The field of sports broadcasting better watch out, because Brian Goudsward will be throwing his hat into the ring after this year.
Goudsward is a senior at Montclair State University and his dream is to become a sports broadcaster, particularly as a play-by-play announcer for a major television network, like CBS or FOX, covering baseball or football.
Goudsward said that his interest for sports broadcasting developed after following professional sports over the years and enjoying the atmosphere of the games.
He is currently a sports talk show host on WMSC Radio. His show, Stickin’ to Sports, airs every Saturday afternoon from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Goudsward has interviewed several professional sportscasters on his show in the past. They include Kenny Albert, son of legendary broadcaster Marv Albert; Ken Rosenthal, a reporter for Major League Baseball on FOX; Buster Olney, an insider for Major League Baseball on ESPN and Kevin Burkhardt, a play-by-play announcer for MLB and National Football League on FOX. Others include Adam Rubin, who covers the New York Mets for ESPN.com; Chris Lopresti, the New York Jets beat reporter for WFAN and Ian Eagle, the play-by-play broadcaster for the Brooklyn Nets on the YES Network and National Football League on CBS.
“Brian is really great,” said Sam Romano, Sports Director at WMSC. “He’s so good at what he does and he’s very knowledgeable. You can ask him about any stat from any player five years ago and he would know who it was. He’ll cover any Red Hawk game and know every stat. He’s really passionate about sports broadcasting and I love it. He knows his stuff and is great to work with.”
Goudsward’s radio show was a National Finalist for the best sports talk college radio show in the nation and he finished in the Top 10 at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Conference this past March.
“When you listen to him, it’s magic. It’s incredible and I am so proud of where he is today and where he’s going,”said Silas Kezengwa, former Station Manager of WMSC. “Brian Goudsward is going to be one of the best sports media broadcast journalists out there.”
Goudsward’s résumé at WMSC doesn’t end there. He is also a broadcaster and has done play-by-play calling and color analysis of Montclair State’s basketball and baseball teams.
“It’s great, especially for someone like me who likes sports, to balance doing the classwork, getting to be there, and getting to announce the games, play-by-play and color analyzing,” Goudsward said. “It’s been great, especially with great experiences, like going with the women’s basketball team to Michigan for the Final Four, so I’ve had a lot of fun.”
G
oudsward is currently taking a football radio production class that teaches students production techniques that are required when preparing for a college football radio broadcast. He also did the play-by-play calling of the Montclair State football home opener against Salisbury University on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015.
“I’ve been working with Brian for about a year and the whole experience has been fantastic,” Sean McChesney, Assistant Sports Director for WMSC, said. “Brian’s a true professional, he’s a great guy, he cares, he’s very knowledgeable and knows what he is doing. We did football play-by-play for the first time [on Sept. 19] and he was awesome. Brian takes everything seriously. We love having him around and he’s done great work for us.”
Goudsward attended the Ian Eagle-Bruce Beck Sports Broadcasting Camp the past two summers and most recently had an internship with News 12 New Jersey in the sports department for the 2015 fall semester.
He also auditioned in the 2015 WFAN Fantasy Phenom Contest in New York this past February and his topic was previewing the upcoming New York Mets’ season.
Goudsward credits two influential icons that helped to fuel his interest for sports broadcasting. They include New York Mets’ play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen of SNY and Eagle.
He acknowledged that although it will take time, he vows to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal by starting out small and slowly working his way towards his dreams.
“I was actually the Sports Director at the radio station and [Brian] was one of the only people on there with me when I took over the team,” Cat Barnett, a friend of Goudsward, said. “He’s the nicest kid in the world and really knows what he is good at.”
As he enters his final semester at Montclair State, Goudsward offered words of advice to any high school or college students who are interested and aspiring sportscasters: “Get involved in as many things as you can. The radio station is a great opportunity,” he said. “Anytime you get the opportunity to do anything, be the first to be available, get there on time, prepare to do the work [because] a lot of preparation goes into it. If you get a lot of experience, you make yourself well-rounded.”
