Jack Bradbury
4/2/25
Sports Media
Dr. Nabors
What I’ve Learned
This chapter encompassed some crucial aspects involved in what producing requires for
overall success in the sports media world. What stuck out to me immediately was Zumoff’s
analogy for captaining a ship properly, as it takes avid preparation to analyze the future of “the
voyage”. If I ran my own segment on a podcast, my main focus would be viewer retention. This
will not only be done during and towards the end of my podcast but also to make viewers
consistently tune in when future segments are created. To do this, I would dedicate a lot of time
to researching various stats as well as news segments I deemed relevant for the show. If there
were a juicy topic or reputable signing, I’d keep it close to the end of my show to keep my
viewers on their toes. It’s also important to mention adequately compiling a crew of positive
minded individuals that will have your back through uncertainty and turmoil. Referenced on
page 194 of the text, “you might have all the great ideas and plans worked out, but if you alienate
your crew, you will have less success in the long-run”. This is a crucial piece of information that
contributes to your reputability. I observe a lot of this unity on the Pat McAfee show. There is an
underlying respect and desire for cohesion within all of the supporting cast on the segment. From
that unity, we see some of the highest levels of success in the sports media world right now.
Almost every one of my friends watches that show, and it's not because they’re bored.
The next aspect I wanted to pivot towards was having aspects of familiarity with your
crew and group. I always wondered why groups of producers and announcers remained coupled
together, but as my knowledge in the sports media world has increased I understand it clearly
now. Page 194 goes into this aspect in more detail: “The preference is to have a crew that is as
consistent as possible. This allows for familiarity between the technical crew and the producer
and director that leads to easier set-ups and less confusion about what is expected week-to-week.
Many crews remain together for several years”. When you’re in a consistent groove, especially
week-to-week in a production setting, keeping your mojo is crucial. Even a slight change of pace
can completely distract you and what remains of the crew. I imagine this is why the majority of
ESPN and FOX crews remain together for a while. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
The last subject that I deem of relative importance for this chapter would be the
conversational relationship with your on-air talent. I know that I always feel more comfortable
during conversations and debates with people I have personal relationships with. On page 196,
the book states, “ Especially in situations where time is an issue, free flowing discussions, even if
they may involve passionate arguments, give the producer and talent a chance to communicate
effectively”. When I debate with colleagues of mine, this sentiment is shared completely. There’s
less overall pressure knowing that the individuals you’re working with have a sense of where the
direction of your opinion is going. While passionate arguments are a possibility they don’t
distract but rather properly mesh the substance of the segment. I used to observe this consistently
when I watched Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco’s podcast, as those two love a passionate
debate while being well aware of each other’s spunky personalities. It makes for great
entertainment and even better ratings. Meshing personalities seems like one of the most
important things for overall production. Relationships, connections, and fluidity. That’s the name
of the game as long as research is paired somewhere in there, too.
Works Cited:
Zumoff, M., & Negin, M. (2022). Total Sports Media: Production, Performance and Career
Development (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429422645
YUE MAN; SYAMSUL BAHRIN BIN ZAIBON; YANGZI HU. Leveraging Crowdsourcing for
Fan-Driven Content Creation in Sports: Enhancing Engagement and Innovation. Journal of Sport
Psychology / Revista de Psicología del Deporte, [s. l.], v. 33, n. 2, p. 301–307, 2024. Disponível
em:
https://research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=23259eed-b607-32d2-8b74-b89c772b0514.
Acesso em: 2 abr. 2025.
0
