Anyone who knows me knows that I love basketball. I have played for as long as I can remember. Basketball has been my safe haven for most of my life. Still to this day when I want to relieve stress or clear my head I will find the nearest basket and shoot around for a while. Growing up I played in every league that my parents could find.
Basketball was instrumental in how I made friends growing up in school. I switched schools a handful of times and being the new kid is extremely hard. I made friends on teams and on the playground through a common love for the game. My dad is probably the biggest reason for my affinity towards the sport. When I was young my dad would be busy with work and really the only times we would get to spend anytime together is if we were watching basketball or shooting around in the driveway. Still we talk non stop about the NBA and what is going on around the league.
Going forward after college I still want basketball to be a big part of my life. I am a journalism major with aspirations of one day becoming an NBA analyst, writer or commentator. Last summer I raised money to pay my own way to go out to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League. I wanted the chance to network with many of the people who I look up to who are working in the career field that I am striving to get to. Currently I am working with Sooner Vision who televises many of the OU basketball games. I was lucky enough to have my bosses recognize my basketball knowledge and give me the opportunity to work with the main TV commentary team and feed them stats/info during the games.
Sports journalism is such a great style, Michael! The sports reporters get to develop a truly personal kind of style compared to straight news reporting. Maybe you can use that sports-reporting style to provide commentary on the battles in the epics... and there will be some actual sporting competitions too, especially in the Mahabharata where the rival heroes compete with one another. So, while there is no basketball in the epics, I am guessing your sports writing skills will come in very handy, giving you a chance to practice with some epic (literally!) match-ups. :-)
ReplyDeleteHey Michael, I think its fair to say that you have a passion for basketball. I love watching OU play even though I am not the biggest basketball fan. Soonervision is awesome and it sounds like an amazing experience for you. I had an old friend who worked for them as well. He had great things to say about them. I Hope that a career in sports journalism treats you well!
ReplyDeleteHi Michael!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about how passionate you are over basketball! I think it is very important for us all to have something we truly enjoy and can help us unwind. I also think it is amazing that you are taking this passion and turning it into a career! Not many people get to have this opportunity and I feel excited for you!
Hi Michael, I feel like a love of basketball is an understatement. This is amazing though, you obviously have a lot of drive and passion which is having you take great opportunities. Networking is not something that I excel at but I do know how hard it can be, so it's great that you are taking it seriously. I think it's great that something that has been such a large influence in your life is something that you are able to make a career out of. It's nice to meet you! -Jillienne Kirkpatrick
ReplyDeleteHey Michael! It's awesome that you have such a passion. I am a big sports fan and football is my favorite but I still enjoy basketball a lot. If you like podcasts, the Bill Simmons podcast is a great basketball podcast. Whats your favorite basketball team? Mines the Dallas Mavericks and I think Luka is the best player in the league right now. Good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteHey Michael! I think it's so nice to have such a strong passion for something, especially from such a young age. I've always wanted to be one of those people who knew what they wanted to do since they were very young and did everything they could to achieve that goal. Although my life didn't turn out that way, it seems like you're on that track and I'm rooting for you! I hope everything is going great so far for you and your goals.
ReplyDeleteGo for it Micheal, keep a hold of your passion. It's awesome you know what you want to do and that you are already working towards it. I really enjoy basketball too but I never dreamed of making my career related to it. I don't know anything about writing about sports or what it takes to get there but I wish you all the luck with that.
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteYour passion for sports is so evident, and I believe you will do great in your future sports journalism career! I have never really been interested in basketball, but I am forced to watch it with my dad and brother on many occasions. The commentators are always so knowledgeable, and it seems you would do great in a position like that. Best of luck to you!
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteI personally am not a big sports person, but you remind me a lot of my brother. He loves basketball, and through it he also spends a lot of time with our dad. I think it’s great that you found a way to combine perhaps a more realistic job with your love for the NBA. I also think it’s great that you are so forward focused that you went to go network with people in Las Vegas. Wow. Keep up the good work!
Hey Michael,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are on the right track to have the career of your dreams. Going out to Vegas and networking like that on your own accord is showing of someone who really wants to see their efforts come to fruition. Likewise with your opportunities with Sooner Vision. I have heard the field can be hard to break into, so good luck, and keep up the hard work, it seems like you are off to a great start.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteYou definitely have some serious aspirations and passion for basketball! I'm so happy for you in that you were able to get recognized and connected with a job surrounding what you love. I know basketball can be a huge stress reliever for people to just let out some steam and get things off their minds; a lot of my friends do the same thing. I hope you've been able to get outside and shoot some hoops amid all of this social distancing and anxiety that comes with it!
Michael,
ReplyDeleteJournalism is super interesting to me. I was thinking about majoring in some sort of journalism as well. I think sports journalism would be a really cool job! Do you have a dream NBA team you would want to work for? I think it's special that you have something that you and your dad connect on such a strong level. I am from Dallas so I am a huge Mavericks fan and my dad was definitely the one who got me so interested. My favorite times with him were our father/daughter dates to Mavs games! I hope your able to keep sane during this time and hopefully are able to go outside and play basketball to relieve stress.
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteI have always liked basketball too but much more so when I was a kid. I remember renting a copy of and NBA game from Family Video and playing it nonstop! I think sports journalism is a great passion and I wish you the best of luck. I have been to a couple of OU's basketball games and it is cool to know you had a part in them!