“The Art” refers to the creative expression of feelings and speech reflected by a play-by-play announcer calling any game. To the listening public, it may seem easy with little or no stress. Of course, it should be that way; but without training, experience and preparation, the mission will fail.
Today, the focus is to accentuate the nuances of calling play by play while sharing my success over 57 years behind the Mic at courtside or within the press box.
This time of year, basketball is in full swing and baseball is counting the days until opening day.
Across America, Radio and TV is in overdrive covering the games while bringing to you the very essence of each snap, dunk or homer.
Certainly, you can assume that behind the Mic, there are solid pro’s and then – there are amateurs who bring the game to you in some manner.
If a solid pro is calling the game, you can hear it and you can feel it. You just know.
When my broadcast career began in1961, I was playing the hits on radio like all DJ’s, however, I began to really notice and appreciate the level of professionalism from the play – by – play guys calling the high school games and wondered how in the world do they do it all?
My opportunity came in 1965 and through the next 25 years I was calling high school games on radio and cable TV.
Then, it was onto pro sports when I became the Voice of the Huntington Cubs – a Chicago Cubs minor league affiliate in1993 and 1994 and later joining veteran pro Keith Elkins to call the Lexington Legends.
By 2006, I teamed up with fellow Hall of Famer Denny Wright for the radio call of Northern Kentucky University’s Men’s and Women’s basketball for 7 seasons and for 5 more seasons at Thomas More University calling “Saints on Radio.”
In 2008, I was honored and privileged to have called the play – by – play of the NCAA DII Women’s National Championship game from Kearney, Nebraska where the NKU women defeated South Dakota for the title – 63-58.
In 2016, my broadcasting play by play career continued not at the game, but as a faculty instructor at Cincinnati’s Ohio Media School as well as joining the staff’s Advisory Committee.
So, to the classroom I would be in addition to calling Thomas More Football on our “Saints – On – Radio” broadcasts with my partner Denny Wright. This combination kept me very busy.
My class encompassed and focused on – The Fundamentals and Execution of Play by Play for Baseball, Basketball and Football.’
The students were enamored by the excitement of becoming a play-by-play announcer while learning key fundamentals and the 15 commandments of survival:
• Know the Game, do your “preps,” expand your vocabulary, sports terminology, research and development, learn to call the game while working from a scorebook or charts.
• Develop your own style, be yourself. Be prepared. Learn how to keep score but create that “EDGE” which gives you more information that anyone does or has.
• Be aware of the importance of the “Tools of the Trade” such as – pens, highlighters, calculators, batteries, bottle of water, equipment, charts, any needed meds, Tylenol or aspirin, white out etc. Look at these as the necessities of ‘Your Office.’
• Accept the honor and prestige of representing your team or company when sitting at courtside or in the press box.
• Remember, your attire reflects not only you, but your employer. Dress like a pro. No coat or tie is necessary, unless you are ordered to comply. Sports Gear with your team’s logo is fine.
• Be yourself. You will naturally want to emulate your favorite announcer. Develop your own style.
• Learn all you can. Have a great appetite for learning more. Ask questions to the pros and veterans. Keep up with the annual rule changes.
• It’s imperative to learn how to keep score. Do not rely totally on game time stats.
• Record your games and critique yourself. Work on your diction. Excitement breeds vocal reaction. Nothing worse than a screaming announcer blowing out the VU meter.
• Keep sarcasm to yourself. On the air is NOT the time for the court of appeals to convene.
• Be articulate, as mentioned earlier – do your homework. Coming to the game UNPREPARED is a cardinal sin.
• If you are working SOLO, it’s you and you alone. Improve your self-reliance and troubleshooting skills. You will need it. Upon arrival at the game, you should know both teams inside and out and be ready to go.
• On the road, expect problems with no telephone line or WiFi. You may encounter the unavailability of working space. You could be working from the bleachers, stage or even outside the press box.
• Always check your equipment bag BEFORE you leave, double check for duct tape, power strips. Extension cords etc.
• Be prepared for “Murphy’s Law”. Know what it is and how it can and will affect your game.
My students not only learned the classroom requirements, but also that of actually being in the field to call a weekly game and subsequently review performance on Monday.
This is where I used an old Chinese proverb that tells it all:
TELL ME, I FORGET
SHOW ME, I REMEMBER
INVOLVE ME, I UNDERSTAND.
By 2022, I moved on to ESPN+ to call Ohio Valley Conference games at Morehead State University, the pinnacle of my long years of experience.
When calling college sports, on Game Day you will receive compliments of the University’s Sports Information Director – a ton of information on both teams involved.
I found out quickly by receiving it all on Game Day required highlighting the information of many different pages. If needed while on the air, you had to go page to page to find the needed information.
This took time and the game waits for no one.
So, I created a very special score book that contained space for every needed facts, color coded it all, and then whatever information I needed, it was available at just a glance at the book.
For Football, the same system was used on the game charts. This necessitated much more preparation of fact searching days before the game.
There’s an adage we should never forget – “Necessity if the mother of invention.”
December 22, 2022, I called the last game of my career at Morehead State for ESPN+. I had celebrated my 84th birthday in November, and it was becoming apparent to me, I was losing my edge and my skills were slowing down.
At that time, it was a good bet I may have been one of the oldest play-by-play announcers calling Division I NCAA basketball. Brent Musburger and Vern Lunquist at that time were both 83.
The curtain came down that rainy night in Morehead. The long drive back to Florence gave me plenty of time to evaluate where my career was and the years that created it all.
Today’s column touches only some of the very key facets of the profession. I hope it may help someone along the way with their dreams of building a great career.
One thing I will never forget – there’s nothing like “GAME DAY!”
Mike Tussey has “retired” from a 60-plus-year career as a legendary play-by-play announcer for over 2000 football, baseball, and basketball games, including most recently for ESPN+. His career also includes a stint in law enforcement, teaching and coaching, and writing books, including the “Touchdown Saints.” He grew up in Eastern Kentucky and now lives in Florence with his wife, Jo. He has opened another “Door of Opportunity” and is now a regular columnist for the NKyTribune.