...with Matt Park.

Preparing for a broadcast...

I never thought I'd see much in common between sportscasters and Boy Scouts. Don't get me wrong. We all dress stylishly and most have been known to pitch a tent or two. Really, though, the groups bond most closely in one mission: the commitment to Be Prepared.

You're not likely going to see Al Michaels start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, nor is Sean McDonough a good bet to win a knot-tying competition. However, these two and countless more well respected colleagues, would proudly earn and wear their preparation badges.

A well-researched note or story can make a broadcast and for geeks like us is the equivalent of a home run or touchdown. The best in the business rarely miss delivering in these situations because of their diligence in the days, weeks and years leading up to airtime.


Preparation A: Two types
For me, prep comes in at least two different types. For now, let's call them general and specific. Play-by-play broadcasters tend to talk about prep work in terms of making spotting boards and focusing on a given game and its competitors. That's preparation for a specific event. Regardless of what area of the business we're in, we all -- TV anchors/reporters, talk show hosts, print people alike -- also need have a process of general preparation that will broaden our horizons and provide us a base to work from.


Preparation B: Three rules
Resign yourself to two facts: 1) you're never going to use everything you prepare; and 2) you never know what you'll use.

The first of these guidelines reminds us to avoid the urge to spit out a story or fact during a game broadcast simply to justify the effort it took to dig it up or solely to prove how smart we are for knowing some bit of minutiae. If your prep has dug up something that's interesting but not relevant now, save it for a time that it is.
The second suggestion is the answer I give myself when I ask why I'm spending hours perusing a media guide for the extra-point percentage of a team's backup kicker. When the starter trips over the Gatorade jug and the sub shanks the game-winner, I'll be glad I had the note. (Hey, it could happen.)

Remember that the colleague that brags to you about how little work she put in or how close to tipoff he arrived is rarely going to impress you with his or her product.


Preparation C: General prep
This is about creating a routine that is going to make you at least minimally aware of what's happening in the sports world. This practice is especially crucial for talk show hosts, TV anchors and reporters and anyone else that's going to cover a broad range of events.

Chances are that if you're a hockey play-by-play guy, you won't need to know who Jan Ullrich is. But it can't hurt. Meanwhile, if you're spending the last twenty seconds of your sportscast on the Tour de France, you ought to be able to identify Lance Armstrong's closest competitor and be able to pronounce his name. Botching this could lose you credibility and viewership. Do you need to know Ullrich's accomplishments and sponsors, strengths and weaknesses? Of course not. That can wait until you sign your lucrative contract to cover the Tour.

My high school baseball coach once said, "you don't need to know everything. Just know where to find it out." If you aim to know a little bit about a lot of things, you'll find it's easier to add on knowledge in these areas later.

Some tips: Watch SportsCenter every day or at least have it on in the background while you're eating breakfast or getting dressed... As often as possible, read USA Today, your local newspaper and the top 10 list at sportspages.com... Give a quick scan of the sections other than the sports and comics and -- from the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do department -- occasionally read a book that has nothing to do with sports... Know how to pronounce the names of the top 20-or-so golfers, tennis pros and NASCAR drivers... Subscribe to Sports Illustrated and at least one other publication like ESPN the Magazine, Sporting News, Baseball America, Pro Football Weekly, Sports Weekly, Time, Newsweek and more... Research the rules, traditions, history and etiquette of any sport you do play-by-play for... Grasp what's popular outside of sports by watching MTV, reading Entertainment Weekly or occasionally leaving your house.

This list could go on an on but the main point is that being well educated and well read will go a long way toward making you well prepared.


Preparation D: Specifically football/basketball play-by-play
Disclaimer: Before you read the next two sections, understand that if there was a Boy Scout badge for anal retentiveness in game preparation it would be named after yours truly. I'm infamous for computer-generated charts that include everything from basic stats and notes to a player's personal background to the coach's bio. My dull mind works a little easier when I know that a name in orange is from Syracuse and one in dark green is from Miami. Colleagues feel just as comfortable with bare-bones info and chicken scratch from a black Sharpie. The important thing is that you organize your information in a way that suits you best for studying and quick retrieval.

The starting point for my spotting boards is a Microsoft Word template that has a football offense and defense laid out on a legal-sized page. Using the team's depth chart, I'll first fill in the names of the starters and regular reserves at every position. Then, I'll match the colors of the names and numbers to those of the school. Below each player's name will be his height, weight, year, position, hometown and high school in black bolded/italicized type. Under that, skill position players and key special teams players will have their stats in red type. The rest of the box will contain items I dig up from game notes, stats packets, news articles, interviews, etc. That a quarterback went 24-for-32 with four touchdowns last week will be in blue. If he was 10-for-30 and sacked four times the previous year against this opponent, that will be in green. If I read an interesting quote about the guy, that might be reduced to one or two trigger words preceded by the coach's initials. That he's an Academic All-American as a Slavic Poetry major would be listed in black italics. Notable injuries go in bold/reversed red. Elsewhere on the chart, I'll put various team stats and notes. Lastly, the numerical roster will be cut and pasted on the left side. If all else fails, it's good to have that handy in an instant.

Basketball goes about the same way, except that the team information and stats go across the top and the players are stacked vertically. I put the starters down first in the order of point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center. The bench players follow numerically below.
Once the charts are done, I'll print them out and glue them to a manila folder. Ideally, I'll have that done a day or so before the game so that I can study it and maybe highlight the most important bits.


Preparation E: Specifically baseball play-by-play
Baseball is different than other sports in that games are every day and that a team's lineup will change daily as well.

My pre-game routine for baseball has been roughly the same for all of the hundreds of games I've done. It starts with a clean scorecard that will not only collect all of my notes for that game, but will help me record the story of the game and will serve as a historical reference for the next day, month or year.

First, I'll fill in the starting lineup for each team. Instead of using the lineups given in the press box, I prefer to copy these off the cards filled out by each manager. Not only is this more accurate, it will give me an idea of who's available in each bullpen and on each bench. All of that is put on the card in blue ink.

With a red pen, I then write down each player's stats beneath his name. I'll take pertinent notes on the starting pitcher's recent outings and background. Next to each player's name will go stats about his recent performance, hitting streaks, etc. Also, if I've gotten a story about a player, I may write down a word or two to trigger my memory if I get into it during the game. In another space on the card, I'll put the club's record, place in the standings, home/away records, extra-inning record and the like.


Preparation F: Gameday
It starts by arriving well before you go on the air. It's important to allow yourself enough time to go through final preparations but still not feel rushed and get some relaxation so that you're in a good frame of mind when you start to work.
Once I show up at the stadium or arena on the day of the game, there's generally a checklist of things I like to go through. Some are obvious, some aren't.

For instance, as the sideline reporter for Syracuse games, my job requires me to interview the head coach as he leaves the field at halftime and then hustle to the press box to host our broadcast. I make sure I plan out when and where to meet the coach and how to quickly to get back upstairs.

Whenever possible, I also like to meet with sports information directors, broadcast crews and coaches from the teams I'm covering. The chart I assembled so painstakingly during the week will now get marred with scribbled notes that I get from those conversations. It's also fun to talk with other broadcasters if only from the standpoint of camaraderie, making them feel comfortable at your place and networking.

I like to double check pronunciations, injuries, lineup changes, etc. Take in the building a little. Do you know where the scoreboards and play clocks are located? What about the weather and playing conditions? Have you gone over the broadcast plan with your color person, stage manager, producer, stat person and so on? Do you have a strategy for your pre- and post-game shows?

Last, but certainly not least, do your duty to media everywhere and eat as much free food as possible in the press room. Hit the rest room and then you're ready to roll.


Preparation G: Job Hunt
If your dream job came open this morning, would you be ready to get your resume kit on its way this afternoon? How long has it been since you spoke with your key contacts?

We rarely know when and where opportunities will come along. It's a good idea to constantly network in new areas and keep in touch with the people you already know. You'll find it's a lot easier to start a relationship with someone in down time than it is when they're accepting dozens of tapes and calls about a job.

Try to constantly refresh your resume materials, both in print and on your tape. When I make a CD to send someone, I'll often make an extra copy just in case.
Check sources like this website, trade publications and TV/Radio columns to get an idea of potential openings.


Preparation H
Thankfully not speaking from personal experience, this might come in handy after a long doubleheader on a hard press box seat. Good luck!


Matt Park serves as a host, color analyst, sideline reporter and play-by-play broadcaster for football, basketball and lacrosse on the Syracuse University Radio Network. He also provides play-by-play of the Triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs.

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