Kennesaw, Georgia | August 26, 2024
Bryce Gobert’s amateur sports broadcasting career began when he missed a tryout for his high school hockey team.
Growing up playing and watching sports on television, it was only natural that he would become passionate about sports while living in Kentucky, but a move to Chicago and missing out on hockey tryouts put his plans to continue playing on ice.
That is, until a friend approached him with a proposal.
“He said, ‘Hey, I heard you missed your tryouts. I know you love hockey and you’re in the same radio class as me. I wanted to know if you’d be interested in broadcasting games,'” Gobert recalled.
Before long, Gobert and his partner were attending every game, home and away, doing play-by-play commentary, interviewing coaches and keeping the school and community interested in hockey season. Their work even got Gobert in the press box at state championship games alongside current professional players.
After moving back to Alpharetta, Gobert and his parents began looking for a college where he could utilize his creativity and passion for sports broadcasting. That’s when his parents stumbled across the KSU Owl Network and encouraged Gobert to reach out. Eventually, Gobert mustered the courage to email the network’s director, Nolan Alexander, the summer before classes began at Kennesaw State University.
“I started working in the broadcast department at Owl Network in October 2021 and have been working hard ever since,” said Gobert, who landed an internship at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. “Now I have the opportunity to do everything imaginable that has to do with sports broadcasting and reporting.”
The KSU Owl Network is the one-stop student network for Kennesaw State University Owls sports coverage, available on ESPN+ and KSUOwls.com. Social Mediadigital radio and more, the network offers students of all majors the opportunity to produce live broadcasts, commercials, highlight reels, graphics and analyze games, said Alexander, who also serves as KSU’s assistant athletic director for communications and broadcasting.
During the 2022-23 athletics season, the KSU Owl Network aired more than 100 live events on ESPN+, YouTube and the athletics website, as well as events such as spring football games and weekly press conferences. The network drew more than 460,000 viewers for KSU home games streamed on ESPN+ and more than 22,000 views for lacrosse, softball and baseball games on KSUOwls.com.
The network provides valuable experience including inside work in the broadcast control rooms at KSU Convocation Center and Fifth Third Stadium, video editing, live replay work, creative services and sideline reporting for nearly every men’s and women’s sport at the university.
“I preach repetition,” says Alexander, whose student body has grown to about 30. “It’s no different than an athlete on the field. You have to practice to get better. Everything I do around the network is focused on experience and improvement. Whatever you do, you have to get one percent better each time.”
The network’s main goal is to help students gain work experience and enter the workforce. Students also receive mentorship from dedicated staff, many of whom are KSU Owl Network alumni. Plus, it’s an opportunity for students to explore new things, Alexander added.
In addition to Alexander leading the broadcast and network teams, Video Services Director Sanders Sullivan and Video Coordinator Brandon Bedford produce and direct network events and guide student live productions, both of whom work directly with students to prepare for game-day broadcasts, while Creative Media Director Liam Kissinger coaches students in graphic design, videography and photography, as well as providing those services himself.
All professional staff recruit interns and provide ongoing mentoring.
“These experiences build up their skill sets, resumes and portfolios that put them above those who came into the field with just a degree,” Alexander says, “and some of our students go the extra mile to gain experience beyond what we prescribe.”
Caroline Harris is one of them. The junior, a journalism and emerging media major, has taken advantage of every opportunity the network has to offer. Working primarily as a replay operator, she used to feel anxious and nervous about the quality of her work, but now she has established herself as one of the network’s top replay operators.
“When I first came to KSU, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I loved sports, specifically the Atlanta Braves,” Harris said. “Sports was simply something I understood and was passionate about. I had a friend who worked at the Owl Network and his experience really resonated with me, so I took the plunge.”
Harris started out mimicking the work of a football cameraman but was soon transferred to the control room where he learned different roles. Hungry for experience, Harris set his sights on the most “scary” role: replays.
“It can get confusing because there are so many things to do at once,” she said. “Tracking plays, creating highlight videos, adjusting camera angles, and so much more. But replays are my forte. I love it and it has improved my skills a lot.”
But Harris didn’t stop there. She’s also branched out into sideline reporting to fulfill her dream of being a major league sideline reporter. She recently traveled to Charlotte to cover the men’s basketball final game between KSU and Queens University.
“My network was so supportive that it gave me the confidence to do it,” Harris says. “They always say it’s important to gain experience and do what you want to do so you’re prepared. One thing I would never do is turn down an opportunity.”
At least one KSU Owl Network expert agrees with Harris: alumnus Jordan Griffitt, who graduated from KSU in 2021 and worked with the KSU Owl Network for more than a year as a student.
After earning his degree, he parlayed his broadcasting experience into a job with the Atlantic Sun Conference. Now a sports communications assistant and broadcaster at Kansas State University who helps mentor broadcast interns, Griffitt said the students who followed in his footsteps have only improved the quality of broadcasts.
“I can’t express to you how much my experience at this network has prepared me for life in broadcasting,” he said. “Seeing others share that experience has been just as rewarding. Our interns are incredibly passionate and the experience they have gained is beyond me.”
Those words resonated with Gobert, who is now pursuing a career as a sideline reporter or play-by-play reporter for a major network or professional team.
“I would not have had this opportunity if it weren’t for my internship with the KSU Owl Network,” he said, “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, and I don’t think there are many places in the country where you get as many opportunities as you get at Kennesaw State University.”
This article also appears in the latest issue of Summit Magazine.
– Story by Thomas Hartwell
Photo: Matt Young
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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs to more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia, which includes 11 colleges. A vibrant campus culture, diverse talent, strong international connections and entrepreneurial spirit attract students from around the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated Postdoctoral Research Institution (R2), placing it in an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.