On Thursday, February 15, 2024, Evan Stockton ’14 spoke to students about his sports broadcasting career as part of the school’s Career Speaker Series. During his presentation, he discussed the path he took to become a sports broadcaster, how CC played a role, and what advice he would give to students who may want to pursue a similar field.  

Stockton graduated from Syracuse University and is currently employed full-time by the New York Mets. His job duties include conducting high school, college, and professional sports interviews. He also acts as a broadcaster for various sporting events, including football, baseball, and basketball games.  

His interest in sports and broadcasting began while he was a student at Catholic Central. “When I was a sophomore, I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do for a living. I was playing football at the time, but I was interested in sports writing. After I graduated, I thought, ‘If I can’t play, I can still be involved in sports.’ I wanted to be a play-by-play sports broadcaster and the best program was through Syracuse,” he stated.  

During his college years, Stockton got as much real-life experience as he could to help him decide what career path to take.  

“I dove into radio stations and internships for experience. When I graduated college, I was really trying to figure out what path I wanted my career to take. The closet example of what I do is acting. It’s objective, not subjective. You could listen to me call a game and some people think I do a good job and others don’t. I wanted to be the voice of a major league franchise and I did baseball on the radio because it allows you to tell stories and fill the time,” he stated.  

Stockton advised students to pursue a career path that allows them to be their true, authentic self. “The beauty of what I do is that I get to be my true authentic version of myself. It’s a dream job. It’s a lot of hard work. You’re preparing for each broadcast. It involves a lot of research, talking to coaches, etc., but it’s a lot of fun,” he stated.  

“When you’re looking into what you want to do, think about the gifts God and your parents have given you. What fires you up when you wake up in the morning? What’s special about you? What will keep you going and succeeding is if you have a true passion for it,” he advised. 

Stockton credited his education at Catholic Central for his success.  

“Failures at CC helped me prepare for my career. I talked about playing football. I was not a star. My senior year, the starter was a great athlete. What I learned from CC football is the preparation it takes to succeed, the hard work it takes, and earning what you get. There are a lot of smart kids in this school, but if you put in the time and effort, you’ll earn it and you’ll get where you want to be. Sometimes it doesn’t always work, but a lot of life is in our control. If you put in the proper preparation, it will work out. That’s what CC taught me,” he stated.  

“The great thing about CC is, whether you realize it or not, this place - with the Goodness, Discipline, Knowledge (GDK) program – is setting you up for success. They are teaching you the passion and creativity needed to become successful in your career. When you’re thinking about where you want to go to college, keep this in the back of your mind - what’s my superpower? What makes me special and different and what could be a way for me to share that gift with the rest of the world?” 

His favorite memory of Catholic Central is when he called a football game between CC and Brother Rice, where CC won by 2 points. “The win meant a lot to me because I am a third generation CC grad. Calling that CC/Brother Rice football game was very, very cool. The game got double the viewership as the Tigers game that night. The need for high school sports coverage is up and coming. The next big thing is more high school coverage.” 

For students interested in broadcasting, he recommended focusing on improving your writing and public speaking skills, stating, “If you can work on being a concise writer, that will help you in every aspect of your life. Be the best writer you can. What can you say in 5 words that gets the point across?” 

He continued, “Take any sort of public speaking class or English class that gets you out of your comfort zone and makes you get in front of people without being afraid to say what you believe because you have the right to say what you believe. Be confident in getting your message across. This will help you in any walk of life. People are always amazed by people who are confident and sure in their message, and you’ll get that when you practice public speaking. Be able to tell stories.” 

He also described what his workday looks like, stating, “I have a process. One part of my day is dedicated to statistics, finding out how many points the athlete has scored, etc. Another section is all about his biography - who the guy is, did he miss time, the graphics tell stories. Why do you tell stories during sports games? Because half the audience watching really knows the event and the other half has no idea. They need to know the story. My job is fun because it helps me relate to a bunch of different people.” 

Stockton wrapped up by explaining that there are many avenues you can take in the broadcasting field.  

“There are a lot of people involved in the process of putting on a broadcast. You don’t see the producer and director deciding what you see on the screen. You only see me, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. All the graphics, that’s somebody’s job to put that on. It’s a team effort. I’m the person out front but there are so many people involved and so much creativity involved. If you’re interested in broadcasting but don’t want to talk, there’s lots of other things you can do,” he stated.  

He also talked about freelancing and whether you need to go to college to become a broadcaster.  

“I am a New York Mets employee because that’s the team I work for. Technically, I’m a freelancer. Being a freelancer is normal for the industry. Most of the time, as a sports broadcaster, you’re paid per event. This year, the Tigers made it a point to make their broadcasters full-time employees. Most sports castors are employees of the radio station they work for and not the team they broadcast for. There are production groups that hire the broadcasters and sporting teams sign off on the events,” he stated.  

“Do you need college? I would say, go back to what you want to do. You don’t have to go to college. I know a lot of people who have gone through trade school. Figure out what sets you up for what you want next. Getting real world experience after high school is so important, even if you don’t go to college. Internships gave me so much experience. For whatever you want to do, find an avenue to do it. Then you take what you learn and apply it to the real world,” Stockton continued.