Courtesy The Sports Commentary

(October 6, 2010) This week, The Sports Commentary caught up with Andrew Fine, who oversees a roster of 45+ broadcasters including current and former athletes, as the director of marketing & broadcasting at New York-based sports broadcast agency, RLR Associates, Ltd. In addition to managing the broadcasting careers for the next generation of household name broadcasters, he specializes in helping athletes make the transition from playing career to broadcasting. Prior to joining RLR, Andrew worked in Boston in philanthropic sports marketing for a variety of athletes, including Paul Pierce, Nomar Garciaparra, and Anna Kournikova.

TSC: Your broadcasting talent roster includes many current and former athletes. In your experience working with athletes, what are the common challenges they face when making the transition from their sport to the broadcast booth?

AF: The biggest challenge an athlete faces when working to become a broadcaster is that most times they are starting from scratch on a new career. Some guys can jump right in and adapt quickly, but for others it takes longer. Learning which camera to look into, or how to deliver your point in 10 seconds takes time and practice. One hurdle I often see is an outgoing athlete with tons of personality who suddenly gets shy the moment the red light goes on. Coaxing out that personality can sometimes be difficult. With others, reigning in that personality is a challenge.

Beyond that, the one thing I think most athletes struggle with is dropping the insider terminology and explaining things in a way that the average viewer can understand. They’ve been talking about football in a language only players and coaches understand, and its tough to remember the average viewer may not get all the lingo.

TSC: For athletes who have their sights on a broadcast career after they retire, what advice would you have for them in terms of preparation?

AF: Much like any job, a career in broadcasting requires preparation. Very few athletes are naturally gifted enough to immediately become a successful broadcaster without any prior experience in front of a camera or behind a microphone. The first question a network executive usually asks me regarding an athlete making the transition to broadcasting is “what kind of experience do they have” or “do you have any tape?”. There are so many chances to do broadcasting work while still playing, including digital, regional sports networks and guest spots on ESPN. It’s almost expected that by the time an athlete is ready to be a full-time broadcaster, they already have on-camera experience.

Unless you’re a Hall of Famer, most athletes have about a year after they retire to break into the business. After that, the networks aren’t as excited about them and begin to focus on the newest wave of retirees. If a player doesn’t have any experience by the time they retire, it may be tough to get that first job. But if they’ve spent a couple of years doing even a few spots, they can hit the ground running. A weekly radio show or weekly local TV spot is a great way to get on-camera experience, and most of the local networks are eager to work with current players. In addition to the experience, it’s a great way to get footage to create a reel of their work that can be handed to a network. If the networks can see what you’re already capable of and that you are experienced on camera, they will be much more comfortable putting you on air right away.

Another reason it’s important to get practice early on is that it creates introductions to producers who will be making the hiring decisions down the road. Like any type of networking, people tend to hire the people they know and have worked with before.

TSC: What do you say to a top athlete who believes his name alone will land him a job on the air?

AF: A name alone will certainly open the door and get a network interested, provided the name is big enough. But to have longevity, you still have to be prepared to work. There is so much to learn about what it takes to be a broadcaster; how to find the camera, how to make your point concisely, finding your broadcasting voice, etc. The only way to do that is through constant repetition. A wide receiver doesn’t wake up one day knowing how to run a perfect 15 yard post route. It takes lots of practice. Broadcasting is the same way, the more repetitions you do, the better you’ll be at it. For a top athlete who is already coming in with name recognition, their name may get them an appearance or two to begin with, but if they want to be a star, they need to practice as much as possible. And if you’re a top athlete who comes in with a couple of years of experience, even just on local TV, you can make the networks’ decision to hire you that much easier. There have been several well-known athletes who had no existing broadcasting experience, but were still put on national television. They struggled out of the gate, as they were learning on the fly, and in some cases it doomed their broadcasting career from the start.

TSC: A big part of your role is seeking out new personalities who have the potential to be the broadcasting stars of tomorrow. What are they key characteristics you look for when evaluating athletes who’ve had little to no experience on the other side of the microphone?

AF: The first thing I look for is an athlete who has made it clear this is something they want to be doing. Becoming a good broadcaster is hard work, and we invest a lot of time helping our clients not only find opportunities, but fine tuning their craft. We want to make sure they are sure they want to invest the time. And for what it’s worth, so do the networks. They don’t want to spend a year training a guy to find out that he’d rather be doing something else.

Beyond that, the things I think everyone looks for are personality and presence. Sports broadcasts are entertainment, and while it’s important that the broadcasters properly inform you on what’s going on, viewers also like someone who will be funny, engaging, and will say something unexpected every once in awhile. You can always “coach em up” as they say, but personality can’t be taught.

TSC: Can you share your thoughts on which current athletes should seriously consider broadcasting careers in the future?

AF: There are a lot of guys out there who could be great at it, and some of them are obvious. Chad Ochocinco comes to mind, as does a guy like Grant Hill. But there are other guys who may not be “superstars” who would also be successful. Shane Battier would be great in my opinion. He’s well spoken and is known both for his play as a pro and in college. In hockey, Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings would do a good job. He’s played for a long time in the league, so he’s got a lot of stories and relationships he could utilize. In the NFL, I think Tony Gonzalez could be a star from day one. He seems to have the perfect mix of name recognition and personality. Hines Ward and Justin Tuck are guys I’ve seen on camera who have good personalities and could bring a lot to the table. In baseball, a guy like Nick Swisher would be fun to watch. He’s a big personality, and of course playing for the Yankees doesn’t hurt. I also think Barry Zito has good appeal. Kind of a different personality, but obviously has credibility as a player too.

Ultimately though, I think anyone who has an interest and enough credibility as an athlete can be a successful broadcaster. Some of the best guys in the business are players who certainly weren’t household names when they started. If a player makes the effort to get experience and coaching while they are still playing, there will always be opportunities to leverage that into a full-time broadcasting career upon retirement.

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