 Bailey's guest is a, well, a pretty awesome guest. She's a sports reporter. She was a sports reporter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose life was changed because she was bored in her house during the beginning of the pandemic, and she became internet famous by putting college and NFL football teams in uncomfortable meetings. She's the one, the only, A-E-A-GAR, Digital Creator and Nationwide NFL and College Football Correspondent and host for Bally Sports Network. Hit those over and over. I love it. I need you to follow me everywhere, Kason, so you can intro me like that to everybody. We're going to go ahead and book now for the Super Bowl in case you meet somebody, since we'll most likely be there, so. Thank you. All right. But welcome to the show, Annie. Thank you so much for being here. Of course. Thank you guys for having me. I'm excited. Thank you. We are too. We are very excited. So we're just going to jump right into the question. So when you were a kid, what did you want to be when you're growing up? That is a great question. So as you probably could assume, I always wanted to get into sports. I want to be a sports reporter, as I'm sure you want to be Kason or some sort of, you know, social media sports. I always knew I wanted to combine the two and I didn't really know what I wanted to do exactly when I was growing up because sports, you know, you could either play it or you do something in media. And for the longest time, I wanted to play. I wanted to be, I was a softball player, so I wanted to go play softball in college. And then I realized I can't really go pro in softball because that wasn't a thing. So I want to start making money. And I love the connection that fans have with the athletes that they love, but the only person that can really bridge that gap between the two are sports reporters. And I looked up to Aaron Andrews. I looked up to, you know, all the female sports reporters, all the people that made that connection for me. And I wanted to do that for other people. Little did I know it would come through social media. But to answer your question, kind of growing up, that's how I saw myself. I wanted to be like the next Aaron Andrews. I wanted to, you know, be able to bring content to the fans like these sports reporters did for me. That's really cool. But what kind of sports did you love growing up? Football was my favorite. And so one sport I didn't play, which is actually very funny, but I think, well, this is a whole other story, but I was an Ohio State fan living in the state of Michigan. I was going to talk to you about that. Oh yeah, oh yeah, that was my brightest moment. My family is not true. It was so fun to be, and I kind of talk, we talk about that, or we will talk about that at this TED talk that I did. I talk about it in that too, and I loved being different. And I loved the rivalry of Michigan and Ohio State. But then when I go to school, especially in high school, guys would make it a point to try and, you know, tear me down sports knowledge-wise, because they'd be like, oh, this Ohio State fan doesn't know what she's talking about. But the more I had to defend myself, the more I had to learn what I was talking about. And football was the obvious go to, because that's all we do in the state of Michigan during the fall. Like you don't go out on Saturdays and Sundays, you sit at home and watch football, which is hopefully what other families do, but that's at least what my family did. So I just grew up with that, and that was my comfort zone. Like I researched the heck out of football and made sure I knew what I was talking about, kind of growing up just for the fun of it. And then it led into this job, so it worked out really well. That's so awesome. Yeah, honestly, I also kind of like searching up football facts just for fun. They can be really interesting. Yeah, yep. And the people think there's an off season, but it's a continual thing. You kind of still got to know what you're talking about. Exactly, we have a saying, there's no off season. Yes, that is, oh, that is so true. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's called off season, but it's really just a time for fans to rest. Yeah, exactly. And study. So your dad played for the Detroit Tigers Farm League for a bit. And what was that like growing up for a dad who played semi pro baseball? That's a great question. So yes, he played in the Miners for a couple of years. He was a relief pitcher. And he used to, baseball was his life. I mean, he grew up, he had an older brother and younger sister, and they were the same as my family. Like sports was kind of what connected all of them. So he grew up very, very, very poor and had to kind of work his way through college. The way he did that was working, he worked three jobs on top of playing baseball. So he had a really big work ethic, which is super important for athletes, but taking that into life, he used to, when he first married my mom, they used to joke about wanting nine kids to start a baseball team. That was like that. And when I say baseball, he's like, that was his life. But it's great when, I used to tell him, I'd say, hey, why did you quit playing? You could have been in the majors. I could have been, had a dad that, was this major a teacher. And he was like, well, if I did that, you wouldn't be a route. That was a good point. That's hilarious. Yeah, it is really cool when people find out because they don't, he played with, some higher names like John Smolt was a guy that used to work in the bullpen with a lot. So he has all these great connections and these great stories. And it's really fun to hear, but he's also taught me a work ethic through playing baseball. He's just, his mentality is you get done, you need to get done. Nothing else matters. Like you're, it's, sports already teaches you teamwork. You have to work with other people. You have to learn how to follow rules and stuff. So seeing that with him, and then that's kind of how he taught us through playing baseball. So. That's so cool. That is really cool. Man. That's something that I know when we were just kind of in preparation for doing this, or having this conversation with you. I was like, wait, what? How is that? It's a little thing that people don't know sometimes. Yeah. That's so cool. When I said you researched well, I mean, I mean it. You researched it. Thank you. So was he all baseball or was he just a little bit football in other sports? He played football in high school. And then in college it was all baseball. Obviously. And then, I mean, he's still, I think he's honestly a bigger football fan than baseball now because he kind of, like he kind of lived it. So he knows, you know, the behind the scenes and doesn't. Right. Yeah. And he's super humble about it. So, you know, you'll ask him a question and he'll say, oh yeah, you know, Babe Ruth was a tough out back when I played. Like how long ago? So he's, the stories he has are so cool, but he's definitely a good football fan for sure. Yeah. Oh, that's incredible. That is. So can you share with my listener about Team Agar and all of the members of that team? Yes. This is a great, see, you guys are so good. This is like laying in for my dad. So Team Agar, and this is another thing. It's so funny when my videos started happening, people didn't really connect with you because I, I mean, Agar is not a very common name, but, you know, we were so separate. You didn't even really think to connect them both. But my brother, who's two years older than I am, he does Ironman races with my dad. And this started back in like 2016, I want to say. My brother has cerebral palsy. So he's in a wheelchair. Mentally, he's, you know, he's much smarter than I am, don't know. But really smart kid. And he loves sports, possibly more than I do. Like I said, big sports family. So when he was younger, he always wanted to play sports. My family would never put any kind of limits on him. They'd say, you know, we know he has this disability, but we're going to get him out there as much as we can. And so as he grew up, when he got into high school, college age, he wanted to compete in something because he couldn't do sports by himself. And so he did a race with this, this group that helps special needs kids and pushes them through like 5K, 10K races. Absolutely loved it. So my dad and I looked each other and we thought, well, why can't we do this, you know? So it started with 10K races. I started kind of running with them. And then they took off and started doing marathons and half marathons. And then they did triathlons. So my dad will push and pull and push my brother through these 17 hour long Ironman endurance races. Incredible. Wow. And my brother's not like, he's like 170 pounds. So yeah, it is the coolest thing to watch. He'll pull him in a little boat behind him in the swim, which is two miles. And then they bike for 140, I believe. And then, and that's in like a little, he'll sit in a kind of a tandem bike behind him. And then he'll push him in the run part, which is marathon. So absolutely just the coolest thing to see. And it's great for me to see, cause it's a way for them to kind of connect with each other. Cause they, you know, there was a disconnect when my dad's a big sports fan and my brother couldn't play any sports. So this was a great way for them to be a team, which is why we call ourselves teammate Gar. I love it. That's really cool. And the whole family is kind of a part of that team. So yeah. That's so cool. And you have a younger sister? I do, yes. Yep. She is 19. So there's my brother's 27, I'm 25, and then she's 19. Nice fabulous. And what's her name? Grace. Shout out to Grace. Shout out to John. Oh my gosh. It's the fact that my brother and I are super close on, you know, this sports level we talked about. My sister and I are super close on everything else. Fashion and all the good stuff. Yeah. Oh, that's incredible. I love that. We are team Romero. Our family is team Romero. So we feel instantly connected to any other family that is a team, you know, so yeah. It's a great way to look at family, you know? It really is. You don't have to agree with teammates either sometimes. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah. And you know, we always say team Romero, we never quit. Nobody ever quits on team Romero. I love that. I love that. That's our mother. We need t-shirts with team Romero. We do. So I remember you talking about how you wanted to be a sports reporter when you kid and how held were you when you decided you wanted to and did you have to go to a special school for that? I was, that's a good question too. I was probably, I don't know, I was probably close to your age when I really wanted to get more into sports because I think then I started watching a little bit more and then I could really understand what was going on and then when I'm going to school, I went to Grand Valley. So it was a D2 school in Michigan, a D2 college in Michigan. And they had a program. It was a sports, sports management. And I ended up, I kind of made like a hybrid of the program. So I did a couple of broadcasting classes but I had a sports management and pre-law major because I loved contracts like contract law. I absolutely loved that. And then I minored in business. It's kind of a weird major. So I didn't really go to school specifically for sports broadcasting but I went for, you know, the sports management side to try and understand the industry a little bit better. That is, how long of the program did you go through? It was, it was a four year program. I took it on three years because I started working sophomore year at the news station that I worked at, the local news station. Oh, okay. Yeah, so it was great because I kind of just took my time in college and I learned so much from working. That's a big advice I'd give to anybody and like, you know, the classes you take are great and what you're learning is great but I learned so much hands-on with the pressure of a normal job and deadlines and all that kind of thing that you wouldn't learn in class. So yeah, highly recommend internships, do learning from anybody. People love shadowing too. Like, you know, I'd love it if someone came to me and said, hey, can I just follow you around for the day? Like, yeah. Yeah. Let's go. Yeah, it'll be fun. You'll see what life will be like for you someday if you want to do that. Now, were you already happy to be in front of the camera at that point when you got the internship? That's a good question. I was very nervous. Very nervous throughout. When I first started working as an intern, I just did, I did a lot of behind the camera stuff but my news director and my boss were great about trying to get me in front of the camera and it wasn't high-pressured situations. It was all taped, pre-recorded. So if you messed up, you could fix it. So that got me very comfortable being on camera very quickly. Still going live on some things. I'm like, oh, I know. I think if you're not nervous, then there's no pressure to perform well. So yeah, so I was a little nervous at the start but I always knew that I wanted to be doing something where I could connect with fans or with people one-on-one. I really wanted to be in front of the camera doing something. Yeah. I personally think that you made the very, very perfect decision for you because you are a bright, bright light and you are amazing. So had to tell you that. Yeah, it's true. I like you guys. I'm gonna come up. Oh, okay, we're ready. And we'll follow you around for a day and we'll see what happens. Perfect, there you go. There we go. So everyone's role was turned upside down in March of 2020. As we mentioned at your intro, your life changed for the better in May of 2020. Can you share with your listener how that happened? Yes, that was, this whole thing has been crazy because like I said, I was working in local news and I knew I wanted to get to ESPN or I wanted to get to a big network. That was always my goal from when I was younger but I didn't really, I was following the path that everybody told me to do. So I spoke with people in the industry, everybody said, you gotta do local news, you gotta work your way up. You know, that's how you get there. Very traditional. Yes, yeah, which nothing wrong with that. I mean, people have tested it, that's how they've gotten there. So I was following what everybody else was doing and then something happened that nobody knew how to handle with COVID. And so my family always taught us and this is coming from my brother who has cerebral palsy especially needs and he had a tough time in life but they always said, you know, there's positives in everything. You just gotta tell you think about it and you gotta figure out how to turn your thinking from negative to positive. And so when COVID hit, I was, it was tough because I wasn't working. I graduated college, I was moved back into my family because I wasn't making money because we didn't have any kind of local news to cover and everybody was like down and it was like a dark cloud and it just was a lot of negativity. And I mean, we had just ramped up talking about the Big 10 because spring games were starting and I missed that talk and the talking about the rivalries and how the season was gonna look and what players look for and stuff like that. So I thought, we gotta, there's gotta be something here because we don't have anything to talk about sports wise. And I can't tell you what made me think of it. It was on Mother's Day, which is so funny. Oh my goodness, that's hilarious. My mom will tell you she had, she was praying for me. So she had something to do with that. But I was on Mother's Day, I just had this idea to do a Zoom call with the Big 10 as if they were trying to figure out what would happen during the season. And it, yeah, and it just, I just went from there. And it's amazing. That's just brilliant. Thank you so much. I was shocked. I was really shocked. Yeah. How was that? Like, what was, okay, so I have to know and I'm sure our listener would love to know this. What happened? So let's say you post the video and then within how long was it that you were like, okay, wait a second, this is bananas. So I posted, I just had gone on TikTok. I didn't really know these two properly. My younger sister was like teaching me and she thought I was hopeless case. Got on TikTok and I posted it. I think it was on this Sunday. I posted it on Sunday. Didn't really think much of it. It got a couple of likes on TikTok. You know, things were happening. And then someone actually tweeted it out on Monday. Yeah. And a completely separate account and then people were tagging me in it, you know, like giving me credit for the video. So then I quote, tweeted, all right. Yeah, I think I shared it or quote, tweeted it. And it like, with all, I think within the day. I mean, I've never gotten that many notifications and I had a million views, I think by the end of Monday. So it was on TikTok too. So it was just, it was wild. The whole thing was a whirlwind and it, yeah, it was the coolest thing. And then all of the responses from people that are in the industry that just, you know, that have been on television forever. And the fact that you were bringing a level of comedy into a time where people really needed it, I think that that is just absolutely wonderful that you shared your gift with literally the world. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Yeah, that, you know, that comes from my dad was always his super sarcastic sense of humor, but he loved this thing. Whenever there'd be, you know, bad times or my mom would be upset or something, he'd make a joke, he'd put light in the mood, made everybody more comfortable. Yeah. I think, you know, without even knowing it, I was doing the same thing to my life but hopefully the other story. Yeah. So why? And so, Kacen has a follow-up question, I think that you were saying, or that we haven't gotten to yet, but go ahead. So what has your life been like since then for you? It's been crazy. I'm going from living, and this isn't to say that it happened quickly. I mean, it was a lot of work in between and we can try to keep up the videos and everything, but I went from living at home to not really having a job. To now, I work at, you know, Valley Sports, just a big network. I moved to Chicago. I have no department. It's beautiful. Thank you so much. Thank you. Obviously, I'm very excited about Kristina. I know, it's gorgeous. I'm going to be back in November, but that's okay. Hey, the earlier the better. Yeah, exactly. But aside from all that, it's been so cool to connect to the people that I have. Just, I think it was two weekends ago when I was at the Michigan game. I went up to Kirk Herp Street and I said, you know, I make parody videos. He was like, yeah, I know who you are. And I said, oh, okay. You're like, wait. Okay, cool. Just talk about a fan girl. Trying not to pay a girl a friend a friend. It was, it's been so cool, the connections I've made with people and yeah, and the amount of people I've taught, like you guys, you know, I would never pay. Oh my gosh. And I've been for all this. I know. Well, we felt really lucky. Oh, thank you. That was amazing. So recently you were a feature speaker for TEDx Detroit. Can you tell our listener what that experience was like for you? Absolutely. That was probably the coolest thing I've done so far this year. I used to watch TED Talks in college. I absolutely loved them because they're so- Big fan. Right, they're empowering, they're motivational, but they're very entertaining and the people speak with really well. Yes. So the agent reached out. I had gotten an agent back in September of last year, I believe, and she's been absolutely instrumental in everything. And she came to me and said, we have a possibility of being on this TED Talk. Would you want to do it? And I'm like, absolutely. But do they know that it was like two weeks out and I'm so nervous? And I thought these are people prepare, they must prepare forever because they speak so well. Yes. So she said, no, you'll be great. We'll figure it out. So the preparation was, I knew what I wanted to talk about already because it was this positivity and how being, my whole topic was how being different can really be your greatest strength. So I touched on my brother being different, how my family raised us to kind of see things differently and how I saw I was able to see a positive out of COVID. And it was the cool, like I can't even explain the kind of positivity that's at these TED Talks. If you guys ever have a chance to go to one, 100% would do it. I saw the beautiful video that you did that you shared on all the socials. And I was like, I was so happy for you because you really are just so engaging and to be able to share your story. And again, that's part of your give back. And I love that when people take opportunities and are given opportunities to turn around and share in light of all that you've been given. Oh, thank you so much. Yeah, I think, you know, people, like I said, people didn't know, like they didn't know this story about my brother. They didn't know the dynamic kind of thing. So it's great to be able to say, I've been able to do this, but let me show you why and where that all came from. But it was the coolest experience. It was awesome. That's so awesome. Yeah. Thank you. Are there any projects you're currently working on that you want to share with our listeners before we go? And where can they find you on all the socials? Perfect. So in terms of projects, I have a lot of, I think I've figured out TikTok now. Like I know... Yeah, I would say you have it. You've got to cover it. I love TikTok and I utilize a lot of the sounds. So if anybody wants to send me a sound that they want me to use on TikTok for their team, that would be, I think that's my next, I'm going to start including fans a little bit more and having them kind of give me ideas that way. Amazing. I think it'll be so fun because I just absolutely love TikTok. So that's kind of on the move. I'm also, I do my weekly recap still. So you can find the majority, I mean, those are everywhere, but I tweet them consistently at the same time every Tuesday. And on Twitter, I'm at AnnieAgar. At Instagram is AnnieAgar5, I'm pretty sure. And then TikTok is AnnieAgar and Facebook is just AnnieAgar2. So... All right, Annie. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. But before we go, I have three questions I want to ask you. Are you ready? Okay, yes. So what advice would you give your 13 year old self? Ooh, that's a good one. I would tell my 13 year old self to just continue to be different. It's okay to not, you know, there's so many people these days, especially kids, you know, maybe your age case and are older in high school that think I have to be just like everybody else. And they want the trendy clothes. They want to post the same things on TikTok. They wanted, but being like that won't get you to the spot that you want to be. If I had been normal or if I'd been like everybody else, I wouldn't have done these videos. So it's very important to figure out what makes you different and just love that about yourself and really focus on that. And that's what I would have told myself at 13 too. That's very good advice. And honestly, that also kind of helps me because especially at school, a lot of kids are like, we got to fit in. But it's okay to not be normal or whatever. Yeah. It's okay to be different. Kids at your school, what are they doing right now? And you have a show with the TikTok. Yeah. Yeah. And now we have, and now we're speaking to Annie Egar. The Annie Egar. Yeah. We're speaking to the great Annie Egar. Oh, thank you. So was there a mentor or teacher that really inspired you when you were growing up? I'd have to say, well, my family in general, but specifically my brother because of his attitude about life, you know, he has every reason to complain. He has a hard time getting up in the morning by himself. He can't really, you know, go to the bathroom. He can't feed himself, but he never complains about it. Constantly has great attitude. And he not only has a great attitude, but he motivates other people to have a good attitude as well. So that, because then if he can't complain, you know, what am I, what do I have to complain about? So it was a big factor in my thinking of things positively and in a different way. That's so good. That is sweet. The team Egar all the way. Yes. Yeah. So my final question is one that has stumped many people, pizza or steak? This was a hard one. I'm going to have to go with steak. I love steak. Probably a lot more than pizza. Even though I'm in Chicago, I probably should like pizza, but, you know, I got to go with steak. What about you? And what do you guys like? I probably say pizza because you can have a lot of our options with pizza, steak, you mean? This is the big question. Is there pineapple on a pizza? Yes. Good. I like pizza. Oh no, we have the first discipline. I guess Kason and you are no longer friends. You and I, however, are besties. Oh my gosh, we'll go get our pineapple pizza. That's right. That's right. When you come to Nashville, I'm taking your pineapple pizza. It's lemon huskies. It is amazing. Perfect. Are you traveling a lot? I will be, yeah. Soon we've got some things in the works there, but yeah, right now it's just been a lot of in-studio stuff. And I do, I shoot everything. All my videos, maybe we kept videos from my apartment. So that's been pretty nice. That's awesome. I have to ask, do you have a favorite video of all the ones that you have done? I know our listener would love to know that. That's a great question. I really, I love the NFL videos because they're more like mama in them. And it's more shots at individual players, which they probably don't like. But the big 10 ones are like a whole other level to me because it's personal. Yeah, sure. Obviously the first one I did, but I love impersonating Northwestern and Michigan. Everybody in the conference. I love, I love this thing. But I think that either the first, I think the second big 10 one I did, which was when they, I think it was when they were allowed to play. And that, I think that one was my favorite. I absolutely had so much fun with it and took it to one of the spots of each team, I'm sure, but. Yeah, well, and I know, I know they're at the end, but since we're still on this, how do you come up with the different, like, or do you take notes or how do you just come up with these videos? I do a lot of listening to the fans. So I'll take notes during the games and like we talked about with that show on Sunday night, we have to know what happens. So constantly taking notes all Sunday from Washington Red Zone. But then when it comes to figuring out jokes and what jokes will hit and what jokes won't, I go to social media and I look at what fans are talking about, what's trending, what jokes have they made? What do I, you know, what I think I can kind of poke fun at, what I shouldn't probably touch on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a lot of figuring out what, because in a sense, I think that I'm the voice of the fans and I'm hopefully- Oh, a hundred percent. What they want, what they want other people to know about their team in this week. So- Yeah, and I think you're also saying things that we wish that commentators would say. Yes, exactly. You know, you get it. Yes, and I love Valley for that because when I- Yes. When I got, when I was looking to get a job, I thought, oh, nobody's gonna let me do these jokes because they're, we're really borderline, but that's what makes them funny, you know? Yes. Half the NFL, but it's, it's the joke that people know about the ring. So they're so accepting of it. Like I've made a couple and I'm like, are you sure we're gonna do this? They're like, oh yeah. Right. It's perfection. Yeah, exactly. So it's, it's been so fun. I love it. I think one of my favorite things is that you haven't necessarily gone out and spent a lot of money to get all of these different costume pieces and things like that. I love that you went to a printer, you took it and you took it. You know, on my shirt, NFL or whatever it's great. You should get a jersey for this team. And then when I do, they're like, okay, well, we missed the logo. So I'm like, I'll just, it's a tape on logo. It's, it's like a raw, you know, it makes it feel more real like I am in my apartment. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. You are the queen of the people. Thank you. Of all the fans. I hope so. Absolutely. Oh my goodness. We've just had a blast talking to you and we can't thank you enough for coming on the show today. I know that this is a highlight that end up my 2021 on a big high note. Oh, good. Yeah. We're very, very grateful. I appreciate it. I'm so glad we can set it up and everything. It was perfect. I know. It was great. Casey, do you want to close out our show? Yes. So thank you so much again for taking time on the show today. It was honestly an awesome time to talk to you. It was so fun. I'm so glad. You guys do a great job and I love this studio. Thank you so much. You look great. Well, we hope to see you back on the show again sometime. Would you be willing to come back? Anytime. Oh, really? Oh, really? That would be awesome. Of course. Thank you, Annie. Oh, thanks so much. Of course. Thank you guys.