Lucy Burdge, it goes without saying, is one of the hardest working sports media personalities in the business. Whether it is hosting podcasts, writing stories or delivering betting content via social media, Lucy gets after it from sunrise to sunset—and sometimes even longer.
You may know Burdge as the host of Audacy’s Bet Slips And Bat Flips. From there, her social channels — with a healthy following of 140K+ users — regularly churn out winning sports tickets. The BetMGM collaborator is “in the know” across the gaming industry, but especially so when it comes to baseball.
A native New Englander, Burdge is an avid Red Sox fan. She ties her passion for athletics to her early years watching Nomar Garciaparra at historic Fenway Park. Nowadays, she’s having fun by combining two of her favorite pastimes: sports and hot girl walks.
Luckily, Lucy stopped for a moment to chat with Playboy’s Gabriel Santiago on all things New England, sports media and how to be an industry trendsetter. Also, she gives out a few picks for the current NFL campaign.
Playboy: You’re one of the busiest figures in the sports betting industry right now, but let’s go way back. Tell me about growing up.
Lucy: I grew up in Connecticut. I was born in New Haven, which is the territory of the New York Yankees, you could say. The New York Times does have an official map that is split down the middle: Yankees-Red Sox. My dad grew up in Rhode Island as a Red Sox fan but my mom also grew up in New Jersey as a Mets fan. Basically, we all hate the Yankees. It’s something we can all agree on. Overall, we grew up Red Sox fans and I just always had this passion for baseball. All of our family vacations would be us coming up to Boston for a Red Sox game.
Playboy: When it came time for college, what was it like going to school nearby home at Wellesley and Northeastern?
Lucy: I always knew I wanted to live in Boston so I went to Wellesley just outside of town. Then, while all my friends were moving to New York after college, I wanted to stay around. So, I moved to Boston to go to grad school at Northeastern for journalism because Wellesley didn’t have a specific journalism major. Simultaneously, I interned at WEEI. From there, I just built upon being an intern and being on-air a little bit.
Playboy: How did you realize you wanted to work in sports?
Lucy: My first game at Fenway Park was a week after September 11th, 2001. It was my first time there and ever since then I just loved baseball and knew that I wanted to do something in sports. My dad is a writer, so I grew up writing often and thought I could combine the two: sports and journalism. That’s kind of what I always wanted to do. After four or five years working at WEEI, Audacy opened up this sports betting platform. I applied for a job there and got it, and ever since then, I’ve dove into sports betting. I didn’t know anything about sports betting when I started the job but I learned a lot really, really fast and I really enjoy it.
Playboy: If you had to pick between your two states, do you prefer living in Massachusetts or Connecticut?
Lucy: It’s tough because I love Connecticut. It’s where I was born and raised. My best friend from preschool — even though she lives in New York — is from Connecticut. My heart is in Connecticut because I find myself defending CT a lot, but it is interesting now that I am a Massachusetts resident, and had my license switched over, it represented two phases of my life. As a child, I loved CT and it was all I knew, but I have very much enjoyed living in MA as an adult. Overall, I think it’s equal for me because it was two phases of my life. Yes, I love both equally.
Playboy: What’s the best sporting venue in New England in terms of fan energy? Pro sports or college.
Lucy: Oh, Fenway Park. I mean, it is not a question. No matter if the Red Sox are good or if they are bad, Fenway Park is always a good time because it is a museum, but also, it is where I fell in love with being a fan of sports with the city of Boston. The atmosphere at Fenway and the way people interact has always been entertaining to me and really fun to be part of. So, I would absolutely say Fenway for many, many reasons. No matter what, the energy is always up and you will sing “Sweet Caroline” whether you are winning or losing.
Playboy: I had a hunch you might say that. So then, what’s your favorite physical quirk about Fenway Park?
Lucy: This is a great question. There’s so many, but for me, it’s actually the red and white “Fenway Park” name sign above the press boxes because from where I park in my garage now, I can see it. I always know that I’ve pulled my car into my spot far enough when I can see the “Fenway Park” sign through two of the pillars. That is my favorite physical feature because it always lets me know that I am home.
Read more: Kendra Middleton told Playboy her favorite aspect of Fenway Park is…
Playboy: Unique! To this point in your professional journey, who has been the most memorable person you’ve worked with?
Lucy: So many people. The most memorable that is still in my life? Rob Bradford. He hosts Baseball Isn’t Boring for Audacy. He was really my first boss in this business. He was the editor-in-chief and founder at WEEI.com and former Red Sox beat writer. He just opened me up to so many opportunities and chances. I don’t know where I would be professionally without him. So much of his advice that I have taken has been invaluable. He is just a good person and someone who I am very grateful to know and have worked for. Also, he is simply good at what he does. He went to bat for me on several occasions when he could have easily said “no thanks.” Rob Bradford is a genuinely great person.
Playboy: Well, ’tis the season. Would you describe your football betting methodology for me?
Lucy: Yes, the methodology is fairly simple. Each week, I look at each matchup, how the teams have done against each other, the weather, the travel impact, strength of schedule, location and injury reports. Also, I look at where the money is going: public vs. sharp. I dive into the quarterback matchup and how they have done head-to-head and how they’ve played on different days of the week. I listen to what players are saying to the media leading up to the game. I take all that into consideration and land on my plays. Typically, I make either spread or moneyline bets when it comes to football. Still, I like to bet baseball props more than anything.
Playboy: If you can only say one thing, what separates you from other sports betting content creators?
Lucy: Personality. Everyone has a personality in this business but each one is different inherently. And that’s what needs to be different because you’re never going to win 100% of your bets, and if you did, that would certainly separate you from everyone else, but outside of that, I think it has to be your personality. It’s about the way you deliver your bets and the way you get people’s attention on your bets. What I do is the “Walking Bets” and “Now Stepper Bets.” The videos are me, so it’s my personality that comes through. It’s being authentic and not being a robot, because a computer can give you bets. You can ask AI, “Who should I take?” but when it’s a person, it’s someone that you want to follow and interact with.
Playboy: As a roller coaster enthusiast myself, I’d love to know—what inspired you to utilize the inverted camera angle?
Lucy: Well, I found this is the best way to show the outfit that I’m wearing for the day. Before the pandemic, I would see the Instagram hashtag #OOTD all the time, so I would start posting my outfit of the day, and especially during COVID since I wasn’t seeing anybody. I was like, “I have this great outfit and I’m bored, so I want to show people.” That’s where the #OOTD hashtag came in for me, almost kind of ironically at first. Later on, hot girl walks became very popular, so I would do that and show my outfit while also giving my bet. I mixed them all together and I didn’t see anybody else doing that at the time.
Playboy: NFL Week 3 brings a fierce rivalry for you. Are you taking the underdog Pats to cover against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Thursday Night Football?
Lucy: I am taking New England to cover and I didn’t think I would be, ahead of the season, but after what the Patriots showed us in Week 1, I have 100% more faith in them. Entering the year, you had people taking them to win zero games. I took them to go under 4.5 games and now I’m just wiping that ticket away. Either way, I’m taking them to cover against New York on Thursday also because of what the Jets did on Monday Night Football versus San Francisco. That night, I had New York to cover and they didn’t. The Jets, it seems like they stink, so I would take the Patriots to cover, absolutely.
Playboy: Let’s talk rooks; it appears we’ll be in for a fun ride as it pertains to the 2024 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year race. As the first two picks at the most recent draft, quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are frontrunners in this market, but there are a few talented receivers that might have something to say. Where is your betting value here?
Lucy: I came into the season thinking it would absolutely be Caleb Williams, and I didn’t actually put money down on it but I’m glad so I can now take a different option. That would be Jayden Daniels at this point. I thought he had a far better showing in Week 1 than Williams did. The ceiling is a lot higher for Daniels. The floor is a lot higher for Daniels. I think he has a lot more potential at this point. I would — right now — take Jayden Daniels for OROY.
Playboy: Summer is essentially over which means time for MLB Postseason, and soon enough, the Fall Classic will be. Who do you like to win the upcoming World Series?
Lucy: It is not what I expected. I thought the Orioles would be more of a clear-cut World Series contender, but they were my pick before the season, so I’m going to stick with that. Hopefully they can figure it out. I’m sticking with my Orioles pick.
Playboy: Any other baseball futures you’re currently monitoring?
Lucy: I’m very proud of this one. Before the season, I took Chris Sale to win the NL Cy Young and that looks very likely at this point. I got that at 30-to-1 odds and people were calling me crazy because “he’s gonna get injured, he’s not gonna play the full season.” Now, we’re in September and it looks like Sale is the guy right now and it looks like it is going to happen!
Playboy: Master-level call right there. I’m sure a New England girl doesn’t want to answer this but I’m going to ask it anyway. Who is having the superior campaign — Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani?
Lucy: Ohtani, I would have to say. He’s having a 40-40 season, but Aaron Judge, he does have more than 50 home runs. However, Ohtani’s chasing a 50-50 season, so I have to go with Shohei. Also, Shohei Ohtani’s dog threw out the first pitch and Aaron Judge is under the “Paw Patrol curse,” so definitely Ohtani.
Read more: Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge: Who’s Having Better MLB Season?
Playboy: Lastly, what’s “a day in the life of Lucy Burdge” look like right now?
Lucy: I get up around 6 and I do my favorite part of the day. I love makeup and skin care. It’s one of my hobbies, so putting on my makeup and doing my hair is really fun. I choose my outfit while thinking about my video for giving out my bets. Next, I start work at 8-8:30 by looking at some MLB stuff or NFL storylines to see what happened overnight. I start getting all my picks organized. I do a bit of statistical research to put my bets together. I prepare for The Daily Boost podcast that I host everyday. Then, I start preparing for my video or I do some writing for Audacy.com/betql. I hop on a few different BetQL shows, so it’s a lot of prep. Sometimes I’ll do a second video. I always promote my BetMGM code. I also co-host the show Bet Slips And Bat Flips with Jake Hasan. Once that is over, we let the producers know which clips to post. Then I do some errands, go out to dinner or watch the Red Sox. It’s a pretty full day, but very fulfilling.
Editor’s note: The advice provided by the author does not represent the views of Playboy. Taking any advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always use your own judgment when participating in sports betting. Still, for daily bettors, the best insight anyone ever gave me was to stay away from parlays.