A life-size cardboard cutout of Derek Jeter adorned the wall of Zach Berman’s childhood bedroom on the Jersey Shore. “I would wake up every morning wanting to be the next Jeter,” he recalls.
There was just one problem. “I don’t have a single athletic bone in my body, so it became clear pretty early on that I had to adjust my dreams,” Berman chuckles. “I always had a passion for storytelling and developed an eventual goal to spend my adult years sitting in a MLB press box instead of standing on a MLB diamond.”
Berman is taking the next step towards those MLB goals. He is the new Broadcaster/Media Relations Director for the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association. He learned of the opening in an STAA Job Leads+ email.
A great fit
It’s Berman’s first opportunity in full-season professional baseball. He spent two summers in college ball with the Freemont Moo and the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. Berman will graduate from the University of Missouri in May.
“As someone who loves to travel and be on my toes, working a 100-plus game season was the dream out of the gate,” Berman enthuses. “I found through my time working summer ball that I absolutely adored the lifestyle of waking up in a different city twice a week and calling baseball six nights-a-week.”
The other aspect of the Explorers job that appeals to Berman is the emphasis on social media and marketing. “I spent a lot of time during my days at Mizzou working in social media, so I felt that it was right in my wheelhouse. The Explorers job just so happens to combine the two things I love the most.”
Making changes
Ironically, an NBA internship that Berman applied for but didn’t get helped him land the Explorers position. “I asked the folks in charge of hiring [for the internship] for some constructive criticism. I got some really valuable advice on improving my resume and interviewing skills that I put to use for my pursuit of the Explorers job.”
Berman joined in 2021 on the advice of fellow Missouri Tiger and current Houston Baptist University Voice Garrett Jones. “Besides STAA being the reason I found out about the Explorers job to begin with, being able to meet other broadcasters and network with them is such a valuable experience,” Berman states.
As Berman grew up hoping to be the next Derek Jeter, an aspiring sportscaster one day might grow up wanting to be the next Zach Berman.
“I’m still a work in progress and I have a ways to go to reach where I want to be broadcast-wise, but I feel that the Explorers job can help me take that next step.”
He adds, “I can’t thank the Explorers organization enough for the opportunity.”