Facebook Live, Southern Style: Lynda Rogers is an Ace’s Mom and Part-Time Broadcaster

The song Down Under by Men at Work began playing at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium as Australian freshman Charli Orsini trotted out of the Tennessee bullpen. Sitting in the stands, Lynda Rogers quickly began searching for the mute button on her iPhone. 

Rogers feared her Facebook Live broadcast of Tennessee’s game against Baylor may get taken down for copyright infringement. She knew because it had happened before.

“I don’t have the rights to this music, blah, blah, blah,” Rogers told her worldwide viewing audience numbering nearly 50 strong.

“Where is my mute button?” 

“I thought I had a mute button.”

“I did have a mute button at some point in time.”

“Sorry.”

Tinged in her sweet Southern accent and self-deprecating nature, the sequence came in the second inning of what was likely Rogers’ final game serving as the eyes and ears of her loyal Facebook followers. For the past five seasons, the mother of Tennessee ace Ashley Rogers has broadcast every non-televised/streamed Lady Vols softball game.

Given that most UT games are available on the ESPN family of networks, Lynda hasn’t been required to do a large amount every season. But the ones she does have been a salvation to the relatives, friends and fans who couldn’t attend in person.

“This has been invaluable for us. Lynda’s Facebook Live and the impact she has made is phenomenal,” said Lance Gibson, the father of UT sophomore McKenna “Boo” Gibson, who tunes in from his home in Southern California. “It would not be the same sort of season, at least for the parents, without her doing that.”

A radiologist by trade and content provider by chance, Lynda has used all of her vacation time and switched shifts with co-workers over the years to make sure she’s been on site for every game. She’s only missed five total games in her daughter’s five-year career, and two of them happened during Covid restrictions when fans were not allowed. The other three came after Ashley fractured a finger as a freshman and Lynda didn’t think she’d pitch at Missouri. Not only did she pitch, she won SEC Freshman of the Week.

“I said I’m not missing any more,” Lynda said. “I still regret all of those.”

It’s not as hard to make the home games since she Iives about 50 miles from the UT campus in Athens, Tenn. But driving and flying all over the country for away games hasn’t been as easy.

She knows every parent would do the same if they could, but not all of them can afford the cost or get time away from family and work obligations.

“That is just who she is. She is super selfless and thoughtful,” Ashley said. “Even if I am not in the game pitching, she still comes and does it. I think it’s easier for her when I am not pitching. She is just super selfless and is always thinking of the other parents who aren’t as fortunate to be as close as we are and come to the games.”

The Facebook Live broadcasts actually started as a way to allow Ashley’s grandparents to watch games they couldn’t access any other way. Lynda’s first broadcast came in 2019 when Tennessee played in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif.

“Facebook Live was easier for me and the old people I was targeting in my audience,” she said. “They love me to Facebook Live because they don’t know how to work any apps. The picture is not great because you can’t zoom in but they can still project it onto the TV.”

As friends saw the video of games on her Facebook page, word started spreading. Each week, more and more people began watching, even parents from opposing teams.

The broadcasts make viewers feel like they are sitting in the stands right alongside Lynda. She yells out all the cheers led by Tennessee’s fan group, The Locos, while the video is rolling. She tries to answer any questions people ask on Facebook during the broadcasts. She says hello to people by name when they arrive, even if it’s mid-inning.

“I appreciate feedback. If something is not right, they will let me know,” Lynda said. “They don’t hassle me too bad about my Southern accent or things like that either.”

Like any good player or broadcaster, Lynda has gone back to watch video to see how she can improve. She upgraded from an iPhone 7 to an iPhone 13 prior to this season, and uses a tripod at home games instead of just holding her phone with her hands. Before every game, she scouts to find find the best vantage point in the stands while not bothering others around her with her talking.

To prevent any Facebook posts from being taken down once the game ends because of copyright infringement, Lynda began breaking the broadcasts down into half innings to avoid too much music playing.

It also allows viewers to find a particular segment they are looking for if they didn’t watch the game live. Lynda now uses cards to designate half-innings with the inning number followed by an up or down arrow flashed in front of the camera when she starts filming. 

“They are actually prescription pads. If you look really close, you can see Sweetwater Hospital on the back,” she said. “They just happened to be the right color so I grabbed them to use. It’s handwritten, so it’s real high-tech.”

Lynda purchased a battery pack to ensure she has enough juice to broadcast any length of game, and has recently started to provide batting averages and ERAs about players from both teams if they are accessible.

“I did notice during the Baylor series Lynda was throwing some stats in there,” said Claudine Milloy, the mother of Tennessee senior Kiki Milloy. “I thought, ‘OK, Lynda is doing her homework.’ She’s becoming a pro.”

Milloy resides in the state of Washington and can’t attend as many games. She is not always able to watch them live either because her younger daughters have games and practices.

She’s enjoyed having Rogers on the scene when needed the last four years.

“It’s always fun to get her take on how the game is going, and I appreciate her accent,” Milloy said. “I think we need more commentators having an accent from whatever area they are from instead of being so vanilla. Her sweet little Southern accent makes it more fun to listen to.”

Lynda is never disparaging during her broadcasts, although she may not always agree on a call. “Oh my goodness gracious. That was a strike I thought” is about her most forceful retort to an umpire.

“I can just be blatantly biased. That is kind of the fun part,” she said. “I am never negative, but I can be disappointed when thing don’t go our way.”

The closest Lynda has come to crossing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) boundaries may have been when Ashley lost a perfect game on the very last pitch of a game she was broadcasting.

“I think I said ‘dang it.’ I might have said a bad word. I’m not sure,” Lynda said. “I might have to go back and listen. But I almost did if I didn’t.”

Although Ashley has heard plenty about her mom’s commentary, she’s only viewed a few innings here and there.

“Sometimes the clips pop up on my Facebook page because obviously we are friends so I have watched a few of those,” Ashley said. “But I’ve never sat down and watched an entire game. I know people really enjoy them because of how funny she can be.”

The Tennessee parents have a group chat that lights up whenever Lynda is doing a Facebook Live game.

“She has such an infectious personality. To hear her laugh on the broadcast and the way she cheers on the girls during every game is great,” Gibson said. “We joke with her that she is Emmy worthy. I am just so glad she cares so much to do all this.”

The other parents were so grateful that they gave Rogers a gift last year after she broadcast all the fall ball games for them.

“We all chipped in and donated whatever we could. God bless her heart, she turns around and uses that $800 to buy a better phone to Facebook Live our games,” Gibson said. “That is Lynda in a nutshell.”

Given the remainder of Tennessee’s games are scheduled to be available on TV or streaming, Lynda has likely broadcast her last full game during her daughter’s career. She might do a Facebook Live for UT’s Senior Day ceremony. 

“It’s something I am definitely going to miss. Hopefully one of the parents of the younger girls can take that over,” Claudine Milloy said. “Maybe Lynda needs an understudy to learn how to do it like she does.”

But Lynda isn’t so quick to completely slam the door on her Tennessee softball broadcasting career even after Ashley departs.

“There may be more,” she said with a laugh. “Never say never.”