The Epitome of Sportscasting

In the sports world, there are many broadcasters who are able to break into the business as former sports starts with many accolades. Then there are those broadcasters who aspire right from the get go to become sportscasters. Bob Costas is one of these sportscasters. Born in Queens, New York, Costas attended the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. During his time at Syracuse, Costas became an announcer for a minor league hockey team, the Syracuse Blazers. Despite never graduating, he was able to secure a job as the play by play announcer for American Basketball Association team the Spirit of St. Louis. After two other brief stints at KMOX radio in St. Louis and WGN-TV doing play by play for the Chicago Bulls, Costas joined the NBC network, where he is still employed, in 1980. Costas has also hosted “On the Record with Bob Costas”, a celebrity and sports star centered hour long program, as well as “Inside the NFL” and “Costas Now”, another interview segment show. From football to baseball, basketball (college and professional) to hockey, and even the highly coveted Olympic Games, Costas has been there with the call. He has proved to his viewers time and time again that he is the face of sports broadcasting. His knowledge and ability to articulate play by play for almost every sport makes him the most versatile voice in sports. Bob is a shining example of having to start off small in the business. His example is a good one to follow. Even if I decide to not do on air sports, starting out small is a good idea for my career. I’ve always admired and looked up to Costas, along with his versatility and presence. Much of what I have learned about sports and certain jargon have come from watching Costas’ broadcasts. Being extremely conversational is a key part of his broadcasts and a big part of what I try to include in mine. It’s one thing to just read sports; it’s a totally different thing to understand and convey it to your viewers. Costas’ broadcasts are so well crafted that someone with absolutely no knowledge of the sport could understand. That element is a must in sports. Costas also puts feeling and emotion into his broadcasts. This isn’t just reading news; it’s a sportscast. Yes, there are newsy parts of sports, but for the Olympics, World Series, Super Bowl, etc. there has to be feeling and emotion. It’s the rush of the game. As a person who aspires to work in sports, I’d love to meet Costas and ask him where he acquired the knowledge on all the sports he’s commentated and how he generates the emotion for every single sport. I feel like watching a sportscast from him would give me many ideas on how to greatly improve my own. It is my hope that I can follow Costas’ example of solid and enthusiastic sportscasts to build my own career.