Wonderfully Made

This groundbreaking ESPN reporter’s success is firmly rooted in her faith

- Maria Taylor

FIND ME ON TWITTER AND YOU’LL see that I “talk sports for a living on ESPN,” with a photo of me on College GameDay, where I’m a reporter. You’ll also see that I cofounded an organization called the Winning Edge Leadership Academy (more on that later). Most important— and perhaps unexpectedly for some— there’s a Bible reference: Ephesians 2:10, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.”

I put that there for a purpose. People can expend a lot of negative energy on social media. I understand how that happens. I’ve made tons of mistakes— some of them even on air. I’m not immune to criticism or self-criticism. But it seems more important than ever to remember just who we are and what bigger purpose God intends for us.

I inherited a lot of that from my parents. My siblings and I grew up knowing we were very loved and that much was expected of us.

Dad was a big car buff, so just because I was a girl—the middle child— didn’t mean that I shouldn’t know how to change a tire, check the oil and know what’s under the hood. I might have been a little more interested in the inside, like the radio and upholstery, but that didn’t matter. “Every engine is a little different,” Dad said. “Get to know ’em.” When I was 16, he took me up a hill in a 1992 Honda Accord—I called it Putt-Putt. He put me in the driver’s seat and told me to drive. Did I mention that it was a stick shift?