Just Call Me Andi: Sports Stories from a Trailblazer by Andria Petrillo
A look inside a successful and historic career in sports broadcasting
Andria Petrillo was the first woman to be part of the Hockey Night in Canada in-studio broadcast, the first woman to host a daily sports radio talk show in Canada (Leafs Lunch on TSN), and the first woman to win a Canadian Screen Award for Best Sports Host. But the road to those achievements has not been without challenges.
In Just Call Me Andi: Sports Stories from a Trailblazer, Petrillo shares her experiences, reflects on her chosen profession, and offers advice for those who might wish to follow in her footsteps.
Just Call Me Andi gives readers a broad perspective on Petrillo’s life. Petrillo takes us from her childhood to the present day, sharing stories about colleagues, events she has covered, athletes and sports personalities she’s met, and the rigours of working in the world of broadcasting.
“Though there’s a rough chronological flow to the book, individual chapters tend to deal with specific topics. This approach allows for good story-telling and maintains reader interest.”
Petrillo also discusses the obstacles she’s encountered as a woman entering the sports broadcasting profession at a time when few role models existed. She talks about backlash from some male fans who objected to getting their sports information from a woman, and about the occasional request to do something strange (like interview athletes in a hot tub) because of her gender. Petrillo acknowledges feeling the weight of greater scrutiny placed on her. Despite all that, she has enjoyed her career and takes pride in her accomplishments.
Petrillo has encountered some polarizing people in the world of sport, but simply describes her own experiences, without succumbing to pressure to fall on the side of popular thought. She is generous in sharing details from her personal life: the importance of family, how she met her husband, and the enjoyment she’s derived from the pets she’s shared her life with, as examples.
In later chapters, Petrillo shares her thoughts on mentorship, the scrutiny placed on women’s attire, and the sometimes-toxic effects of social media. She also discusses the different ways men and women in the broadcast journalism world are treated as they age.
Though there’s a rough chronological flow to the book, individual chapters tend to deal with specific topics. This approach allows for good story-telling and maintains reader interest. Among the chapters I enjoyed the most were those recounting Petrillo’s memories of Wade Belak, and those offering her reflections on covering high-performance sports events like World Championships and the Olympic Games.
In Just Call Me Andi, Petrillo comes across as genuine, likeable, and human, with foibles, quirks, and uncertainties just like the rest of us. As a long-time sports fan (and, for a brief time, a sports writer), I appreciated Petrillo’s insights into the world of sports broadcast journalism. As a woman, I found Andi’s reflections on what it takes, and costs, to be a trailblazer interesting and resonant. I enjoy well-written autobiographies and biographies, and Petrillo’s book offers a viewport into a different life. Funny, candid, and insightful, Just Call Me Andi should appeal to a broad audience.
About the Author
Andi Petrillo grew up playing a variety of sports. She turned her passion into a career and over the years Petrillo has become one of the premier voices in Canada for hockey, soccer, and the Olympics. Andi lives in Toronto, ON, with her husband, Jon, and their two dogs, Pepper and Ginger.
About the Reviewer
Lisa Timpf lives in Simcoe, Ontario, where she writes poetry, book reviews, short stories, and creative nonfiction. Lisa’s speculative poetry collections Cats and Dogs in Space (2025) and In Days to Come (2022) are available from Hiraeth Publishing. Lisa is a member of SF Canada and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing projects at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/. Lisa is also on Bluesky, @lisatimpf.bsky.social
Book Details
Publisher: ECW Press
Language: English
Print length: 260 pages
ISBN-10: 1770417931
ISBN-13: 978-1770417939