How to Become a Sports Announcer

Education

Research the field. Before you pursue any formal education, do enough research to know what you can expect from this career field. Check into your expected duties, work environment, expected pay, and job outlook. Most sports announcers are either play-by-play announcers, talk show hosts, or sports anchors. Your duties may require you to announce plays, provide commentary, and interview guests. You must have thorough knowledge of the rules, terminology, and history of various sports. Most announcers work in radio and television studios. Some may stay in studio, but many must travel to game sites. You could also be a part-time or self-employed announcer. Expect to work long hours since you may need to be at work before, during, and after games. The median annual wage for announcers as of May 2012 was $28,020, and the job outlook is expected to remain competitive through 2022.

Start learning as early as possible. If you're reading this while in junior high or high school, you can start preparing now. Look for extracurricular courses dealing with computers, public speaking, communications, English, and foreign language. On an informal level, start familiarizing yourself with sports terminology and history. You should also watch and listen to popular, professional sports announcers. Observe their style and skills; take notes, so that you have a document to reference as you develop your own announcing style.

Get a bachelor's degree. While not strictly necessary, this is a fairly competitive career field, and having a four-year Bachelor of Arts will greatly improve your odds of finding work as a sports announcer. Get your degree in an applicable field. Journalism, Mass Communication, and Broadcasting are your best bets. If possible, look for a program that allows you to concentrate in broadcast journalism or sports communication. Through the program, you can expect to learn about audio production, mass media, broadcast journalism, media writing, and communication law. Aside from the broadcasting skills you'll learn through your major, you should also study ethics, sports business, sports entertainment, and the social role of athletes. Liberal arts colleges can be a good place to start, but you might also want to look into broadcasting school or technical school, since these schools may offer programs that are more heavily concentrated on the skills you need.

Experience

Gain experience through your high school. Just as you should start your education as early as possible, you should also start your work experience as early as possible. Many high schools have student newspapers. Some even have small TV programs or morning announcers. Try to get involved in as many of these activities as possible. Ideally, approach these activities from a sports angle. Offer to cover games for your school's newspaper or do the Monday morning sports recap during over the P.A. system. If you cannot do these activities from a sports angle, however, you should still take part as able. The skills you will learn as a reporter or broadcaster can still benefit you. You should also look for chances to call the action at youth sporting events, whether those events are through your school system or simply within the community.

Gain experience through your college. While only a few high schools will provide you with the opportunity to do sports announcing on TV or radio, most substantial colleges do offer those opportunities. A college or university with a large communications department may have a mock television studio and a radio station. If you are part of that department, your chances of being accepted to work through that studio or station are already better than those of an unrelated student. Note, however, that you will likely have competition. You will need to demonstrate a consistent level of skill within the classroom if you want your professors and advisers to recommend you for work at the university station or studio. Student newspaper is also a good avenue for gaining experience.

Complete an internship. While you're still in college or broadcasting skill, search out internships with local television studios, radio stations, and newspapers. This sort of experience can be even more valuable than experience gained at a college studio since you will be able to see how a professional station operates. Find out if your college or broadcasting school has a department focused on student career services. That department might be able to help you find an appropriate internship. Internships are also a good chance to begin networking. Even if you are unable to do much actual announcing work, you will be able to meet professional contacts within the field of sports entertainment. Staying on good terms with these contacts can help you break into the industry after graduation.

Run your own podcast or blog. In the current age of the Internet, you can get yourself noticed using less traditional methods of experience. Internships and formal work experience are still preferable and should be obtained if at all possible. If you have time and dedication enough, however, try supplementing these experiences by running your own sports show. Put out the best quality you are able to put out. If you do not have a good microphone but have a little web designing skill and impressive writing skills, start up a sports blog. If you have an adequate microphone but are unable to put a set together, run an audio-only podcast. If you have the resources to run your own moderately impressive video show, however, aim to do that. Focus your sports show or blog on the aspect of the field you are most interested in. If play-by-play announcements are your thing, do play-by-play recaps. If commentary is more your style, however, include plenty of that. Take your digital presence into the real world. Offer to cover local community sporting events on your blog or podcast, or even offer to call plays in person when applicable. Interview community athletes and those involved in local athletic programs.

Create a demo tape. As you gain experience, compile a demo tap of your most impressive audio and video clips. These clips should show you doing your best work at sports announcing and broadcasting in general. If possible, take your demo tape to an academic adviser or broadcasting professional you have already networked with. Ask that individual for an honest critique. Refine your demo tape as much as possible. When you think it is presentable, you can begin sending it out with your resume as you apply for work within the field.

Do a little of everything. As a general rule, you should gain roughly 10,000 hours of experience before you head out into the real world for your first official job. Gain experience in different aspects so that you can be sure of which niche to sink into. Try being a play-by-play announcer as well as an anchor and reporter. Do on-air work as well as behind the scenes work. Learn to edit and set up the lighting. Work with a variety of sports, including everything from men's football to women's lacrosse.

Breaking Into the Business

Go local. A big, national station will not notice you right away. Your better option is to turn to a smaller, local station or studio. Local TV news programs and local radio station that cover sports are usually your best options. A station you worked for as an intern can be a good place to start, especially if your supervisors gave you nothing but positive reviews. Don't be surprised if you do not have an on-air role for your first job or so after graduation. If you have enough experience before you graduate, you might be able to land an on-air role immediately. Chances are, though, you will need to assist with behind the scenes work for a few years before you can advance, even at a local station.

Network. Within the field of sports announcing and broadcasting, who you know is just as important as what you know. If you want to land your dream job, you will need to know people within the industry who can help guide you there. The best way to make contacts is simply to be involved and energetic at every job opportunity you have in the field of sports broadcasting. Do your job well, and do it in a way that makes people see how eager you are to advance. A positive attitude will catch the attention of your higher ups more than a dull or negative attitude will. Once you make a contact, keep that contact. That individual's current position may not make him or her especially valuable in terms of career advancement, but you have no way of knowing where that person might be in five years and how he or she could help you then. You should also attend conferences and similar events geared toward sports announcers or broadcast professionals.

Climb your way up. Climbing your way up in this industry can take quite some time. With enough talent and persistence, you can find your way onto the national stage, but you need to be prepared for a lot of hard work without any guarantee of major success. You will likely begin your career in a non-broadcasting position. Expect to find work as a reporter, equipment operator, or production assistant. If your talent is noticed, you might be offered work as an on-air announcer or broadcaster. As your work at smaller stations gets noticed, larger stations may come to notice you, as well.