By Eric Stann
March 16, 2026
Contact: Eric Stann, [email protected]
Photos courtesy of John Anderson
Later this week, the sounds of March Madness return to the airwaves, together with the acquainted calls of play-by-play giants Kevin Harlan and Ian Eagle. At the University of Missouri School of Journalism, a small group of college students might be listening intently — however for causes far completely different from the common fan.
They’re listening to study.
For these college students, each name, cadence and second between the motion is half of a deliberate effort to construct the expertise behind one of sports media’s most demanding specialties: play-by-play asserting.
Earlier this month, the college students met just about with Sean McDonough, the longtime play-by-play voice on ESPN whose profession spans iconic calls throughout faculty {and professional} sports. The practically hourlong session supplied college students a uncommon, behind-the-scenes have a look at a career they hope to enter sooner or later.
And McDonough’s insights had been simply the starting.
Next month, the college students will meet with Gus Johnson, identified for his unmistakable high-energy model and skill to raise the greatest moments in sports. Dave Hunziker, BJ ’88, the longtime play-by-play voice at Oklahoma State University, is additionally on the schedule.
These visits are being organized by John Anderson, BJ ’87, the Leonard H. Goldenson Endowed Chair in Radio and Television Journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Many know Anderson from his 25 years anchoring ESPN’s SportsCenter, however this semester, he’s opening doorways for Mizzou college students by connecting them with revered play-by-play voices in the business.
“Play-by-play announcing is the art of turning unfolding chaos into coherent history — unscripted, immediate and alive,” Anderson mentioned. “It demands a prepared mind, a disciplined voice and a storyteller’s instinct to feel the moment and capture it before it passes.”
A deeper understanding of the craft
For Mizzou senior Billy Jones, the alternative offers college students centered publicity to a specialised ability set. From the dialog with McDonough, Jones walked away with a renewed appreciation for the career’s core: storytelling. The Nashville, Tennessee, native now sees that the actual work stretches far past the hours spent on air — it’s the disciplined preparation that fills the relaxation of the week.
“I’ve started thinking of the week’s preparation as the homework and the live broadcast as the test,” he mentioned. “The job isn’t just about what happens on Saturday. It’s everything I put in from Sunday through Friday that really makes the difference.”
Jones is already making use of what he’s studying. Before calling Mizzou’s video games for KCOU FM finally week’s SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, he reorganized his pregame analysis into focused segments, balancing arduous numbers with biographical and human-interest angles.
“I’m looking beyond the official media guides now — into local newspapers and podcasts — to find unique angles my regular research might miss,” he mentioned.
Play ball
Junior Matthew Gustafson’s path to the broadcast sales space started lengthy earlier than he arrived at Mizzou, however the School of Journalism rapidly solidified his ardour.
Growing up in Chicago, Gustafson as soon as imagined changing into a baseball normal supervisor. That modified in sixth grade when his father grew to become the public handle announcer for a minor league staff in Joliet, Illinois.
The ballpark grew to become his second residence — a spot the place he tossed T-shirts, labored behind the scenes and spent hours in the broadcast sales space. By the time he was in highschool, he knew the sales space was precisely the place he belonged.
Gustafson selected Mizzou to construct expertise in TV reporting, radio and writing. Like Jones, he thought the dialogue with McDonough underscored the energy of a narrative.
“Storytelling is essential for keeping an audience engaged,” Gustafson mentioned. “Whether it’s a quiet mid-inning stretch or a high-stakes moment, storylines hold everything together.”
He additionally discovered the significance of growing a definite persona with out overshadowing the motion.
“It’s a balance between authenticity and professionalism, and this session reinforced how being a well-rounded journalist — someone who can blend skill, personality and a proper understanding of what the moment needs — is what ultimately elevates a broadcast,” he mentioned.
The expertise strengthens the dream he first felt as a boy in Joliet — to name Major League Baseball video games and convey the rhythm of summer time to life for listeners. Now, Anderson and the School of Journalism are helping him construct the instruments to get there.
Finding a distinct segment
For sophomore Tanner Coerr, the expertise affords the form of hands-on studying he’s come to count on at Mizzou.
Growing up in the Washington, D.C., space, Coerr studied the rhythm of longtime Washington Nationals voice Bob Carpenter, together with the electrical energy of Harlan and Eagle. Now, he’s studying find out how to bridge classroom classes with the sensible truths of the job.
Through the conversations with business veterans, Coerr is discovering that success typically relies upon as a lot on character as on technical ability.
“I’ve learned that being likable, humble and treating everyone well — whether it’s the producers or the bosses — matters more than delivering the perfect read,” he mentioned. “People expect you to be yourself, and the audience connects with that authenticity.”
While Coerr is leaning towards a studio-focused profession, he sees play-by-play as a worthwhile secondary ability that strengthens his versatility as a journalist. He’s additionally approaching the craft with renewed precision. Anderson typically challenges college students to jot down a sentence nobody has ever heard earlier than — a deceptively easy activity that forces readability, creativity and effectivity.
“Most sports segments last only a few minutes,” Coerr mentioned. “Once the highlights and voice-overs run, I might get 30 seconds on camera. Instead of filling those moments with fluff, I’ve learned to craft one clean line that captures everything — information, tone and personality — all at once.”
As Anderson continues to deliver some of the business’s most revered voices into direct conversations with Mizzou college students, the School of Journalism is shaping the next generation of storytellers who will name the greatest moments in sports. And for Jones, Gustafson and Coerr, every new lesson is one other step towards a future the place their very own voices change into half of the soundtrack of the video games that followers love.