and their close-knit family. She said she never pressured them to follow her path to Virginia, but still remembers the moment her eldest son, Mike, called to tell her he had been accepted.
“We were screaming on the phone,” Stark said. “It’s incredible seeing him go through the same place but live it in his own way. I love the school and what it’s created for him — not just academically.”
As the family prepares to return to Charlottesville this spring for Mike’s graduation, Stark said the milestone feels especially meaningful. She recalls her own graduation, walking the historic UVA lawn, and how unique the University plans their final exercises.
After two decades of growth, “I’m coming to this game with a much better perspective after becoming a mother and building this family,” Stark said. “If I could tell myself anything back then, it would be: ‘You belong.’”
She paused before adding, “That confidence only comes with time, maturity and experience.”
