USC Conference on Sports: Stories from the Booth - Broadcasters and the Games

USC Annenberg's Institute of Sports, Media & Society presents a two-day conference examining the impact on society of the Olympic Games.

The conference is part of the Sports & Social Change speaker series, funded by a generous grant from Nike, which brings together professionals and scholars to discuss important issues in sports and the media.

Panelists:
Jim Lampley, NBC Olympics Broadcaster
Jim Nantz, CBS Sportscaster
Al Michaels, NBC Sportscaster

Moderator: Jeff Fellenzer, USC Annenberg Adjunct Journalism Professor

Lampley, Michaels and Nantz discussed the changes they've seen in sports broadcasting, including doping allegations and an ever-expanding field of sports to cover.

According to the panel, even with changes to the field, the most important tenant of sports journalism doesn't change: finding a good story and telling it well.

"It's about language," Michaels said. "It's about your ability to feel comfortable in complete sentences and coherent thoughts without being bashful or embarrassed."

"And to tell a story," Nantz said. "Sometimes it needs to be minutes long, sometimes 15 seconds, but it needs to make sense, with a beginning, middle and end."