As many of you who have perused this space over the past decade plus, you’ll know that I work in cybersecurity by day, but by night, I am a sports broadcaster and announcer. Over the past 15 years, I’ve done sports of all types. Volleyball, soccer, football, basketball, baseball, wrestling. Heck, I’ve even done a couple of lacrosse and hockey games. I’m certainly never going to be able to retire doing that side-hustle work, but it’s what really brings me joy.
And over the past few years, I’ve been able to do a ton of local work for institutions both big and small. My home school, North Kansas City, made a great district run in boys basketball this winter – losing to the ultimate Class 6 state champion, Oak Park. I did a couple of games for Missouri Valley College (not to be mistaken with the Missouri Valley Conference), and will be their regular football voice next fall. I just got done doing play by play for the Kansas Class 6A State basketball championships in Wichita where I saw Blue Valley North girls win their second title in three years, and Shawnee Mission Northwest boys win their second title in a row.
Occasionally, I’ll be asked to do a fundraiser or call bingo. There are no jobs too big or too small. But obviously, anybody who talks into a microphone would someday hope to call for a “big” team. The challenge in Kansas City is that there just aren’t that many jobs with the “big boys” around here.
I did do a Kansas City Current game last summer. But the real prestige jobs are locked up by institutions in the business. Dale Carter and Nate Herron are the voices of Arrowhead Stadium. And the amazing (Platte County resident) Mike McCartney is the voice of God at Kauffman Stadium.
All that being said, there are still places I’d love to work. I’d love to work for my alma-mater Mizzou at some point. I’ve already done several years of broadcasting and PA work at my graduating alma-mater, Park University, as well as UMKC and William Jewell. But last week, I got a call that challenged my convictions. Hell had officially frozen over.
As every good Kansas Citian knows, you’re either on one side of the Border War or the other. You’re either Black and Gold or Crimson and Blue. My allegiances have been in Columbia, Missouri since I was seven years old. And yet… the University of Kansas came calling me to do a baseball game for them this year. Maybe I would take the gig and sing the Tiger Waltz into the microphone before being dragged out of the booth. Or give the classic MIZ chant to the confused crowd below. I even thought about secretly wearing Tiger-striped socks as a form of protest.
I drove out to Hoglund Ballpark to talk into the microphone as a very talented Kansas team outlasted Oklahoma State 12-11 in 11 innings, culminating in a three-run walk off homer by senior shortstop Sawyer Smith. All told, it was four and a half hours of baseball and it was absolutely a joy to work. As I walked in, I gritted my teeth, but after I left, I was smiling. Fortunately, the music to the Missouri alma-mater song is the exact same as the Kansas song – just different lyrics. So I did hum them to myself under my breath.
Alas, I am here to report that this Tiger actually enjoyed his afternoon among the fictional Jayhawks and the crimson and blue – even if I didn’t wave the wheat. The final words in my script were a little bit hard to speak, but as a professional, I read my script with verve and zeal. “Rock Chalk.” Then, again, under my breath, a muted “ZOU.”
