Launching careers during these Digital Ages; Many started with Syracuse to Northwestern

There is no statistic that accurately states the number of sportscasters in the United States, but one thing is certain, it’s a highly competitive business (as is the public relations business).

Another thing that is certain is that only a relatively few sports announcers will become network radio and television stars, but many college students will aspire to become the next broadcast voices of those networks or one of the major college or professional team jobs out there.

A new book “Sportscasting in the Digital Age: More than the Game” is a textbook that can help college students and novice broadcasters reach that level. The book is published by Rowman & Littlefield and is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and in eBook format. The author is Professor John McGuire, who after a 16-year career of covering news and sports and calling more than 300 sporting events, put down the mic to begin a career as an educator at Oklahoma State University, where he is now the Welch-Bridgewater Sports Media Chair.

In addition to going into the nitty gritty of the sports broadcasting business, the book provides valuable information that prepares the next generation of sports announcers for success.

It also features breakout sections with expert insight from leaders in the field—including Cubs announcer Pat Hughes and ESPN/ABC’s Dusty Dvoracek—and profiles of great interviewers such as the late Jack Buck and ESPN host and reporter Marty Smith. While the entire book contains information that every wanabee announcer should remember, a chapter titled “THE ‘FACE’ OF THE TEAM” was a revelation to me.

It begins by saying what I already know. That the most powerful individuals in the sports announcing business are not the big name announcers, but the little known executives who make the multi-million dollars decisions on sports rights deals and decide who should be the face of the broadcasts (My Opinion: In the book Professor McGuire writes about the power of the boardroom executives. That’s not news to those in the business, but is to most sports enthusiasts. It was the boardroom executives who demoted Greg Olsen, arguably the best football analyst on television, to the Fox B team because Tom Brady, an unknown broadcast talent, whose analysis was criticized throughout the season, nevertheless was allowed to remain on the 2025 TV Super Bowl broadcast team.)

I knew about the power of the suits, but what I didn’t know was how important the proper use of social media can help novice broadcasters become known. Professor McGuire clearly explains why young sportscasters should use social media to their advantage and tells then how to do it. In the chapter on the use of social media, Professor McGuire writes, in part, that the proper use of social media can help a novice broadcaster to begin building a brand that can advance a career. He says profiles on sites like LinkedIn and You Tube provide places for a demo reel of their work. Also social media provides platforms for networking and building relationships on which someone can provide commentary about sports happenings that can position the person as an expert.

Novice announcers are restricted to announcing high school football games, “minor league” college football, baseball and basketball games and lesser known sports on local radio and televisions stations.

“Sportscasting in the Digital Age: More than the Game” provides a road map showing how student wannabe announcers can prepare for a career in sports broadcasting and how novice announcers can advance from the minor leagues of announcing to the big leagues.

This is a book that everyone who aspires to be a sportscaster should read as well as anyone who tunes in a sports broadcast who is interested in the business of sports broadcasting.

Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller, and was responsible for restructuring, managing and playing key roles in some of the most significant national and international sports and non-sports programs. He also traveled internationally as a media adviser to high-ranking government officials. He now is a frequent contributor to public relations publications, consults on public relations projects and was on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He has been a key player on Olympic marketing programs and also has worked at high-level positions directly for Olympic organizations. During his political agency days, he worked on local, statewide and presidential campaigns. He can be reached at arthursolomon4pr@juno.com