Amanda Balionis is definitely no stranger to hard work. She is a fast-rising sports journalist who has been able to build an enviable career for herself. From what she has revealed, her success has a lot to do with discovering what she’s cut out for and going all out to make it a reality. Amanda is fast achieving many of her goals, including diversifying into football reporting, even though golf remains her first love. She is currently with CBS Sports and got the opportunity to cover portions of the Super Bowl pre-game show for CBS in 2019. Also, the journalist was recently named the first-ever social media correspondent for the establishment.
Things You Should Know about Amanda Balionis
1. Her Age and the Schools She Attended
Amanda was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the 6th of June 1987. Some years after her birth, her whole family relocated to Lancaster also in Pennsylvania. She attended Manheim Township High School where she played volleyball for the school team until 2004, the year she graduated. Balionis proceeded to Hofstra University to study Broadcast Journalism and graduated in 2008.
2. The Beginning of Amanda Balionis’ Career in Journalism
Amanda’s career in Journalism began while she was in college. Once she made up her mind about her career choice, she began to work and volunteer at various internship programs to harness her skills and gain knowledge. She has been an intern with networks like Now, CBS 2, ABC News, the New York Islanders, and the New York Jets to mention a few. While on campus, she worked for the University’s newspaper called The Chronicle. She also worked as a reporter for WRHU radio station.
Upon graduation, her first job was with Lancaster local newspaper where she worked as an editor and also produced numerous sports programs. She left this position in 2009 to join Verizon Sports, working as a sideline reporter. She reported several events including high school sporting events, women soccer, and basketball. As her career blossomed, she worked as a volleyball commentator and sports correspondent with MSG Varsity.
3. She’s a Passionate Golf Reporter
In 2011, Amanda Balionis got what’s widely regarded as the big break of her career. Her hard work and love for golf paid off as the PGA Tour Network hired her. She credits the network for training and making her an important personality in the world of golf sports. Amanda hosted several programs while with the network including PGA Tour Live, Buy a Mulligan, and Trending on Tour.
She worked with the network for 5 years before moving on to become an anchor for the Callaway Golf in 2016. In 2017, Amanda had another break after she got hired by CBS Sports. She was assigned to the golf team and has anchored the CBS Golf segments since then.
4. Her Family Members are Golf Fanatics
Right from childhood, Amanda has had a close relationship with her parents (Anthony and Dana Balionis). She once revealed that they are the reason she loves golfing. According to the journalist, she grew around the sport as her parents played it almost always and encouraged her to take up the sport as a hobby. Moreover, her grandparents met at a golf course.
In 2016, her parents were involved in a car accident but Amanda didn’t talk about it until a year later. She admits learning most of life’s important lessons from them and shared how the accident helped her put things in perspective, especially when it comes to prioritizing and making time for people she loves.
5. Amanda Balionis Loves Dogs
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She calls herself mum to a French Bulldog named Chorizo. Amanda is known to volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter in most of the cities she visits. She has also done numerous charity works with K9s for Warriors, an organization known for providing service dogs for military veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury, and several other ailments.
6. She’s a Certified Yoga Instructor
Considering her obvious love for sports, it’s hardly a surprise that Amanda Balionis has a thing for yoga. While working with the PGA Tour, she got her 200-hour yoga teacher certification. Pretty impressive right? At least she can always fall back on this anytime she wants to take a break from being a journalist.
Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.
