Sportscasting is an exhilarating job, but let’s face it—being the voice of a team or school isn’t just about the thrill of calling the plays. It’s a career, and like any professional role, it demands a high level of skill, integrity, and, yes, even restraint. As sportscasters, we’re often employed directly by the team or…
Dale Carnegie once wrote, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” As sportscasters, we say names more than anything else throughout the course of our call and it begs the question – with all the emphasis on varying words to keep things interesting, does the same apply to nicknames and first…
We work in a business which relies on our skills to swifly describe what we see to those who aren’t in attendence, so it might feel counter-intuitive to read something to our audience. So I have to ask, is it okay to read a script to your audience? I say, at times, yes. I began…
In the past decade or so, the idea of instant replay and this notion of constantly checking and double checking plays has had a negative impact on broadcasters. Some of the most significant plays are those that aren’t immediately apparent. Stay in the moment, and call the play as you see it and as it’s…
At times, being on the road can be rather stressful for a sportscaster. Whether it’s a new venue that you’ve never been to before or maybe it’s somewhere you’ve been hundreds of times but the Wi-Fi is always on the fritz or the vantage point is awful. In times like these, it’s nice to have…
A little while ago, Alex talked about the differences between broadcasting a game solo versus having a go with a partner. Sometimes, the most difficult thing in being a broadcaster is communicating with a teammate who is only six-inches off your shoulder. With a hot mic in your face, our words are curated to the…
Sometimes when networking or building a book of connections, we forget that it’s not only coaches who can help us advance our careers and improve our calls. It’s no secret that sportscasters are sometimes left out of the loop regarding team news. Trades, new players, and special circumstances always seem to pop up and it’s…
Anyone who’s known me long enough knows that since high school, some 13 years ago, I’ve always had a small notebook tucked in my back pocket. It’s something I have on me every day and it wasn’t until very recently that I realized how important that pocket notebook is to my career. Since it became…
For many winter sports broadcasters, the season is right around the corner. As for the summer sports gang, the season may soon be coming to an end. The best time to take a state of the union with your gear is always at the end of your season and once again at the start. The…
You might have heard the phrase “self-made man” thrown around from time-to-time. Personally, I have a problem with the term. In my mind, there is no such thing as a “self-made man.” All of us need support and guidance from others to be successful – and naturally, that holds true when it comes to the…