John Buccigross Informational Interview
As a Communications student, I have a very serious interest in pursuing a career
in sports journalism. Probably the most popular company in this field is ESPN. Through some connections from my high school and my father, I managed to get an interview with one of their most popular television anchors, John Buccigross. Mr. Buccigross is on the forefront of sports journalism, as he anchors the most famous sports newscast program in the entire world, ESPN’s Sportscenter. My hope was to gain some insight from him on what it takes to get into this field and what the job is like.
As mentioned before, Mr. Buccigross is a sportscaster for ESPN’s flagship program Sportscenter. He has a very simple story on how he made it to this position, and even offered some words of advice on how anyone else might do the same. “I started at a small TV station on Cape Cod reporting and anchoring on local sports before getting a job in Providence Rhode Island doing the same thing and then being hired by ESPN when I was 30… I always loved sports and I always loved the magic of television. I paid attention to the smallest details of all television at a young age… I never did an internship and never was one to make connections. I showed up to work,
worked hard and was nice to people. If you work hard and are nice to people you can go far in life.”
Becoming a sports journalist is a unique task, as it does not necessarily require the conventional methods of education and experience that some other jobs do. When I asked John his opinion on how to become a sports journalist and what it takes to get into the field he said: “Pretty much just be a hard core sports fan. Watch and read about sports. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid, so after years and years one should be able to obtain a lot of knowledge and perspective.”
A normal day for John typically goes from 5pm to 1 am. “We have a show meeting around 5pm to see if anyone has any ideas and then we start working on the show. Then we go on TV and do the show. That’s essentially it,” he told me when asked what the average work day consists of. Most of the work done by a sportscaster includes staying up to date and researching the topics that they will be discussing on the air and making sure that they are ready and able to discuss them. When asked what the most difficult thing for him personally about the job was, he responded: “Biggest challenge? Being up on all the names we need to know how to pronounce.”
Most of the skills and abilities required of a sports journalist consist of a deep interest in their topic of work, an ability and willingness to stay current on events and happenings in the world of sports, and a knowledge of how to effectively gain insight on
these topics and present them to others. As Bucci said, “knowledge and perspective” are key.
As a sports journalist, there are many different work opportunities. One can pursue prospects in the field of writing, media production, or, as Mr. Buccigross has, television and radio broadcast. Though this field is fairy recent (dating back to around the late 60’s to early 70’s), it is one that is ever growing and constantly in demand. As technology and the interest in sports grow, so do the opportunities in the field of sports journalism. Interest in the field is at an all time high and with new computer, internet, and broadcast technology, there are more mediums than ever for disseminating sports information, and that means a need for more jobs. While the field is extremely competitive, there are a vast supply of jobs in everything from production to writing to broadcasting at a variety of different levels. Many sports journalists begin their careers locally and move up to regional and sometimes even national companies, Just as did Mr. Buccigross.
When asked what the salary of a sportscaster compared to, Bucci told me “I make more than rookie special team NFL players and less than 3rd line wingers in the NHL… My favorite thing is the paycheck. This is a job first and foremost.”
The work atmosphere at ESPN is a very large campus-like office space. There are buildings with offices for a variety of the workers, anchors included, but most of their work is done on set in television and radio studios. When asked what the environment
was like, John said: “ESPN is a great place to work. It’s a big, clean, grand place that has a cultural impact… I like working with everybody. Everybody is very competitive and serious about their job.”
I think what most interests me in this career field is the passion it takes. Those who are best at it, are those who have a very strong interest in it and are very serious about that interest. It is a career built on enthusiasm, curiosity, and enjoyment of one’s employment. John said as much in the beginning of the interview when explaining to me what one needed to do to become a good sports journalist. “I always loved sports.” That is the quote that probably sticks out to me the most. His advice was centered around having a passion for something and pursuing it, and that is what I enjoy most about the field of sports journalism. What Mr. Buccigross taught me is that pursuing your passion and working hard is the best way to get a job you love. While he did give me some information on the technical side of things, such as how meetings work and what a typical day is like, I think that advice stood out to me more than anything else.