Behind the Voice

Growing up, I always had such an admiration for sports but it went much deeper than the game. I fell in love with the presentation, the pregame, the hype and everything that went into putting on the show. I was especially fascinated by the broadcasters, legends like Al Michaels and Mike Emrick, who were able to enhance the incredible moments within the game. I loved their ability to make something memorable, with calls that will echo on into the future for generations to come. I wanted to be that person. Someone who could be welcomed into living rooms, cars, headphones, or whatever it may be, to paint the audience a picture. One uniquely developed by each listener through my emotions, tempo, tone and more. This is when “the dream” was conceived.

It’s always great to have a dream, but the exciting thing about life is you can never predict the journey to get there. I remember my papa took me to the Basketball Hall of Fame when I was young, and they had a hands on station where you could voiceover some of the most iconic plays in NBA history. So that’s what I did, and I vividly remember the employee complimenting me and saying I was going to do something special in the industry one day. My papa reminds me of that moment to this day, and I wish I could track down that employee and thank him for giving me my first words of encouragement.

I can also recall playing mini sticks, wiffle ball, or driveway hoops with my brother and cousins in our youth and commentating the games as we played, substituting our names for those of our favorite athletes. The games were very competitive, and it would be no surprise for a brawl to break out, ending the game in tears, but we’d be right back at it tomorrow. In a crazy way, it feels like all those emotions, highs, lows and great memories with the ones I love most have helped me develop my style as a broadcaster. The world of “pretend” is a special thing, and without the wonderful childhood and upbringing I had to be able to harness these aspirations and visions I’m not sure what I’d be doing today.

But still I didn’t have a public stage to showcase my talents, and the events that led me to my debut are definitely something that I think speak to my character to this day. My sophomore year of high school I was cut from the JV basketball team, the first time in my life I’d not made a team I went out for. To be fair, I wasn’t great at basketball, but it still devastated me. After a day or two of sulking I had an epiphany. The high school had a local station and youtube that broadcasted all varsity sports. They needed a voice. I could be the guy. So I took action, turning a negative into a positive. Pairing up with one of my best friends, Brennan McLoughlin, together we became the voices of Spartan Football, Basketball and Hockey. After a few games, it almost felt like we had turned into local celebrities. Parents, teachers, peers and friends would all approach us and complement our broadcast while encouraging us to keep going. The support we received from the community undoubtedly propelled me forward, and I had gotten my first taste of what it was like to take the listener on a journey through my words. The fulfillment I felt was something I knew I wanted to chase as a career, and not everybody is fortunate enough to have a chance to do so.

I knew I wanted some sort of tag line to conclude my broadcasts with, and it was sitting in front of me the whole time. So I invite you to join me, and Always Remember to Live the Dream.