Did you know that the world's largest stadiums have a peak capacity of around 100,000 people?
While most U.S. stadiums have an average peak capacity of around 40,000 people.
Now, I know that doesn't sound that bad but consider this:
the average NFL viewership per game is around 16 million people.
Sports are a synonym for passion, enthusiasm, excitement, strategy...
And when you consider the number of global fans around the world versus the stadiums sitting capacity
you realize what a privilege it really is to come to a live game like this.
So, if you get the chance, do not miss it.
And hey, wouldn't it be really terrible if we really did have to limit this experience
to just a hundred thousand people when we could share it with billions of people?
Well, thanks to live broadcast, no matter where we are, we can follow the world's best
sports teams, players and championships all in real time.
And we get to share that passion with people around the globe.
Hey, guys! We are here with Evan Weston
and we are gonna ask him some questions about broadcasting for Orlando City.
Hey, Evan. How are you doing?
I'm doing great! Thank you very much for having me, Cali!
Thank you so much for letting us come in and pick your brain a little bit.
So, first, simple question:
How long have you been doing this for MLS?
So, this is my third year broadcasting for Orlando City.
First two years I was on the radio and now, this year, is my first year calling the games on TV.
So, the only difference really is that the viewers can see it!
So, do you think there's a difference between when you broadcast for soccer versus other sports?
Or do they all sort of feel the same?
It's a flow thing mostly.
When you get a sport like basketball or hockey that's just very "go, go, go", lots of flow,
versus soccer or even baseball, that would be even more laid back, you know,
you can fill with more stories, more information, so it changes your preparation a little bit,
and obviously the jargon is different, the rules are different.
But also, broadcasting is broadcasting so, you know, the fundamentals are the same, you gotta know your stuff,
know the players, add the drama, add the context, you know, that's what we're there to do,
we just educate people.
So, the best thing you can do as a broadcaster is mix up your verbs.
You take words that aren't verbs and make them verbs.
For soccer, you know, for the way things are passed, instead of passes, why don't use "slipped in"?
Or "slides through", or "lays off", or... things like that.
You just gotta add some color and add some flavor to a game.
I love it, that's so descriptive.
It really gives you a nice flavor instead of just feeling like you're listening to a robot talking.
Exactly.
So what would you do to prep for a normal game day? Is it just get up and come? Or do you work out first?
Do you drink a ton of coffee so that you can mantain stamina?
Well, the week before the game is the most of the preparation.
So, I create a board that's just basically a large piece of paper that has every player's information on it.
So, statistics, their background information,
how old they are, where they're from, their biography, their previous clubs.
So you do that for each team and then you pepper with biographies about the coaching staff,
their schedule, their recent form, their history,
statistics about the game, fun things that you wanna hit on as you go through
that you think are important for the viewers to know.
And so, that's the bulk of it. It's just to have that ready so that when it's in front of me
and I can reference it at any point if I need something.
The whole thing about doing broadcasting role is to be prepared 'cause you're on live television.
And you're obviously not gonna use everything but it's nice to have everything there.
No, you don't use 90% of that, but it's there.
And you have that as a fallback option.
You know, if somebody scores a goal and they've come off the bench,
I need to be able to say this person's life story,
and what they've done for this team at the drop of the hat.
Right.
I can't remember all that.
So I have to put it all on that sheet and then, you know, work with rehearsal, with our analysts,
for the pre-game show.
'Cause it's not just the game for us, we also host the pre-game, halftime and postgame shows,
So there's a lot of preparation that goes into figuring out "OK, this is gonna go here, and this is gonna go here"
"this is what we'll say at this point".
We try to keep things lose and natural but also have a bit of a script at the same time.
I really just try to relax, you know. Just try to keep everything chill
'cause the worst thing that can happen is you get tense. That's why you have the preparation too.
Can you separate the sports broadcaster from the fan? I mean, don't you just root for your team a little bit?
Yes, I'm going to be a little bit more exuberant on an Orlando City goal call then I am for the other team.
That's just natural, I think.
But I love soccer. I love soccer.
I love broadcasting soccer, I love bringing soccer to people.
That, to me, is the most important thing.
And one last question for you today, Evan:
What is the most thrilling game you have ever broadcast?
It was the 4x3 against Colorado, the lead changed four different times in the game, there was a rain delay
that took up an hour and halftime and the fans all stayed singing songs in the concourse, came back out
and Nani had a penalty to kick in the final moments to win the game for Orlando City.
That game is gonna stick with me for a really long time.
That's amazing and of course your fans stuck it out because that Wall is not going anywhere, they are strong.
They are something else. I mean, they're unique in world soccer.
It's funny, Miguel Gallardo, my analyst, told us a story that Nani said to him
after the first loss we suffered from other team.
He was afraid people were not going to show up for the next game because we lost.
Because that's what he's used to in Europe.
And Miguel had to explain to him that no, these supporters are supporters.
There are no fans like the Orlando City fans.
And they love coming to these games, and they love hearing you.
Thank you so much for talking with us we really appreciate it, Evan.