Courtney Cronin was born on August 1, 1990, and grew up in Glenview, Illinois. She studied journalism and Spanish at Indiana University Bloomington from 2008 to 2012. At IU, she worked at the campus TV station and served as its sports director during her senior year. After graduation, she completed a postgraduate internship with the NCAA before beginning her professional reporting career.

Cronin joined The Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi in 2013, covering SEC football, high school sports, and recruiting. She moved to the San Jose Mercury News in 2016 as a multimedia sports reporter, covering teams including the Warriors, 49ers, Raiders, Giants, Athletics, and Sharks. ESPN hired her in August 2017 as its Minnesota Vikings reporter.

After five seasons covering Minnesota, Cronin returned to Illinois in 2022 to cover the Chicago Bears for ESPN NFL Nation. Her television work has grown alongside her reporting, with regular appearances on SportsCenter, First Take, and Around the Horn. As of 2026, she is also a national ESPN Radio host, hosts Best Week Ever and GameNight, and co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000.