My Life with the Green & Gold

A self-proclaimed “terrible athlete,” Garcia reported on Wisconsin’s beloved Green Bay Packers during the Holmgren, Rhodes, Sherman, and McCarthy years. She’s been a Packers sideline reporter for preseason games and covered the team during its Super Bowl showdowns against the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Pittsburgh Steelers. She’s traveled with the team to Tokyo and the White House and to schools and retirement homes, where the gridiron heroes interacted with their fans. She’s visited the hometowns of players and coaches, she’s met their proud parents and their pets, she’s interviewed the team trainer about their strength exercises. My Life with the Green & Gold also features up-close and personal stories about other teams and athletes she’s covered, from the Badgers and Brewers to Wisconsin Olympians such as Bonnie Blair and Casey FitzRandolph.

Garcia’s expertise is capturing behind-the-scenes, human-interest stories. In My Life with the Green & Gold, she shares a personal and humorous insider’s look at many Wisconsin sports heroes from the perspective of a female sports journalist—and working mom—who has ridden the adrenaline rush to be on the air at 5 a.m., 10 p.m., and any hour in between, all while juggling the many demands of family life. Not many parents can say they’ve changed their child’s diaper in the tunnel at Lambeau Field, but Jessie Garcia can.

“Many in Wisconsin know Jessie Garcia for her reporting of the sports Wisconsin fans love. I am sure many think she has the perfect job. Jessie, however, wears many hats: TV sports reporter, someone who volunteers her time to local charities, and, first and foremost, a mom who is very involved with her kids. In My Life with the Green & Gold, she allows us into her world in a way that is funny, heart-wrenching, and honest.”

—Bonnie Blair, five-time Olympic gold medalist

“I’ve had a firsthand look at Jessie Garcia’s work, both as a colleague and a competitor for many years, and I much prefer the former. She makes the transitions between anchor, reporter, and host seamlessly, and regardless of role she’s a true pro, in every sense of the word. This book may be about a woman in sportscasting, but it’s also about a damn good sportscaster, period.”

—Larry McCarren, Packers radio analyst and TV sportscaster