Emily Jones isn’t your typical sports announcer.

This mother of two keeps herself busy as a philanthropist, published author, actress, entrepreneur and Texas Rangers reporter. 

Growing up in Plainview, Texas, had aspirations from a young age to go into sportscasting. After Texas Tech, she reported the local news in Lubbock, quickly transitioning into sports director just two years later. From Lubbock, Jones worked for Fox Sports Southwest covering the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars. 

After the birth of her second child in 2013, Jones decided to take a hiatus from reporting. Then the Texas Rangers came calling. She had been reporting on the team since 2005 and, after making her an offer she couldn’t refuse, Jones became their exclusive reporter.

Today, as well as broadcasting the Rangers’ games, Jones is co-founder of Posh Play which makes chic products for babies, president of Do It For Durrett Foundation, a nonprofit raising funds for working-class families impacted by a sudden loss, and author of two children’s books. Jones also played the role of reporter in ‘Friday Night Lights’ and the revived ‘Dallas’ television series.

Catch the Rangers playing against the Astros from July 11-14 in Arlington.

Why did you decide to become a sports broadcaster?

Growing up, sports were always on in our house. My older sister might be a bigger sports fan than me. She threw out the idea of being a sportscaster when she was in junior high and I was in elementary school. I wanted to do everything she did. But she was quiet and shy, and I was loud and outgoing. She never really considered it as a possible career, but I took it and ran with it.

What’s your most memorable experience with the Rangers?

It’s hard to pinpoint just one. I think the relationships that I’ve developed over the years and the life-long friendships that I’ve made have brought me the greatest joy. If I had to pick one baseball memory, it would be when the Rangers clinched the American League West in Oakland in 2010. It was the first time for so many people to experience the postseason, and to witness that pure, unfiltered joy first-hand was incredible.

Was it hard establishing yourself as a sportscaster in a male-dominated field?

It takes time, and a ton of work… not to mention the mistakes! But I feel like it’s that way in any industry. I try not to lean too heavily on the female aspect. It has definitely presented its challenges, but over the years it has become far more accepted than when I started in TV 20 years ago. You take the good with the bad, and hopefully it evens out.

Why did you co-create Posh Play?

After I had my first child, I received a custom playmat from a lifelong friend. I quickly saw that there was a void in the market for functional baby, kid and mom gear that was also stylish and not so juvenile-looking. I had no intention of making it into a business in the beginning, but here we are six years later.

What inspired you to write two children’s books?

Once I started seeing my kids learning lessons from the books we were reading together as a family, I thought the message would resonate so much more if Mommy wrote the books and made them and their friends the characters in the books. I started with “A Place for Everyone,” which is about acceptance and inclusion. I wrote the second book—”Something Special in the Stands”—after I found out a dear friend was having a baby with Down syndrome. The characters are inspired by two girls—one with Down syndrome and one with autism—who I got to know during my time at the ballpark.

Cover: Emily Jones with Texas Rangers first baseman Ronald Guzman (right) and shortstop Elvis Andrus. Courtesy photo

Lisa Davis lives in Austin and is the Editorial Assistant for Texas Lifestyle Magazine and honors graduate from Concordia University Texas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Public Relations.