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Sports columnist Red Smith wrote that sportswriting is "the most pleasant way yet devised by man to earn a living." Smith was undoubtedly qualified to voice his opinion, but I think he's wrong. Sportswriting isn't; sportscasting is. No late-night deadlines, no rewrites, no blue pencil running through your broadcast, but you'd better be as well-prepared and descriptive as the writer, and you'd better be able to produce the narrative instantly. Bob Costas said that play-by-play "isn't neurosurgery, it's a knack" and, like any other field of endeavor, there's no substitute for experience. I've been broadcasting sports play-by-play since 1985 on a virtually constant basis, and I believe --well, I know-- that the trick is in the preparation. I didn't realize that when I started out, but experience has shown me. My first sportscasting job came while I was still in college: an Auburn University baseball game (featuring Bo Jackson in the outfield) in February from the open-air bleachers. I found out quickly that it was an asset to be well-read (I graduated with a dual degree in English lit and political science) and to be prepared, and I've tried to improve both assets constantly. In August, 2002, I realized a long-time professional goal when I was named the radio play-by-play "voice" of Troy University for football, basektball, and baseball. I was entranced by listening to those Division-One play-by-play broadcasters when I was a kid, and always wanted to do it for a living, and I'm fortunate to be at a university with enormous growth potential and terrific people. I've loved it every bit as much as I thought I would. I tried to tally up the total number of play-by-play broadcasts I had done-- both radio and TV, college and professional-- and I totalled up over 1100, involving more than 125 different schools, dozens of venues, and seven competitive sports. I'm not relating that to be self-congratulatory; my point in all the arithmetic is that I've been around a bit, and have more than enough experience to bolster my confidence that I can handle just about anything: radio or TV, any sport, any broadcast condition, any broadcast emergency, because I've been through it. In 1988, for the first time, the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the state Associated Press began awarding recogntion to the best play-by-play announcer in the state, and I was fortunate enough to win it. I've won eight other AP awards in the six years in which I was eligible, in four different categories, and have worked with some of the outstanding broadcast professionals in the business. If I've gained a reputation amongst my colleagues (other than needing to maybe be a little quicker in reaching for the check), it's for being unflappable in adverse conditions, and for generally being ready: I've never gone into a broadcast unprepared in my life. I've broadcast from the Georgia Dome, the Superdome, and virtually every campus stadium and arena of consequence in the Southeast, and have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve as primary play-by-play talent on "Game-of-the-Week" TV packages with three separate collegiate conferences: the SEC, the Sun Belt, and the Atlantic Sun, and was the full-time primary play-by-play broadcaster for a leading regional sports network. Since 1997, I've also co-hosted a daily radio sports-talk show and have interviewed leading sports figures from all over the country from top sports venues, and have won awards for my interviewing and anchoring work. The gist of my career is this: I've worked in play-by-play consistently since I began my career and, I'd like to think, have improved just as consistently. I'm thoroughly conversant with the construction, pacing, content, and teamwork that go into a remote play-by-play broadcast, as well as the need for comprehensive preparation for each game. Email is the most efficient way to get in touch with me: barry@ barrymcknight.com. I'm always vigilant about checking and returning my email correspondence, and would be happy to answer your questions or supply more information as needed! |
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| Yes, that's Alex and me during a commercial break in my participation on Jeopardy! in 2004. Here's the online account |