AWSM Welcomed Sara Cardona to Speak About her Role as Sports Anchor and Reporter

Written by Melanie Thalhimer 

Penn State’s chapter of the Association for Women in Sports Media was excited to host Sara Cardona at its February 4th meeting. Cardona is the lead sports anchor and reporter for NBC 6 in Miami, Florida. She began her career as a sports reporter at Middle Tennessee State University, her alma mater, covering football and basketball. 

Cardona always knew she wanted to be a reporter, however after interning at TV stations in Nashville during her college years, Cardona realized her passion was sports reporting. After building her personal reel while at MTSU, Cardona worked her way up at local stations in Gainesville, Lexington, and now resides in Miami covering the Heat, Panthers, Dolphins, and Inter Miami. 

Cardona describes the early parts of her career as being very hands-on. In Gainesville she started out in a smaller market where she learned how to do everything. 

“It’s good to learn how to edit, it’s good to learn how to shoot, and then also having to juggle on air…you really grow and become a much better journalist,”  Cardona said. 

After two years in Gainesville, Cardona moved to Lexington, gaining additional experience while further building her reel before moving to Miami in June 2023. 

“My first week was so much fun…the Miami Heat were in the finals, the Florida Panthers were in the finals… neither team won that year but I kind of got thrown into it and it was just such an exciting time to be covering Miami sports,” Cardona said. 

In 2024, she covered her first championship winning team with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. Cardona described that moment as a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Now, Cardona is currently the lead sports anchor and enjoys the excitement of covering so many different sports teams. 

Her biggest piece of advice to young women journalists is “get involved with your college sports department early, reach out to people in the industry you want to work in, and be proactive in filming stand-ups in your internships.”