The American-born Heidi Watney is a widely-popular name in the field of sports broadcasting; she is presently working with MLB Network as a sports reporter and a host. She is also recognized for previously working as a model, and participating in the Miss California pageant.
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Heidi Watney was born in Fresno, California, under the Taurus zodiac sign on 19 May 1981, which makes her 40 years old as of early 2022. She was brought up alongside her three siblings – two brothers Dusty and Josh Watney, and a sister named Kelly, by their father Mike Watney, a golf coach who worked at California State University and Fresno State Athletics before he joined the US Army, and his wife Paula Watney who was a reporter.
Watney’s family relocated several times when she was a child due to the nature of her father’s job, and she revealed that she once spent 24 months in Vietnam, where her father had been deployed. Watney’s parents separated when she was still a child, and her mother took their custody – her father remarried shortly afterwards. Watney went to Clovis West High and was very physically active – she ran hurdles, did gymnastics and diving, and she was in the school’s cheerleading squad. Upon her matriculation, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation awarded her a scholarship, and she enrolled at the University of San Diego to study Broadcast Journalism, graduating with a distinction in 2003.
Facts and Interests
Heidi’s younger brother Dusty suffered from Prader-Willi syndrome, which is characterized by shortness in height, intellectual disability and obesity – he sadly passed away in 2008. Just like Heidi’s father Mike, her brother Josh and cousin Nick Watney play golf professionally; she’s an outdoorsy person and also enjoys playing golf, as well as spending time with her family as seen on her Facebook – she recently posted a photo of herself together with her family having a good time in Yosemite Park. She also likes doing regular exercises and hitting the gym, going to the gym at least five days a week before her son was born. The Californian reporter loves animals, and recently bought a pet dog for her son.
Heidi also passes her free time watching films and TV series – her favorite entertainers are Angelina Jolie and Tom Hanks, while her best-loved films are “Cast Away” and “Forrest Gump.” She has been described as a kind-hearted philanthropist, who has held many philanthropic events for the Ortiz Children funds in Boston.
Career and Social Media Presence
Before she began her career as a sportscaster, Watney was an athlete who later joined the modeling industry, after signing with a Boston-based modeling agency. She competed in 2002’s Miss California pageant and was runner-up in the competition.
Heidi began her career as a reporter in 2006, when she landed a job at Fresno’s KMPH-TV station – she worked as a weekend sports anchor, and later took a second job at ESPN Radio 1430 KFIG, working with the two stations for two years. She was then hired by NESN sports network to host “The Ultimate Red Sox Show” in 2008; she later hosted “The Red Sox Report” before she was taken on by the Boston Red Sox baseball team to work as an on-field reporter. After she left NESN, in 2011 Watney landed a sideline reporter job at Time Warner Cable SportsNet – now called Spectrum SportsNet – and relocated to Los Angeles where most regional sports were played. Heidi quit after barely one year in November 2012 and was later seen hosting Major League Baseball’s weeknight show entitled “Quick Pitch” (2013).
She has since appeared in the show without a miss, only taking a break in early 2018, when she was on maternity leave. Heidi is also credited with appearing in Dropkick Murphys’ “Going Out In Style” musical video, and has also featured in several video games, including “MLB The Show 19” and “MLB The Show 20” as a sideline reporter. In addition, she is an entrepreneur who runs a custom-printed baseball bat firm with her husband.
Social Media Presence
Heidi is active on multiple social media platforms, such as Instagram with over 61,000 followers – she uses her handle to share her personal and professional opinions on various topics. She opened her Twitter account in April 2009 and now has around 145,000 followers. In addition, she is active on Linkedin, and on Facebook with more than 6,500 fans on the latter.
Personal Life
Heidi is married to the reporter Mike Wickham, whom she met while they were working on a project in 2012. After two years of dating, Mike popped the question and they tied the knot in Edgewater, New Jersey, on 31 December 2014. The duo went on their honeymoon on Bora Bora, and later in Nevis Island, Caribbean. They welcomed a son named Jax in April 2018, and are now living a seemingly happy life together. Heidi previously had an affair with American baseball pitcher Jacob E. Peavy, and she then began dating Jason Varitek in 2008. The latter previously played for the Boston Red Sox baseball team as a catcher, from 1997 until he retired in 2011.
The duo had gone on an outing at Fenway Park when they met, and instantly developed feelings for each other. At that time Jason was married, and publicly denied having an affair with Heidi – nonetheless, when paparazzi later shot several photos of them on a date in a club, his wife filed for divorce, ending their 10 years of marriage. Shortly afterward, Jason broke up with Watney, and in 2011 married Catherine Panagiotopoulos.
Rumors and Controversies
Watney allegedly used inappropriate cursing words when she was working with radio KMPH in 2009, which saw her losing her job.
Her boss also added that Heidi’s behavior was unethical, without elaborating, which was also why she was fired.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Heidi stands 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall and weighs approximately 140lb (64kg) with vital statistics of 32-24-36. She has a set of blue eyes, and long blonde hair.
Net Worth
Heidi has been in the sports broadcasting industry for nearly two decades now and has carved a niche for herself and earned a decent sum. According to sources, she earns an annual salary of around $250,000 at MLB Network, and her net worth is estimated at $3 million, as of early 2022.
