When Kayla Burton ’17 finished her in-game, on-air sideline reporting for ESPN at the 2023 Citrus Bowl, a familiar name lit up her phone: her former Lehigh basketball coach, Sue Troyan ’91G '16P '20P '21P, deputy director of athletics.
Troyan was gushing with pride and joy over Burton’s growth and success.
How far Burton has come since her days on the hardwood at Stabler Arena is not lost on the young broadcaster. It has been a journey of hard work and perseverance.
And it is just beginning to pay off in big ways.
Family roots
Burton comes from a family of successful athletes. Her grandfather, Ron Burton, played tailback for the New England Patriots, known then as the Boston Patriots. But his professional arrival began in unremarkable ways. As a child, he was told by his coach that he lacked speed and talent. The only way he’d get better was to run 7.5 miles a day. So her grandfather did just that … every day for 12 years.
That work ethic helped form Kayla’s father, who became starting quarterback at Northwestern University. Her mother was a swimmer at Northwestern and qualified for Olympic time trials.
Together as parents, they passed down that work ethic to Kayla and her three siblings — all pushed at a young age to put in the time, put their faith in God, and put the bar higher than they thought they could reach.
That meant 5 a.m. wake-up calls as kids. The siblings went to the gym at their church or their school and began reps — basketball for the girls and football for the son. Did it have to be sports? No. Whatever they chose, they would commit to. Fully.
If Kayla wasn’t at the gym with her mom, she was at the studio where her father was the sports anchor at Boston’s WBZ-TV.
Forged in that environment, out came top-notch scholar athletes — record-setting, recruited, and ready.
Burton had offers to play basketball at several programs. She prayed for clarity, and it came during a visit to Lehigh.
“It just felt like home — the team, coaches, and campus,” she says. “It’s where I was supposed to be … even though the journey while there wasn't the easiest.”
Lehigh time
In her first year, she was off to a great start. She was first on the court and worked hard. She made the Patriot League All-Rookie team and led Lehigh in three-pointers.
But during her sophomore year, her playing time decreased. Burton told herself she’d find a way. But the minutes never returned to what they were.
“When your identity is tied to a sport and your role in that sport shifts, you have to shift too,” she says. “I had to find out who I was without those minutes.”
But Burton already knew. She was a journalist, trained by Matthew Veto, professor of practice in journalism and communications and the faculty adviser to The Brown and White.
“I don’t think he knows the profound impact he had on me as a print journalist,” she says.
While her writing skills felt sharp, her on-camera muscles were a bit underdeveloped. She needed tape to land her dream job at ESPN.
That’s when Burton grabbed a camera and a teammate and made it happen (thanks to a pep talk from dad). She knew coaches, so she knocked on doors and hit the fields. She sought on-camera interviews and pre- and post-game comments and analysis. She covered many sports at Lehigh and worked to strengthen that muscle.
It helped to have her dad in her corner. During breaks from school, she would write and go through footage for late-night Boston sports TV. Of course, the Celtics were her favorite team.
Early career
Burton entered a one-year broadcast degree program at Syracuse University. It pushed her hard as she competed against others in the program who were more familiar with terminology and broadcasting strategies.
She earned a less-than-stellar grade on one project, which outraged her but ultimately served as motivation to tap deeper into that family work ethic of hers.
Despite her perseverance, Burton’s internship opportunities didn’t materialize in the way she hoped. She only had two options: logging numbers for Major League Baseball or working the news desk at Western Mass News.
While neither position put her immediately on camera, Western Mass could develop into what Burton sought … if she was willing to work hard. Of course, she took that position. She started on the assignment desk.
“It wasn’t a shiny job, but it was the best place to start,” Burton says. She saw how tireless the work was, how essential to the station’s success, and how worthwhile to the refinement of her skills.
Over time, she showed she was ready for on-air work. Burton covered fires, politics, weather, and court cases. Again, not the most glamorous. Her editor pushed her to hone her craft by asking specific questions as well as thinking broadly on the topics.
Soon Burton pitched coverage of high school and college sports. The station hadn’t covered sports in over eight years. But she had enough coaches and athletic directors on her side that her idea gained traction. Then she was traveling from gymnasium to stadium to arena across Western Massachusetts.
When COVID-19 brought the nets down, Burton focused on the few sports still being played at the college level. It was the year the University of Massachusetts won the national championship in hockey. Thanks to the relationships she’d built, she was live on camera when the buses returned to campus where she interviewed the coach as the players celebrated in a crowdless rink.
Burton also had a side gig, involved in on-air team media for the New England Patriots — it played a huge part in her making it to the NFL.
National sports
By this point, Burton’s reel was more dynamic than the one she made at Lehigh. She sent it to ESPN and the NFL.
“I was tired of hearing that I ‘had potential,’” she says. “I was ready for more.”
More came in a call from the NFL. That call led to an interview. The interview led to a warning — this job is going to be a lot of work. The warning led to an offer. She accepted and moved to Los Angeles.
Relying on help from her brother, Burton watched a lot of football film. She poured over facts and stats, defensive schemes, and offensive options. Being based in LA that year was special — it coincided with the Rams making their run to the Super Bowl.
“So many blessings came down that year,” she says. “I was filled with gratitude.”
After two years, ESPN reached out. It was an opportunity in college football — an in-game, live on-air opportunity. She made the jump.
Her first game was UCLA versus Coastal Carolina, and it was a blast.
Every week, she had the thrill of learning two new teams and traveling across the country. She’d arrive early to build rapport with players and coaches. She let her personality shine more on camera. She watched the other sideline reporters and refined her skills.
“It was my rookie year in college football in 2023,” she says.
Woman in sports
Family is important to Burton. Of course, her family, her broadcast family, and the professional sports family that took her under her wing. As a young woman in a male-dominated sport, she relied on that family.
“Many men, and women for that matter, in the business helped me out tremendously,” she says. “I am not intimidated by my gender or where my professional role takes me, like the locker room. I belong here. I truly believe that, and I want to be the best.”
She grew up spending summers at her grandfather’s camp where underprivileged youth athletes were invited to train. She, like all of the campers, was up at dawn to go on a long run. She ran hard, competing to win against the other girls and boys.
She grew up watching her father on television. Seeing a Black man on screen then has inspired her to be an inspiration for young Black women who seek a career like hers.
She has learned from other female sports broadcasters, like Elle Duncan, Molly McGrath, and Katie George, and is working to be as great as them.
“I feel well equipped to develop my skills and talents and to keep training, working hard, and trusting that my plan is playing out exactly how it’s meant to,” she says.
