My Dream Job: Sports Broadcasting

I love waking up every Sunday and getting ready for kickoff. I love walking into a full stadium buzzing with anticipation. I love watching replays of slam dunks, home runs, and ferocious tackles on ESPN Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays. I love all of these small moments in sports, and because of moments like these, sports have become a monumental part of my life. My sports fanaticism began at a very early age. Three days after I was born, the Houston Rockets won their first ever NBA championship. There is a picture of me in a car seat, three days old, in front of the television in a Rockets hat.  From that moment forward I have been passionate about the team and about all sports in general. In order for athletes to be successful at the professional level, they must put in countless hours of practice, dedicate all of their attention to their sport, and most importantly, they must be born with a gift of extraordinary talent. At some point, I unfortunately had the realization that despite all my efforts I could not achieve that goal. Nearly every little boy dreams of playing professional sports, and I was no different; however, I could not just let go of my dream and let it fade away so easily. My days of participating in competitive sports came to an end after my senior year, but just being a spectator is not enough. I have discovered a new dream job that allows my life to continue to revolve around sports: sports broadcasting. As a freshman I began to submit articles to both my school online newspaper as well as a local newspaper in Houston. I have covered several different sports teams and players at my school. I also broadcasted the school basketball games live via the Internet. Over the past couple of years, I have attended camps and conferences to help hone my sports writing and broadcasting skills. I used those skills to begin a more concrete program at my high school that had no radio or TV station, and worked with the administration to make more opportunities for kids like myself. I began a program with the support of the administration and other students at my school to consistently film and broadcast all of the basketball home games live on to the Internet. I also helped start and run social media accounts to give live updates of school sporting events and other activities on Facebook and Twitter. I believe that sports are unique because the ideals can be applied to real life, yet at the same time they help distract us from real life problems. Sports involve many significant qualities such as responsibility, teamwork, discipline, passion, persistence, and humility. A player in the batter’s box or on the free throw line is held accountable for his own actions. One person, however, cannot win a game without the help of his teammates. Hard work and enthusiasm are essential to success. All of these values are equally important on and off the field. For me, the best part about sports is that they can temporarily divert our attention from our everyday struggles. No matter how roughly life is treating me, sports will always come to the rescue. Mondays don’t seem so blue when Monday Night Football awaits. A difficult day at school disappears after a walk-off homerun in extra innings. Even after the terrorist attacks of September 11, the Yankees dramatic World Series run was able to rejuvenate a devastated city and nation. The magical world of sports has so much more meaning than just a game to me, and that is why I want to devote my entire life to this field.