By Kerry Bretti SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Paul Carcaterra is no stranger to game day excitement. He has played high school, college, major league, and international lacrosse. Carcaterra also won a lacrosse national championship with the Syracuse Orange ten years ago.
Carcaterra grew up in Yorktown, New York; a historically successful lacrosse town just an hour north of New York City. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1997 with a degree in political science. He then went on to become an elementary school teacher close to his hometown in Bedford, New York.
Carcaterra ultimately began his reporting career in 2004. Adam Zucker, a friend of his from Syracuse, who worked at CBS Sports and is now a studio host told him about an available analyst position at the network.
Today, Carcaterra works for ESPN where he covers college lacrosse as what he calls a "hybrid role" as a sideline reporter and game analyst. He also covers college football as a sideline reporter.
Though Carcaterra may not be between the lines anymore, he says he still feels the frenzy at every game. He says the best part about being a sideline reporter, as a former athlete, is the thrill of a game-ending situation.
"Those moments I like more than any because you capture emotion and you don't play it out," Carcaterra said during a phone interview. "You can't plan for that just like an athlete when you play. Making a play at the end of the game; not every scenario is the same. I look at that 'end of game rush' when it's a really close game as the most rewarding and just feeling the emotions of the coach or players is a lot of fun."
He recalls a BYU football game at Utah, in which the fans rushed the field on three separate occasions, as being one of the most emotional atmospheres he's ever reported on. He says the game was decided in the final seconds and he not only witnessed the excitement of the fans, but felt the thrill himself as the game ended and he was swarmed with college students rushing the field.
Carcaterra is a top lacrosse broadcaster and has been announcing the national championship games for the past four years. In covering football, he wants to continue to have an upward trajectory and work to cover the best games possible. He also hopes to get more into feature reporting where he can carve stories from his interviews.
My interview with Paul Carcaterra on August 2, 2015.
Kerry: How did you get into sports reporting?
Carcaterra: Ultimately, I had a relationship with a guy named Adam Zucker. He went to Syracuse with me in the late 90s and he was in the Newhouse School. He started working for CSTV which is now CBS sports. There was an analyst position opening in 2004 and he was a friend of mine from college days and Syracuse, having a strong network in journalism and sports broadcasting, he just thought it would be a good idea if they gave me a look in regards to filling their lacrosse analyst position. I didn't have any formal training or anything of that nature at that time I was kind of thrown to the wolves. I did an Army vs. Navy lacrosse game that year the following year I auditioned for the permanent role with the company to be the full time lacrosse analyst and I was able to get it. So ultimately it all started as just being a lacrosse analyst and I guess you'd say quote-unquote expert for the sport where in all sports those guys typically don't have the training. Where I was able to segue over the reporting is in 2010 I moved over to ESPN and in that role they created a like hybrid position for me in the lacrosse package where I was an analyst on the field but I also was able to expose myself to some typical reporting skills: interviews, injury reports, just different types of informational or news breaking type stuff within the sport. I was able to also have some experience in the studio so I guess 2010 was the big year. When I came over to ESPN I wore a lot of different hats within the lacrosse broadcast and that ultimately opened up the door as a reporter as well because shortly after a year or so I was given the opportunity to do college football with ESPN within a strict sideline reporting role that all stems from the move over to ESPN in 2010 where they just gave me a lot of different opportunities and a lot of roles of that makes sense.
Kerry: Do you like the hybrid position more or just sideline reporting?
Carcaterra: In lacrosse I like the hybrid position just because I played the game my whole life I'm in the booth quite a bit in the box during the regular season breaking down and really having a strong I guess point of view and opinion throughout the season. So when the playoffs come around or we have a big game where we put a lot of resources into it one being me on the sideline as an analyst and reporter I guess you'd say in that hybrid role I really enjoy that in lacrosse. I think the situation in lacrosse is perfect I have some games up in the booth and then I have the hybrid role. But in the sport of football that's really not an option because I didn't play the game I'm more of just a professional in regards to being a sideline reporter and not a voice of the sport or an analyst so each sport gives me differently opportunities but also I think the roles are pretty defined.
Kerry: What's the hardest part, especially in football I should ask, is there a hard part of getting used to that an preparing?
Carcaterra: I think what's great about the sideline reporting role at ESPN is you prepare you know I like to go in I like to prepare and really break own all of the different keys to the game and player trends and news that's going around the team but ultimately I'm only as good as the reports I can get in game. A good and a great sideline reporter opens up opportunities for a broadcast that would never be there unless I was on the field. So I'm just exposed to a lot of like breaking information, stuff that's taking place in the games you know. I'm literally in the trenches so as much as I can prepare and come in with a wealth of knowledge the best reports I think the most challenging, is to give people and when I say people, the viewer, an up close and personal look to what's going on in the game field-level. Whether that's something I'm seeing that no one else can, something that I'm hearing no one else can, those to me are the biggest factors in the position of sideline reporting and it just requires a ton of hustle, instincts as well. So I wouldn't call it the most difficult thing but it's the most challenging where you really have to be on your toes. you know if you're just sitting down on the field and you're waiting to get in a story you've prepared for or a story you really want people to know you know that's great but the game always take precedent and the game in regards to what's taking place and how momentum is changing and how the game is being played out from your eyes is critical I think because you have a vantage point that no one else does so I think the more you hustle, the more you kind of have experience the better your instincts will be. Does that make sense?
Kerry: Yea. So if that's the most challenging part, what's the most rewarding or what's the best part about your job?
Carcaterra: The best part of my job is I think the thrill of a game ending situation. When you're an athlete your whole life you kind of like pressure situations and when the game is at its ending point and there's critical decisions to be made as a player on the field I feel like as a sideline reporter the closest thing to me playing now as a retired athlete is being on the field and not knowing what's going to happen and being able to react and adjust I find that's really rewarding you know there can be game winning drives that you think are in the can and then there's an interception or a play that changed the game and the fans erupt, storm the field. Coaches meet at half right at the midfield line and you're on your toes and you have to put together a solid interview based on what happened in the last few seconds of the game. That to me is the most rewarding. Those moments I like more than any because you capture emotion and you don't play it out you can't plan for it just like an athlete when you play. Making a play at the end of the game not every scenario is the same. I look at that "end of game rush" when it's a really close game as the most rewarding and just feeling the emotions of the coach or the players is a lot of fun.
Kerry: Could you think of one game where you really remember that feeling?
Carcaterra: Yea a couple. I did Utah BYU in football probably three years ago and it was pretty insane there was three different times the fans actually rushed the field and they were pushed off because there were end of game penalties.
Kerry: Three times in one game?
Carcaterra: Yea. The third and final time was real so two times prior the fans rushed the field at Utah against BYU. Utah was the home team and there were just scenarios where the fans thought the game was over and there was a penalty on Utah in two different occasions that gave BYU more life and more play and the final play of the game the BYU field goal kicker kicked it and it hit the upright and the field goal was no good so the fans rushed the field for a third time and the place it's a huge rivalry too BYU and Utah it's just a crazy rivalry obviously a sold out huge stadium at Utah and just the thrill of fans rushing all over the place and trying to find the coach it was almost like a combination of a little bit of manic in terms of where is everyone just trying to swim upstream in a field full of college kids that are just lunatics at the moment but that to me was awesome too because you sense the rivalry and how much the game meant and then just how it ended so that to me was just insane. so that to me was an awesome scenario. Two other occasions. Two years ago, Duke football which was never known as a football school, Coach Cutliffe has just done an incredible job he coached both of the Manning’s in college, Peyton and Eli, he took over Duke which never had any type of winning history and then he went on to win their division the ACC two years ago and I was part of their last two games where it became a reality. Just an emotional coach and an emotional scene for Duke football that would be another one. And then last year I think Penn State Maryland. Maryland upset Penn State at Penn State. Defense came out and held them for a last second drive just a great ending and a coach that was super emotional
Kerry: Do you think that you are where you want to be right now in your position or do you still want to make moves up the ladder?
Carcaterra: Yea ultimately I love my position in lacrosse I think I'm on the biggest broadcast we have in lacrosse. I've announced the national championship games for the last three or four years so there's nowhere to really go up lacrosse wise. Football I'd like to continue to have an upward trajectory and cover the best games possible and I've just been given a lot of good opportunities these last few years to increase my role. I think ultimately too, not just in football and lacrosse, I'd like to get into some more feature work like long form interviewing. I've done a bunch of that with US lacrosse too. Just going around and sitting down and almost creating a story within the interview and the long form interview: some can last 25 minutes some can last 15 minutes but you kind of carve out a story and create an opportunity for the audience to learn a lot more about the subject or the person you're interviewing. And that's really cool to me, I'd like to do that, I feel like I could do that. I probably won't be on the sideline twenty years from now when I'm sixty years old but I could do long form interviewing until late into my career so that's something I've recently exposed myself to and I really, really like it. It's been really good too because you almost get a really creative-type producing mind when you do that too because you're with someone and you're almost writing a story within the interview if that makes sense.
Kerry: It does. My last question is if you could give me one piece of advice as a student, besides go to class, what would it be?
Carcaterra: Never look at any type of assignment as being beneath you. Experience and variety of type of assignments will ultimately give you the best opportunities to succeed.
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