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| © 2013 Jennifer Ready |
By. Jennifer Ready
Nearly 249 miles from the
Bronx, David Britt shows support for his hometown team even as he sits
cross-legged on the cement sidewalk outside the S.I. Newhouse School of Public
Communications at Syracuse University to talk with me.
Dressed casually in blue
jeans and a Yankees t-shirt, Britt recalls how growing up in the city of the 27-time World Series champs made his love and passion for baseball automatic.
“If you don’t grow up a
Yankees fan in the Bronx, there’s really, really,something wrong with you,” he
said. “So I always had baseball in my life immediately, that’s what growing up
in New York City did for me.”
Britt, a golfer and
bowler himself, says baseball and the New York Yankees have impacted his life in a
number of different ways.
“Whenever I’m just bored or
I need something to do or I’m upset about something I can just turn on a
sporting event, especially baseball and I can just watch and forget everything
else.”
The impact of baseball and the Yankees on Britt's life extends beyond just being a die-hard fan. Inspired by
sportscaster Bob Costas, he is in Central New York working towards his
livelong dream of becoming a play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees.
Interview with David Britt:
Jennifer Ready: This
is Jennifer Ready interviewing Newhouse BDJ grad student David Britt.
Jennifer Ready: Why
did you decide to come to Syracuse to pursue a BDJ degree?
David Britt: Syracuse
was the top journalism program in the world, so I’ve been told and for sports
journalism it was especially considered one of the best programs in the world.
So that’s why I chose Syracuse.
JR: What experience
do you have in sports personally?
DB:I played on the bowling and the golf team in high school,
golf from sophomore through senior year and blowing junior and senior year.
JR: What was the most
rewarding point in your sports career either through golf or bowling?
DB: Golf would have to be the answer and there was the one
game where I just… somehow was clutch and kept my team’s playoff dreams alive.
And there’s just no way it should have happened. If it was to happen again I
would probably find a way to lose the game, but I managed to win.
JR: How did that feel
when you were able to do that for your team?
DB: Forget the team, it felt amazing because it was the
first time I ever did anything of relevance in golf. So I mean to me, forget
the team aspect of it. I was celebrating just because I actually did something
good. For the team it was great though because we kept our playoff hopes alive
and for a couple of minutes we were happy before we realized to go to the
playoffs we had to beat the best team in the league, which was never going to
happen.
JR: What is your
favorite sport to watch?
DB: Baseball. You can tell by the Yankees shirt.
JR: How have
professional sports impacted you the most?
DB: Oh gosh, impacted me the most. Well whenever I’m just
bored or I need something to do or I’m upset about something I can just turn on
a sporting event, especially baseball, and I can just watch and forget
everything else. It’s a lot of fun.
JR: How has growing
up in New York all of your life impacted or influenced you in sports?
DB: I grew up in the Bronx, if you don’t grow up a Yankees
fan in the Bronx there’s really, really something wrong with you. So I always
had baseball in my life immediately, that’s what growing up in New York City
did for me.
JR: What has been the
biggest challenge that you have faced either academically or in your sporting
career?
DB: Academically, see I don’t want to sound like obnoxious
about it but academics have never been an issue for me outside of Spanish but
that’s another story for another day. Athletically, if you can tell by looking
at me, I’m not the most athletic person in the world so that would be where the
biggest challenge comes. And… there are so many I don’t even know what to pick on
that one honestly. Just athletically, not being athletic in general is probably
the issue.
JR: But you’ve done
so well in golf, what made you continue and not give up?
DB: I didn’t do well in golf. I had a couple of wins through
out my three years on the team, okay more than a couple but I only had the one
win of note. And man oh man there’s… I just continue because I love to play. I
can’t give up on something before I figure out can I really do it and even when
I figure out I can’t, I still want to play.
JR: What is one major
goal you want to achieve in your career once you leave Newhouse?
DB: I want to be a
play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees.
JR: Where do you see
yourself in 5 to 10 years?
DB: As a play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees, I’m
kidding, I’m kidding… that would be amazing. In 5 to 10 years? Hopefully I’ve
made it to ESPN by then or the MLB network at the very least.
JR: Who is your
biggest role model in the industry?
DB: Bob Costas
JR: Why is that?
DB: I always enjoy watching Costas. Whether he’s
interviewing anybody, whether he’s calling a game I just find it a fun
experience, which goes completely against what my family thinks because my
entire family hates Bob Costas for some reason.
JR: Okay great, thank
you very much
DB: No problem
To watch the interview, click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-87WWTi0qQ
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