Sports

Taylor Mathis: An Overnight Success Decades in the Making

By
Colin Lynch
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Colin Lynch Sports Editor

Colin Lynch covers the NFL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the New England Patriots. His sports coverage has been featured on Finixio's The Sports Daily and Basketball Insiders, as well as FanSided's Chowder & Champions. A New Hampshire native and former D1 baseball player at St. John's University, Colin was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 and enjoyed a four-year professional baseball career.

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Published4 hours ago on September 24, 2024

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Taylor Mathis of Draftkings

If you’ve followed the rise of sports and sports gambling content, the name Taylor Mathis may seem like a new star lighting up the scene. But behind the fresh face in your feed lies a story much deeper than the buzz of recent months. Taylor’s journey through the world of sports didn’t happen overnight—it’s been built, piece by piece, through years of dedication.

So what, then, has sparked her rise now? What’s the story behind the moment we’re all witnessing?

In recent months, Taylor Mathis has made a bold entrance onto the sports wagering scene, culminating in a partnership with DraftKings Sportsbook, where she now serves as a commentator and content creator. Her content spans across platforms—YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram—where segments like “Walking Bets” and “White Board Wins” have become must-watch pieces for sports bettors. But her rise, though sudden in the eyes of many, is rooted in years of effort.

As her follower count swells, a community is forming around her—a loyal base that sees more than just the numbers behind her picks. In the comment sections of her videos, there’s a palpable sense of appreciation, a recognition of the work behind each prediction, each piece of content. For many, Taylor Mathis is more than a content creator; she’s someone to root for, someone whose hard work and passion they respect.

Yet, as is often the case, not everyone sees the whole picture. There are some, the outliers, who reduce her to just another pretty face—a latecomer, they think, who joined the sports betting wave only because it’s the trend of the moment. What they fail to see is the heart of her story: Mathis isn’t new to this world. She’s been a die-hard sports fan her whole life, entering the University of Iowa with one clear goal—to become a sports journalist.

For Mathis, sports have been a part of her story for as long as she can remember. It’s a love that began with her “Papa” and the Chicago Cubs, a bond forged in those early moments that would shape her future.

The Early Days of a Sports Obsession

Growing up in the quiet suburb of Sandwich, Illinois, just outside Chicago, Mathis attended her first Cubs game with her Papa and Noni when she was just five years old. It was there, in the stands of Wrigley Field, that her love affair with sports truly began. Her Papa showed her how to score a baseball game in a scorebook—a simple act that sparked her passion not only for sports but for the numbers and analytics that would one day shape her career.

“I just thought it was the coolest thing,” Mathis recalled. “I would sit at home when I was little, scoring Cubs games on TV with my scorebooks. It made me fall in love with baseball and the Cubs.”

Like any true Cubs fan, Mathis has had her heart broken more times than she can count by the team’s storied history of near-misses and hard losses. But no matter the heartbreak, her bond with the Cubs remains strong.

Though baseball was her first love, Mathis is just as passionate about basketball and football—two sports she now dissects through picks and plays. Hockey, another of her great loves, remains a sport she enjoys from the sidelines for now, as she admits it’s one she doesn’t currently cap.

As Mathis entered high school, her love for sports only deepened. But when she merged that passion with another of her great loves, her path began to shift, setting the stage for the career that would one day define her.

From Fan to Reporter: The Drive to Cover Sports

By the time Mathis graduated high school as valedictorian, she had fully embraced her self-described “nerdy” side. “My grades were the most important thing to me back then,” she admits. But academics weren’t her only passion. Beyond sports, she had developed a deep love for musical theatre, relishing every moment she spent on stage.

It was once again her Papa who offered the words that would shape her future. “He told me, ‘I can see you being a sports reporter one day. You love being in front of people and performing, and you love sports.’” Those words planted a seed that would eventually grow into her life’s calling. “As I got older, I realized this would be a great path to go in,” Mathis reflected.

By her junior year of high school, the decision was clear: she would pursue a degree in Sports Journalism at the University of Iowa, ready to turn her passions into a career.

At the University of Iowa, Mathis began honing the skills that would one day shape her career in sports journalism and content creation. She joined Daily Iowan TV, where she covered Iowa sports, immersing herself in the world of reporting while still a student.

Her senior year brought an even bigger opportunity: becoming the beat reporter for the men’s basketball team. Mathis got a firsthand look at what it meant to live and breathe the world of sports journalism by traveling with the team, conducting interviews, and developing game stories.

“That was an incredible experience,” Mathis recalled. “It gave me hands-on experience in the broadcast world while I was still in school.”

Breaking into the Big Leagues of Sports Media

After her time with the Iowa basketball team, Taylor Mathis graduated and stepped into her first role in sports television. She became a sports reporter and anchor for KHGI TV, the local ABC affiliate in Kearney, Nebraska. Here, she covered local high school sports and major events for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. It was a challenging introduction to the world of sports media but one that would prove invaluable.

“Working in local TV was a grind,” Mathis recalled. “But at the end of the day, I gained a lot of experience that I would use throughout my career.”

From the small-town grind of Nebraska, Mathis took the next step, landing with Chat Sports, a digital sports publication based in Dallas, Texas. There, she shifted to primarily covering the NFL, producing content for a range of platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat. Her journey continued to evolve when she joined Playmakers, another digital sports company, this time in Phoenix, where she reported on and created sideline content for the Phoenix Suns.

“It was so awesome that I had that experience with NBA sideline reporting on the Suns,” Mathis said. “It gave me a real look at what it took to cover professional sports at a higher level.”

But just as her career seemed to be gaining momentum, the world changed. With no more games being played due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mathis was laid off from her sideline reporting role. It was a moment of uncertainty but also one of opportunity. Not long after, she was approached by a company in the sports gambling sector—a chance that would ultimately change the entire trajectory of her career.

From Sports to Betting: A New Frontier in Content Creation

After being laid off, like so many others during the pandemic, Taylor Mathis found herself at a crossroads, unsure of her next move. That’s when Bet Karma reached out with an unexpected opportunity—to create content centered around player props for their social media platforms.

“At the time, I knew nothing about sports gambling,” Mathis admitted. “They pretty much taught me everything. I credit them for teaching me all I know about it.”

What began as a new challenge quickly turned into a passion. The world of sports wagering offered something that perfectly aligned with her existing loves—sports, numbers, and analytics. “You use numbers and statistics for the media side of sports coverage, but not at the same level as you do with betting,” Mathis explained. It was a new way of looking at the games she already loved.

After two years with Bet Karma, armed with a deeper knowledge of sports gambling and the tools to create compelling content, Mathis moved on, taking similar roles with SuperBook Sports and SportsGrid. But throughout this journey, something else began to take shape. As she navigated the sports betting world, Mathis realized she had the skills and knowledge to build something of her own.

The Bold Move to Bet on Herself

When her contract with SportsGrid expired, Mathis found herself at yet another career crossroads. She knew she wanted to create her own content and promote her own brand, but doubt lingered. Was it the right time to take the leap? It was her talent rep, Jamie from Wasserman Talent Agency, who gave her the push she needed.

“When most agents would’ve told me to play it safe, he said he believed in me and told me to go for it,” Mathis recalled. “So, I bet on myself. I started creating my own content and just putting things out there.”

It’s only been in the past few months that Mathis has begun to see the fruits of her hard work.

“It’s crazy,” she said with a smile. “I’ll wake up and see that I gained 5,000 followers overnight, and I’ll think, ‘This is wild.’ It’s surreal. It’s a pinch-me moment knowing that DraftKings, one of the biggest brands in sports gambling, wants to work with me now.”

From scoring Cubs games at home to covering Iowa basketball, Nebraska high school sports, sideline reporting for the Phoenix Suns, and navigating the world of sports gambling, Taylor Mathis has had quite the journey. Now, as she prepares for her first in-person event with DraftKings—the Jets and Vikings game in London on October 6—another chapter begins.

“I’m just so excited for this opportunity,” Mathis shared. “I get to do things I’ve dreamed of since I was in high school.”

Looking ahead, Mathis has even bigger plans for the NFL season. One of her main goals is to create more long-form content on YouTube. A major focus will be her Taylor Made Sandwiches series, where she crafts a special sandwich for each Monday Night Football matchup in 2024.

For some, it may seem like Taylor Mathis has just burst onto the sports betting scene. But for her, this has been a long time coming. It’s been a grind—years of hard work in the sports media world. What we’re seeing now is just the beginning of what could be a long, thriving career in sports betting content.