Jim Rome once said on his radio show that his dad made him read Napoleon Hill’s classic personal growth book “Think and Grow Rich.” Rome said every dad made his kid read it.
I thought to myself, “Not every dad, because I’ve never even heard of the book!”
Still, I figured if Rome read the book and he’s doing okay, then I would read it, too.Read More
Motown Records is one of the most successful, influential record-producing companies of all time. They reached their peak in the 60s and 70s.
What was unique about much of Motown’s songwriting was that it grabbed you right off the bat. It started fast.
The song “Get Ready” by the Temptations begins with a bold horns riff.Read More
I’m not a good artist. If you can relate, you might think I’m crazy to believe you can learn to be a good artist.
The key is simply to look closely at what you’re drawing. Break it into grids and draw one little section at a time. Put all those little sections together into the big picture and you’ll have a decent drawing.
Speaking of crazy, I believe something about sportscasting that some think is crazy.Read More
Let me tell you a little about my 30-year-old self.
For part of my career at the old XTRA Sports 690 in San Diego, I cohosted a nightly show called The XTRA Sports Hour. It was like SportsCenter on radio.
I was able to crank out creative scripts in a short time. I’d finish quickly and have an hour or more before airtime.
I would waste that hour.Read More
Years ago I was asked to be an expert witness on behalf of a sportscaster who was suing CBS over a non-compete clause. I’d never done such a thing, and it made me nervous.
That’s why I said yes.
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How would you answer this question: What bad sportscasting advice do you hear being shared most often?
The bad advice I hear most often is that painting the picture is the most important aspect of great play-by-play. Painting the picture is important, but there’s something that’s more important.Read More
The best coaches and trainers know that how an athlete spends their off season is vital to preparing for a successful next season. If you use the time off to binge Netflix and eat donuts, you’re going to have problems when preseason begins.
As a broadcaster, how you spend the slowest part of your year will either motivate you to achieve bigger goals or perpetuate a cycle of stagnation.
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One of the toughest challenges for play-by-play broadcasters are pregame and postgame interviews. They can easily get monotonous because you feel like you are asking the same questions over and over again.
Keep this in mind, though: Every interview should be different because each game is different.
Here are some suggestions for keeping your interviews fresh. We’ll address postgame first, because it will partially set-up the following pregame interview as well.
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Play-by-play broadcasters all have access to information about fundamentals – time and score, ball location, etc. What sets apart great broadcasters is discovering and implementing advice that isn’t available to the masses. A great way to do that is to ask industry pros to critique your work.
Many sportscasters have shared with me critiques they have received from some of the top play-by-play broadcasters in the industry. Today, I want to share them with you.
Here are 5 tips to take your play-by-play from good to great:
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Years ago, I broadcast a high school football game in the worst conditions imaginable for a broadcaster.
Dense, impossible to see through fog.
At kickoff, the fog was hanging threateningly low over the field. By the second half, I couldn’t see fans sitting five rows in front of the press box, much less the field or even the sidelines.
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