Featured Image Credit: Creator: Vladimir Vinogradov | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Copyright: Vladimir Vinogradov
It’s extremely tough to get a start in the sports broadcasting industry. Although there are a variety of career paths available, many of them do not pay well enough until you reach the pedestal. From a television personality, like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, to a play-by-play announcer like Vin Scully, the sports broadcasting world is a place where commanding voices follow the action on the field and personalities flourish.
When listening to a sporting contest, two or three voices constantly comment during the action. The voice heard the most is the play-by-play announcer. This person’s job is calling what happens during the action. The other voice you will hear is the color commentator. This person adds context to what the play-by-play announcer says. The “color guy” talks more about the stats and scenarios between the plays. The third person in the booth is similar the color commentator. Some distinguished play-by-play announcers are Jim Nantz, Gus Johnson, Dick Vitale, and Bob Costas. However, live games aren’t the only sports broadcasting jobs out there.
People can also host and co-host their own sports shows. These shows air on multiple platforms such as, TV, radio, websites, and even through podcasts. Local sports personality Jerry Coleman co-hosts the Big Bad Morning Show on 105.7 The Fan every weekday morning with Ed Norris and Rob Long. This show is a sports talk show where all three men provide their insights on Baltimore sports and other news of the day. Daniel Jeremiah hosts Move The Sticks, with Bucky Brooks, which is a TV program that covers news from around the NFL.
Podcasts are another way to work in the sports broadcasting field. These sports podcasts are similar to radio shows, but are available on several platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Sports podcasts are just one of the many ways to work in the sports industry. People also can interview players and coaches on the field as sideline reporters while reporting back to the studio during the game.
Yes, there are a lot of jobs in sports broadcasting, but opportunities are limited. If one’s goal is to be a NBA play-by-play announcer, there are only 30 chief NBA announcers in the world. To get to one of those coveted positions, sports journalists must start at the bottom, work their way up, and wait for limited opportunities.
According to indeed.com, the average sports broadcaster makes $38,456 a year. However, the yearly salary can average between $14,000 and $90,000 a year, and even more for a select few. A sports broadcaster will not make a whole lot of money to start, and it will be tough, but over time someone can carve out a decent career.
Josh Neighbors, 23, attended the University of Missouri and is now working for SiriusXM as an associate producer. Neighbors also works for The Locked On Network. On both platforms he hosts radio shows covering college and professional sports. On SiriusXM, he talks college sports and with the Locked On Network, Neighbors hosts the Washington Nationals’ and Big 12 podcasts.
Neighbors turned his love of sports from a young age into a career.
“I loved playing sports at an early age, but it was clear I wasn’t going to play. I was like, ‘Well, I love this game so much, what can I do with this?’ I started going to sports broadcasting camp. Then I went to college for it, and that’s how it kind of happened,” said Neighbors.
Neighbors prefers sports broadcasting because he, like his colleagues, enjoys all aspects of the career. He thinks it’s better to do something you love rather than suffer at a job that makes one miserable.
“It’s an industry that many people want to get into. The job is awesome. Everyone in the industry will say, ‘I don’t work a day.’ You do work though, but it’s the fact that you get to do something you like. There’s not people calling games because they don’t like games. People don’t host radio shows and don’t like it. But people sell insurance and don’t like it. My mom’s a dentist and doesn’t like it. Nobody is in sports talk radio and doesn’t like it. It’s one of those things that is such a great, fun, and wonderful industry. You get to cover games for a living, which is really cool. It’s just fun. You’re not sitting at a desk nine to five selling insurance.”
While the business is tough, and positions are limited, there are still opportunities. If you’re passionate and willing to jump at any and all opportunies, then you just might make it.
“Goals are important, but the best quality to have in this business is never saying no. When I worked at the radio station at Missouri, the number of kids that came in and said, ‘I don’t know soccer or I don’t know volleyball.’ Well it’s like, ‘Do you think Josh Neighbors knows a ton of women’s volleyball?’ No. I do a podcast about the Nationals because it was an opportunity,” said Neighbors. “I saw the Big 12 one and I had to take that opportunity too. Is doing 10 podcasts and Sirius challenging? Yes. Am I all over the place? Yes. Sometimes, you got to do everything. You have to treat everything the same way.”
Evan Masters currently attends Arizona State University and works on the production side of the broadcasting world. He, like Neighbors, loved sports but didn’t see his athletic talents taking him very far.
“My athletic career peaked when I won my youth basketball shootout competition. Since then, I have realized that I am not good at sports. I took the same path. I went to camp. By working in an industry where my main passion is sports, it’s a job that I have always dreamed of being in and that’s why I have always stuck with it ever since.”
Jake Ostern who currently attends the University of Connecticut on the Hartford campus, broadcasts and has been featured on YES Network, NBC Connecticut, NBCSN, and other news stations.
“It is such a competitive field,” said Ostern. “The main thing in any industry, whether it’s sports, education, is networking. Networking is the key to the game. It is the key to success in the industry.”
The sports broadcasting world is hard to succeed in, but there are multiple intriguing ways to get involved. From radio shows, to announcing, and just talking, the sports industry can be a lifetime experience.
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