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Nicole Abuid

Eleanor Boudreau

ENC 2135

28 November 2017

Project One: Investigative Field Essay

Televised sports broadcasting is the behind the scenes of how sporting events, both local

and national, are on millions of television screens across the globe. Broadcasters provide live

coverage of events in order for sports fans to be able to follow the action as the event is

occurring (Teitelbaum, 16). There are a variety of positions within live sports production, each

with a specific purpose, and all of them highly essential to the overall success of the broadcast.

The positions balance one another, and whether they are in the control room (the room where the

central technical decisions for the production are made and carried out) or out on the field, they

all must be in-sync and communicate with one another in order for the broadcast to run smoothly

(Dupont, 2-5).

The positions that are of greatest interest to me are that of director, producer, and technical

director. The technical director position in particular is my top career choice. These positions are

at the top of the hierarchy of televised sports production. They are the highest paying positions

and have the most power with decision making and carrying out orders.
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I became interested in this field because I was highly involved with my high school's

television production program during my senior year. In our program, we would broadcast the

home games of our sports teams, which would then be live-streamed on our programs website.

We would thoroughly plan each live event, create a rundown to be handed out to each crew

member, arrange a pre-game meal, set up all the equipment needed, and start broadcasting half

an hour before the game started. Each game we would switch crew positions so that everyone

would get experience with each job. I loved the intensity of the atmosphere, the connections I

made with my crew, and the complete absence of a dull moment.

I decided to research the field of televised sports broadcasting, and life within it, because I

want to determine if my perceptions of the field are accurate. One of my perceptions is that the

atmosphere of the field is intense and lively. I also have the perception that you will make great

connections with others within the field, and learn new skills from those connections. I want to

discover whether the experiences I had in my high school program are similar to that of the

professional atmosphere of the career, and what I need to do to be successful within it. This

research will help me in my process of finalizing whether this career is truly right for me and

whether I will enjoy dedicating my studies and my life to it.

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Methods

I thought of Cameron Guck, my high school television production programs live event

director, as a potential interviewee for my research. Only three months after graduating from

Cypress Bay High School, he is working as a live sports production crew member of the

professional basketball team the Miami Heat, and is two months away from completing a

television production program at McFatter Technical College. As someone who is so

accomplished at only 18 years old, I knew he would be able to provide me with useful

information that he has gained through his experiences in the field thus far.

The next person I planned to interview was FSU senior Michael Hudak, one of the head

sports anchors at the WVFS 89.7 radio station. He has experience in both radio and televised

sports production, and I planned to ask him about the best and worst parts of being in this field.

The mediums of radio and television and their broadcasting of sports may have distinct

differences, but they also share many similarities. Andrew Tolson states in Media Talk: Spoken

Discourse on TV and Radio that with televised broadcasts, viewers are watching the televised

construction of the event, while with radio broadcasts, listeners are able to construct their own

version of the event. (Tolson, 111)

I also interviewed my public speaking teacher, and faculty advisor of the WVFS 89.7 FM

radio station, Dr. Misha Laurents. Due to her experiences with broadcasting, I believed that she

would be able to provide me with useful information regarding the broadcasting field and what

skills I need to be successful within it.

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The last person I planned to interview was Mark Rodin, the Executive Director of

Seminole Productions, Florida State Universitys professional production group. I knew that

because of his experiences in the control room, he would be able to give me valuable information

regarding the specific jobs within my chosen career field, such as what exactly a technical

director (TD) does.

Results

I began my research by interviewing Mark Rodin. Its very important to me to know how

difficult it will be to find work after I receive my college degree, which lead me to ask him about

the availability of jobs within the field of televised sports production. He told me that there will

always be a demand for live sports, which means that there will always be a demand for workers

in the field. He said that fans of schools expect to see their volleyball team or baseball teams

every game. So, with sports networks like ESPN partnering with colleges, it opens a new avenue

of live sports production produced by the schools in partnership with ESPN or Fox Sports. So,

there are a variety of live sports jobs these days from the college level to the network level due to

people wanting to watch sports live.

I had not thought about why games are captured live instead of being pre-recorded, until

Mr. Rodin explained to me that Sports is the one thing that people do not want to DVR. They

want to see it live so they do not get spoiler alerts of scores. People want sports when they

happen.
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I then asked my interviewees Mark, Cameron, and Michael about the best and worst parts

of being a member of the field. It is important to know what I should expect within the field,

both the good and the bad. Cameron told me that he loves being able to watch professional

players play for free, even more so because he is being paid. However, he has also heard that

eventually, it gets really old. That watching the games doesn't really do it for you anymore and

it's not really entertaining because you've been to so many and youre not focusing on the actual

game, youre focusing on what the shot is.

This is a very interesting point. Before I spoke with Cameron, I had not realized how

watching games over and over again could dilute the entire sports experience for those working

in the field. Michael Hudak had given me some insight on some other negative aspects of

working in the field which I already considered, such as having to work difficult hours and a

schedule that is different from the average person. This is because most sports games occur when

the rest of the world is off from work so that they are able to be at home or at a bar to watch

them. Despite this, he believes that the positive aspects of working in the field outweigh the

negative aspects. He says that the best part about the job is the excitement and the

unpredictability. No two days are the same, no two events are the same, and the potential for the

excitement in your job is just so evident in your day. Youre not stuck in a cubicle, and youre

not stuck to the confines of a predictable job. Their answers offered me an honest and clear

understanding of the pros and cons of being a part of the field of televised sports production.
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I wanted to gain some insight on the atmosphere of the work environment for televised

sports production. Mark Rodin explained to me that the atmosphere is dependent on the level of

experience of the crew. He said that a seasoned crew is excited and eager to put on a great

show. A student crew is nervous and hopes they dont make too many mistakes. However he

said that, in general, the atmosphere is intense and fast-paced and that in live production, you are

not focused on whats ON but on whats NEXT. He stated that we like to have fun and every

part of the team is crucial to pulling off a clean, successful show.

I aspire to be a technical director within the field of live sports production, and because of

this, I need to know exactly what a technical director does, and what skills they need to be

successful. I asked Mr. Rodin to help me gain insight on this, and he told me that A technical

director (TD) is the one who punches the buttons on the switcher. The TD takes his cues from

the Director. The director will call for the TD to do a variety of functions such as take camera

2, dissolve camera 4, insert font, etc. The TD will make sure the switcher is set up and the

functions are ready to be performed and then performs them when the director calls for them.

Through Mr. Rodin I learned that because live events are stressful, a technical director

needs to be able to work under pressure. While anyone can gain the technical knowledge to

become a TD, the harder part is programming and setting up the switcher for a show, and being

able to program the shots that a director might call for.

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In order for me to become a technical director, I would have to work as a lower position

within the field and work my way up. I asked Cameron about the prevalence of upward

mobility within the field, and he explained how in order to move up in the live events industry,

you have to show others that you are ready and willing to learn a new position. He said that as

long as you prove that you are trying your absolute best, your employer(s) will take note of that.

Employers are going to see that you are capable of putting the extra effort, and they are going to

try to help you move up.

Lastly, I wanted to find out what skills are necessary in order to be successful in my

chosen field. Besides expertise in the field, Misha Laurents told me that the most important skills

needed to be successful is effective oral and written communication. She said that a lot of other

variables are less important if u can get those two things and get them done very well. I would

also a good attitude, a willingness to work hard, and when it comes to sports work in general, the

willingness to travel.

My interviewees were all very cooperative throughout the interview process. All of the

answers that I received from them were incredibly insightful and valuable for the completion of

my research and overall essay.

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Conclusion

Through my research I discovered that the field of live event sports production is a field

based on connections you make with others, being willing to learn, and putting in the extra

effort. I learned that you will be able to succeed in this field if you are personable and outgoing,

a great team player, and have excellent communication skills. Succeeding in this field is not only

about what you know, but who you know- however, connections cannot replace skill. Life within

this field is very exciting and intense and allows you to be in an environment with a variety of

different people, each who you could learn something from. According to my research, I learned

that my perceptions of the field are real and better than I could have imagined. I am now much

more certain that I will pursue live televised sports production in my studies and my career.
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References

Cave, Martin. Sports Rights and the Broadcast Industry. The Economic Journal, vol. 111, no.
469, Features, 1 Feb. 2001. JSTOR, JSTOR.

Clapp, Brian. A Day in the Life: Producing Live Sports. WorkInSportscom Sports Career Blog,
29 June 2015, www.workinsports.com/blog/live-sports-production-day-in-the-life/.

Dupont, Albert. Teaching the Control Room. School Video News,

schoolvideonews.com/Activites-Projects/Teaching-the-Control-Room---Producer-and-
Director

Guck, Cameron. Online Interview. 22 Sept. 2017.

Hudak, Michael. Telephone Interview. 26 Sept. 2017.

Krein, Marc. If You Build It, They Will Come: Developing a Sports Media Major. Project
Muse, 2008, muse.jhu.edu/article/235861.

Laurents, Misha. Personal Interview. 19 Sept. 2017.

Lee, Minkyo, et al. Investigating the Role of Sports Commentary: An Analysis of

Media-Consumption Behavior and Programmatic Quality and Satisfaction. Journal of
Sports Media, University of Nebraska Press, 24 July 2016, muse.jhu.edu/article/626349.

Newby, Julian. Inside Broadcasting. Routledge, 1997. Career Builders Guides. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=173309&site=ehost-live.

Rodin, Mark. Email Interview. 3 Oct. 2017.

Sheffer, Mary Lou, and Brad Schultz. Double Standard: Why Women Have Trouble Getting
Jobs in Local Television Sports. Journal of Sports Media, University of Nebraska Press,
9 May 2008, muse.jhu.edu/article/237025.

Teitelbaum, Michael. Sports Broadcasting. Cherry Lake Publ., 2009.

Tolson, Andrew. Media Talk: Spoken Discourse on TV and Radio. Edinburgh University Press,
2006.-
EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=163362&site
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Whannel, Garry. Television and the Transformation of Sport. The Annals of the American
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