Kay Adams - From Sports Bar Bartender To Legit Sportscaster
In football and in the field of sports in general, people not only remember and adore the players. They also give the same amount of attention and appreciation to hosts and sportscasters. That’s what Kay Adams has been receiving since she immersed herself in the world of sports as an on-air and off-air host. See what’s new with one of the popular non-athlete personalities in the American football scene.
Author:Emily SanchezReviewer:James PierceSep 20, 202235 Shares619 Views
American football fans must be familiar with Kay Adams.
How can they not be when she’s one of the faces - and a gorgeous face at that one - of the National Football League (NFL)?
She even hosted the NFL Network’s top-rating Emmy-nominated TV show Good Morning Footballfor six years (2016-2022).
Before her jump to the NFL camp, Adams updated supporters of fantasy footballat Fantasy Football Liveon NBC Sports. She did the same thing at DIRECTV’s Fantasy Zone.
Adams made headlines in May 2022 when news broke out that she would be leaving Good Morning Football. As an NFL Network staple, that proved to be shocking news, particularly for fans.
People started talking about not only who would replace her but as well as what TV show she would be seen next.
Kay Adams had been through a lot in life, and the latest hurdle in her career only opened new doors to this talented and charming TV personality.
Kay Adams Surfs Into NFL Week 2 Power Rankings
Glam Girl Kay Adams - Looks Can Be Deceiving
Kay Adams, 36, was born on April 6, 1986 in Chicago, Illinois.
She’s the youngest child of Czesio Konopka. Most sites couldn’t give her mother’s name. However, one site (Kidadl.com) identified her as “Cathie.”
Her two siblings are Sylvia C. Konopka-Wrobel (born November 27; two sons) from Orange County, California, and Adam C. Konopka (born May 11, 1984).
The brother, a lawyer (law firm as of September 2022: Heyl Royster), is married to Amanda. They live in Chicago and have a child named Maya (born June 2016).
In a 2019 interview for Front Office Sports, she revealed several personal things to Jeff Eisenband, a New York-based sports and eSports (electronic sports) broadcaster.
First, she described to Eisenband how her parents, Polish immigrants, practiced a “crazy work ethic.”
They inculcated in her at a young age the value of hard work.
For example, given the family’s financial standing, Kay Adams was made to realize that she should study hard to qualify for a scholarship.
It’s the only way she could go to school.
Adams went to Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, named after American civil rights leader Whitney Moore Young Jr. (1921-1971).
She didn’t become an activist like Moore, but she ended up being an active student.
Even an impressively creative one, as reflected from her co-curricular activities. Once, she made a modern interpretation of the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet.
She also created video reports to make science projects more interesting. As for extracurricular matters, Kay Adams joined The Beacon, the student newspaper.
| Basic Information | Details |
| Birth Name | Dorothy C. Konopka |
| Stage Name | Kay Adams |
| Age | 36 |
| Height (in feet) | 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 meters) |
| Date of Birth | April 06, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American (of Polish descent) |
| Parents | Czesio Konopka; Cathie(?) C. Konopka |
| Siblings | Adam C. Konopka; Sylvia C. Konopka-Wrobel |
| School | Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (Chicago) |
| School (tertiary) | University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri) |
| Course | Communications |
| Civil Status | Single (never married) |
| Occupation | TV host, sportscaster, product endorser |
| Net Worth | $1 million (September 2022 estimates) |
| Facebook (www.facebook.com/heykayadams) | over 89,000 followers |
| Instagram (@heykayadams) | over 397,000 followers |
| Twitter (@heykayadams) | over 488,600 followers |
| TikTok (@heykayadams) | 3,665 followers (joined Sept. 2022) |
The Media Dream And The Early Grind
Kay Adams admitted in the interview that her experiences in high school made her want to pursue a career in media.
She initially thought of working for “entertainment news.”
Before she graduated, however, she had a change of heart, telling Eisenband:
“„I got . . . to thinking what the daily grind of that would look like, sizing up the Kardashians all day every day, and it didn’t seem meaningful to me.
When it’s time to go to college, Adams had no options but to be a working student to pay for her matriculation at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
She applied at Willie’s Pub & Pool, a sports bar in East Broadway - just a block away from the university.
Kay Adams got accepted as a bartender, taking the happy hour shift from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Kay Adams Career
Even though Kay Adams veered away from being a probable Hollywood reporter or TV host, she still set her eyes on the entertainment industry.
As she told Jeff Eisenband during the interview:
“„I had to figure out what I wanted. I thought I wanted to be Giuliana Rancic, but no, I wanted to be Kay Adams.
And before that Kay Adams become the celebrated sports newscaster that she is today, she had a string of jobs, including the following:
1. radio DJ
- played country music
- shift: 12 midnight to 6:00 a.m. (Fridays and Saturdays)
2. content/video creator and editor
- for defunct website Metromix (operated until December 2011)
- it’s a lifestyle website similar to Thrillist
3. in-stadium host
- for the baseball team St. Louis Cardinals
- did it at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
As for her other hosting roles such as in the field of sports, see the table below:
| Company | Name of Show(s) |
| SiriusXM | “Livin’ the Fantasy” and “The SXM Fantasy Drive” |
| DirecTV | “NFL Sunday Ticket: Fantasy Zone” (2014-2018) |
| FanDuel | (not mentioned) |
| NBC Sports Network | “Fantasy Football Live;” “NBC Sports Talk” |
| DAZN | “DAZN Boxing” |
| Sony Television Games | “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (host via the “Millionaire Live” app) |
| Dotdash Meredith | “People (The TV Show!)” (Sept. 2020-April 2022) |
| Amazon | “NFL Next” |
| NFL Network | “Good Morning Football” (2016-2022) |
Before Kay Adams found herself at the NFL Network in 2016, she was busy back at the NBC Sports Network.
She appeared at NBC Sports Talkand The Crossover with Michelle Beadleas a guest host.
At the time (April 2018) The Spun published an article about Adams, it mentioned there that she worked at Extra, a 2022 Emmy-nominated entertainment news program.
Kay Adams is also part of The Harry Walker Agency, a New York-based talent agency. It signed her up for its speakers bureau.
She also accepts endorsements from time to time.
Adams did one for Olay in 2019 and with Smirnoff this 2022. The British vodka company got her and former NFL tight end Vernon Davis as endorsers.
Kay Adams Goodbye
It was thew NFL Network that gave Kay Adams her big break when it hired her to co-host Good Morning Footballin 2016, a role she competently handled.
As The Spun mentioned in an article published in April 2018, where she was described as a “fantasy football expert:”
“„Today’s era of sports talk shows constantly consists of hot takes, whereas Adams does her best to stay calm and collected.
In January 2022, she guested for the first time in The Pat McAfee Show.
The host praised Adams for her reliable predictions of game outcomes. At the same time, he is intrigued how she “seem(s) to know more than everybody else.”
Patrick “Pat” Justin McAfee, a former NFL player (retired: February 2017) and now football analyst, asked whether she gets “inside information” or is just plain “football whiz.”
Kay Adams replied by saying that she believed the more apt term would be “osmosis” and not “whiz.” Also, she wouldn’t “say ‘insider’s.’”
She explained how she was “so ingrained” in football. She would talk about it at length (average of three hours in her show) and would spend a long time asking around to gather info.
All these, she said, contributed to her forecasts. Plus, she added in the end, she trusts her “gut a lot.”
Where Is Kay Adams Going To?
The last day of Kay Adams on Good Morning Footballwas on May 13, 2022.
After learning about her free agent status, McAfee asked if she would take the celebrity route or still pursue the NFL path.
Though she didn’t mention a specific job, she said:
“„I want the big jobs. I want to go to the top of the NFL, are you kidding? I like to be part of the game day experience.
In his May 2022 guest appearance at the daily sports radio show The Rich Eisen Show, NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci described her as “so talented.”
An American cable and TV network noticed that talent.
On September 6, via a press release, FanDuel TV (the former TVG Network) announced that Kay Adams would be hosting Up and Adams.
FanDuel’s Chief Commercial Officer Mike Raffensperger stated why they got her:
“„Kay has a certain electric energy about her and her approachable presence creates an authentic connection with her fans that is rooted in trust.
A daily morning 1-hour show, Up and Adamswill be telecast live from Los Angeles. People can watch it from various social media platforms, including YouTube.
Kay Adams Net Worth
Several websites mentioned that as of 2022, the estimated net worth of Kay Adams is $1 million.
According to Briefly and some other sites, her annual salary at Good Morning Footballwas approximately $70,000. Other sites gave a higher estimate at $80,000 per annum.
Kay Adams Husband
Kay Adams never got married; so, she didn’t have a husband. The lovely host, however, had some athletes as boyfriends.
Her past dating relationships included these two (in alphabetical order):
- Danny Amendola(football wide receiver; current team: NFL’s Houston Texans)
- DK Metcalf(football wide receiver; current team: NFL’s Seattle Seahawk)
The latest dating rumor involves her and football tight end C.J. Uzomah, who plays for NFL’s New York Jets.
In July 2022, when Uzomah guested at the podcast Bussin' with the Boys, ex-football linebacker Will Compton asked him to clarify the rumors.
Uzomah denied that he and Kay Adams were dating.
Five Fun Facts About Kay Adams
First, Kay Adams belonged to the first generation in the Konopka Family to receive a college diploma. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s and settled in Chicago.
That’s according to the Missouri-based law firm Dowd & Dowd, where her older brother was formerly part.
Second, her real name is Dorothy C. Konopka. That’s her birth name.
“Kay Adams” is only a stage name.
Third, her interest in sports was courtesy of her older brother, Adam.
Kay Adams also calls him “Adamski.” That’s how he addressed him when she congratulated him through Twitter in November 2013 for passing the bar.
That explains why several sites erroneously identified her brother as “Adamski Adams” (his real name is Adam C. Konopka).
Fourth, back in college, Kay Adams first enrolled in Journalism before she shifted to Communications.
As she said in her 2019 Front Office Sports interview:
“„I quickly found out I didn’t want to do hardcore journalism. I was more interested in some more editorial things.
Fifth, in October 2012, Kay Adams made her TV debut viaThe Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. This guest stint contributed to her career advancement.
People Also Ask
Why Did Kay Adams Leave Good Morning Football?
According to the New York Post, her contract with the NFL Network expired, and she was quoted saying:
“„I didn’t want to renew because I just wanted to try something different.
Who Is Replacing Kay Adams On Good Morning Football?
Jamie Erdahl replaced Kay Adams. The 33-year-old Canadian was a former sideline reporter at CBS Sports.
Does Kay Adams Have A New Job Yet?
She now hosts FanDuel TV’s Up and Adams(Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. ET).
It premiered on September 6, 2022, with ex-football quarterback and former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton as guest. Former football offensive guard Geoff Schwartz was also there.
Conclusion
Kay Adams navigates the male-dominated sports industry armed with diligence and expertise, not to mention, grace and charm.
As she recalled during the early days of her career during her interview with Jeff Eisenband:
“„I’d be knocking on the St. Louis Cardinals’ door until they hired me.
Now she’s the one counting the many doors that opened themselves up for her. Kay Adamsproves that hard work really goes a long way.
Emily Sanchez
Author
James Pierce
Reviewer
Latest Articles
Popular Articles