Justin Barbosa does what is necessary in pursuit of his sports broadcasting dreams. For four years he’s been working full-time as a manual laborer while doing play-by-play on the side. “There were days I just felt exhausted, heading straight from work to the games — even at times where I was in my dirty work clothes. In my mind there were times I wanted to give up, but I kept pushing,” he recalls.
Barbosa’s efforts have paid off with a big step forward and full-time job. An STAA member, Barbosa is joining SportsMap Radio Network as a producer. And the position is in his hometown of Houston.
“It helps me finally get my foot into the sports broadcast/radio industry full-time, something I’ve been looking for the last couple years. It’s also going to give me the opportunity to still do play-by-play on the side every once in awhile for me to keep working on my craft.”
The SportsMap opportunity arose when the network contacted STAA looking for a sports talk host. Barbosa learned when he applied that the network also needed a producer. “I’ve been actively looking on the STAA job leads emails for the past many months. One day SportsMap Radio was the first opportunity on the list,” Barbosa recalls. “With the job being within the city I live in, I had to jump on it immediately.”
Barbosa joined STAA last year after learning about it via Twitter. “I saw a fellow broadcaster/member I know get a job with help from the site,” he recalls.
“I joined because it is my dream to become a play-by-play broadcaster and I wanted to better my craft in many different ways. Subscribing has been one of the best things for me, and a true help.”
Barbosa adds, “Without STAA I wouldn’t have been able to find this job at SportsMap.”
Barbosa is a 2019 graduate of the University of Houston. His broadcasting experience ranges from play-by-play of high school games across the greater Houston area, to Prairie View A&M men’s and women’s basketball and pro-am hoops. Barbosa, though, yearned for full-time work in sports broadcasting.
“Frustration grew, but I kept looking even at my lowest point. That’s my advice to [other sportscasters] — keep pushing even when times seem the hardest. You’ll find a way.”