You are a brand. What is your brand’s reputation?
Wal-Mart, Apple and Amazon are big brands with great reputations.
You, too, are a brand.
What’s your reputation?
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Blog
Embrace failure to grow your sportscasting career
Did you know that embracing failure can help you grow your broadcasting career?
Here’s a story to illustrate what I mean.
Recently, I recorded a Facebook Live video. I was super-excited. I had some great content to share. The camera was set up nicely. The lighting was good. Everything was perfect.
So I thought.
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The best time to send recommendation letters to employers
Longtime followers of STAA may have heard the story of how I applied for the University of Kentucky play-by-play job. I was 24 and working in Kansas as the voice of McPherson High School. The Bullpups had won the state basketball title in each of my first two years at the mike.
With those credentials, UK wouldn’t be able to tell me no.
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Four less common ways to prep for your next play-by-play broadcast
A play-by-play broadcaster is wondering if he is doing all he can to prepare for his play-by-play broadcasts.
“What I would be really interested in knowing is different routines that guys use to prep for a game,” he says. “I’m always looking for ways to be better prepared but it’s hard to know what I’m not doing until I know I’m not doing it.”
Ahhh. If all of us only knew what we don’t know about all of life’s mysteries.
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This is when it’s acceptable to criticize the refs
When is it acceptable in your play-by-play broadcast to criticize the refs?
Never.
There are many reasons:
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A great example of why you should always broadcast your best
Regular readers of this blog know that I’m a big advocate of always doing your best, even when you think no one is listening.
Joe DiMaggio always played hard because he never knew when someone might be watching him for the first time. Orlando TV sports anchor Christian Bruey got his job when the station’s news director saw Bruey hosting a show on a community access cable TV station.
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An example of why you should always say yes to opportunity
If someone gave you a lottery ticket, would you scratch it or throw it away?
You likely would scratch it. There’s nothing to lose and it might turn out to be a winner.
Here’s a funny thing, though. The same people who would play a free lottery ticket sometimes turn down sportscasting career lotto tickets. Here’s an example.
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Don’t let this prompt you to change your broadcasting style
A college football broadcaster was in his second season with a new university. Message board trolls were complaining that he wasn’t enough of a homer on his broadcasts.
“The guy I replaced was not good with the fundamentals of play-by-play,” he said. “He was a big time homer who could complain about the officials and act like the game was a funeral if the team was losing. You could go 20 minutes without knowing the time and score, or even which teams were playing.”
School officials were pleased with the new broadcaster. Still he wondered, “Do I keep doing my thing and hope people get used to it, or should I be more clear that I root, root, root for the home team?”
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This Big 10 coach’s strategies will help you be a better broadcaster
One of my all-time favorite ESPN series was Being PJ Fleck. It was filmed in the months immediately after the always upbeat Fleck was named football coach at the University of Minnesota.
Here are 8 Fleck-isms that will help you improve your sports broadcasting career.
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Considering giving up your sportscasting dream? Do this first
Years ago, someone came to me seeking encouragement to not give up his sports broadcasting dream. He was five years out of college, doing high school play-by-play on a small AM/FM combo in the Midwest. He thought for sure he’d be broadcasting college sports by this time. His parents and his new bride were suggesting he consider a career where he could earn more money.
This is the advice I gave him . . .
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