Annie Apple
Annie Apple joined ESPN as a contributor to Sunday NFL Countdown in 2016. She offers player profiles and other stories for the popular pregame show.
Annie Apple is the founder and president of Raising A Pro, a 501c3 organization. She joined ESPN as a contributor to Sunday NFL Countdown in 2016, offering player profiles and other stories for the popular pregame show. Apple burst on the national scene during the 2016 NFL Draft when her son Eli was the first-round selection of the New York Giants. She took to social media to offer her candid opinions about the draft, her son and anything else on her mind. She notably discussed not allowing Eli to wear a Rolex and diamonds the night he was drafted. She also questioned why no dessert was served at a reception for draft prospects in Chicago – only to have NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell personally send brownies to her home a few days later.
Following the draft, Apple penned a first-person guest column for Sports Illustrated, highlighting Eli’s path to the NFL after he began his college career as a redshirt freshman at Ohio State to top NFL Draft pick. She also visited ESPN where she appeared in-studio on His & Hers with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith, among other shows. In addition to her ESPN role, Apple writes her own blog Survivin America: Making It Through with Humor and Hope. Launched in 2011, the site focuses on Love, Lifestyle, Inspiration and Sports. A pop culture junkie and sports enthusiast, Apple particularly enjoys covering and commentating on the never-ending comedies and complexities of the human experience.
Apple has worked as a writer/producer for national news programs on NBC – Weekend Today Show and NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw – and CNN (American Morning), as well as the NBC and CBS affiliates in Philadelphia, including Philly’s own 10! Show. She’s also worked as a Public Relations consultant and freelance Digital Content Producer.
Annie Apple served as President of the Ohio State Football Parents Association, Football Parents of Ohio State, and led the charge to get travel stipends for players’ families. She championed a parents’ letter-writing campaign for the College Football Playoff and was outspoken about the financial burden placed on players’ families. Before Ohio State entered the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014, efforts spearheaded by Apple resulted in the NCAA allowing a $2,5000 travel cost reimbursement per each participating players’ parents.
Born in West Africa, Apple and her mother came to the United States when she was eight years old. She grew up in Newark, New Jersey, then moved to Southwest Philadelphia where she attended high school. Apple became a mother at age 16. She rose above her circumstances and graduated high school as president of the National Honor Society. Apple is a proud graduate of LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA, where she earned degrees in Communication and English. She is a mother of four children and two dogs, a grandmother, and lives in New Jersey
Content: Survivin America
Photo: Golf.com
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