During the eight years that I did radio sports reports, I didn't think about the athletes whose accomplishments I was touting--not in the moment, at least. I didn't know them, they weren't in my age bracket, and I hadn't attended their games. Even if I had attended their games, I would have felt much of anything. I wasn't on the field, and the players weren't my relatives, friends, or kids. And yet...
...I always did my best to sound upbeat and congratulatory on the air. When a football player scores multiple touchdowns every week, why not say, "With all the predictability of a sunrise, (So-and-so) led the scoring for (his team) by running in four TDs?" When a softball pitcher throws one shutout after another, why not say, "(So-and-so) pitched her fifth straight shutout of the season?"
Sometimes, when broadcasting prep sports achievements, I'd think back to how good it felt to have newspaper recognition that I'd made it into various high school orchestras. I thought about how satisfying it felt to have my writing, especially my humor columns, published in the school paper and receive positive feedback. I felt on top of the world at those times--just as the football player running in touchdown after touchdown and the softball pitcher who didn't allow other teams to score must have felt. I was blessed with my abilities, and those students were blessed with theirs.
Why not tout those achievements on the radio? After all, who doesn't like to hear someone say, "Job well done?"
