hey guys welcome back to another edition of The Cool Sports Network I am your host Chase Coburn and today I am joined by a very special guest a sideline reporter for the NFL and college basketball on CBS Sports Evan wasburn Evan welcome to the show Chase thanks for having me I'm so glad you are able to join us today obviously you've had such an incredible career uh especially for your age and how much you've been able to accomplish at not even 40 years old it's remarkable you're one of the best sideline reporters in the country so to be able to speak with you is amazing usually I always introduce my guest by asking them you know when was the moment you realized you wanted to be a broadcaster now for you I know you were a college lacrosse player at uh the University of Delaware and you really had no experience in this industry coming out of college and the Baltimore son wrote a story on it and essentially how you had to get work with some of these lower paying jobs to work your way up and get to the point where you're at now so I guess my question to you would be you know explain to me how you're at the Point you're at now at 39 years old with your little experience at first and how much those lower paid jobs help you get helped you get to the place where you're at now yeah it look the one thing about this industry and you're understanding this at a really young age because you're committed to it everybody's got their own path and that's the reality in life in general but I would say there are professions that there's a bit more structure in terms of proceeding from let's say High School to college and then College College to possibly grad school law school med school then those early few jobs that kind of put you again on the path Corporate America provides that in a lot of ways the sports Media or media business in general does not and my path was unique to me because I didn't study it in college at all and I basically said when people would ask what would you like to do when you're done going to school and playing sports I just said oh be cool to be a sports broadcaster with no real plan on how to attack it but what I realized early on in my experience post College where I did have some opportunities to get a taste of what the business is like that I had a specific set of skills in terms of how to be a part of a team how to start at the bottom those unpaid low-paying jobs I really starred in those roles and that gave me a little bit of value where I could then ask favor of those that I was working with that had much more experience and could provide me with some sort of road map on how to advance in this career in front of the camera so I I would say that was kind of the the foundation post college that was so critical for me and then I was able to move through and and to your point get to a place now where yeah I am at a relatively young age and been able to do some pretty special things and be a part of a network in CBS that is incredibly special based off of every opportunity I've had I was able to take advantage of I don't like saying I got lucky because the reality is is you're not sure what's going to be the opportunity that's going to be the one that makes the difference you just have to be able to nail everything and not to say I hit home runs on every opportunity but I think I did enough with each opportunity to allow for them there to be one more and so I just kind of rode that wave for the first let's call it 09 to 2012 really 2014 15 range that six to sevene stretch it was a lot of feast or famine so when there'd be a moment and I'd have to take advantage of it whether it was one job or one game that I was assigned I would hopefully do a good job I did good enough where they would provide me with another one and wasn't really till in that I'd say 15 to sort of 2016 2017 range where I had a little bit of security and once you did gain that security though you became one of the biggest sideline reporters in the country and we've spoken to many play-by-play announcers and analysts on this podcast and we hear a lot about their perspective but what's so interesting about you is the sideline reporter they have such an important job but you only have 45 seconds or a minute maximum sometimes even less to convey the information when you are reporting how are you able to get out the things you need to say in such a concise manner it's a great point and the thing I've become obsessed with Chase is word efficiency and you and I are having a conversation here it's more of open format podcast Radio Show TV show however you want to best describe it but I still think about how I don't want to waste words I don't like um I don't like like those words that are crutch words how do I get from point A to point B D deliver my point in the most efficient way possible while also not sounding like a robot and being entertaining informative and that's that's really been the craft over the last I mean it's 11 years now in the NL plus two years of college so really close to 14 15 years doing sideline reporting and it's it's an ongoing process I'm not as good as I want to be I'm much better than I was 10 years ago hopefully I'm better than I was even two years ago but if I was to really boil it down to what's most important when you're as you laid out well in those moments where you have to do your job and really condense windows and 45 would be nice I would say it's a lot of times it's it's 10 to 15 maybe 20 and again I go back to word efficiency and having you can't plan it out because none of this is scripted we're doing live games and you're reacting in live moments but I think about it when I'm talking in my everyday life because if I practice that approach of not wasting words and being really clear and concise what it is I'm trying to get across it will feel more natural in the moment of a game when I'm trying to do it you're right and I think a key part of what you do though is not only how you convey the information but also how you get it initially and you mentioned this is not scripted you're getting all this information live you're announcing live and it's a live game you can never predict exactly what's going to happen so sometimes you have to find information from trainers coaches players assistants whoever it is during a game you have to do it quickly and efficiently how do you deal with going about that because they need to focus on their job but how do you be polite in such a way but then also get the information you need to do your job at the most productive level it goes down it comes down to to experience in knowing areas that you can take advantage of whether it be talking to a coach or a player and times that you can do that and then times you just simply can't and so for example in between you know during live action I'm not going up to a player or coach that's their time where they're doing their job so in that those moments I'm more leaning on what I can see and what I can hear there are representatives for both teams on the sidelines that are at times required to provide me updates on situations that may occur during a game mostly Health situations but that can be delayed so it's really a lot of what do I see what do I hear what do I trust in terms of my judgment but then there are moment moments in game mostly halftime where I can go up to a coach and that's predetermined ahead of the game so I will during our meetings with let's use Baltimore and Pittsburgh for example I will have negotiated or discussed with John Harbaugh and his group that I'm gonna talk to him coming out to start the second half so as he's making his way out of the locker room he and I will catch up off camera most of the time sometimes we'll do it on camera depending on the the the event that it is usually playoff games they like to do them on camera but for whatever you know for all intents and purposes what I'm describing is something that's been predetermined so that's my opportunity to ask him about things that have happened thus far in the game and then similarly in this scenario would be Mike Tomlin I'll talk to him going in at half so those those are opportunities to get that perspective from the coach during the four quarters of the game players 99% of the time it's if you want to have that conversation for something that you think's pertinent to the game broadcast it'll happen during pregame warm-ups so I like to be out on the field uh as as early as maybe two hours if not more before the game because guys are trickling out there and that's where there's a little bit more of a window to catch up I don't like to take up too much of their time because they're in game mode and I really respect that probably more so than most based off of being a former athlete uh but those are kind of that that's how that process works the ingame stuff stuff outside of those conversation with coaches is really about what you what you see and hear and what that requires from sideline reporters and for me and one thing I really take pride in is because you're covering both Sidelines it's constant movement so Chase I mean that means like you are doing laps because if you focus too much on what's happening on the Raven sideline in a raven Steelers game you could miss so much that you can see and hear and no one's responsible to tell you something that's happened it's all about what you can visualize and see now granted you do get do get the help sometimes of your Director people in the truck because they've got cameras everywhere like hey Evan we see uh I'm trying to pick a player we see TJ Watts kind of looks like he's doing something with his foot and I'll be like oh okay well I got to get over there so I'll hustle over to that sideline but a lot of times you're in charge of everything that you you're responsible for covering and that means moving right and I think that that's a side of the job that not many people understand and in a lot of these broadcasting jobs you have to be able to take on multiple roles and part of that is coordinating before and getting this information before you do a report which is obviously your specialty but how you know your crew at CBS for the NFL games is with ion eagle and Charles Davis actually just spoke to ion Eagle a few days ago on the podcast and so I I'm I'm two for three currently on the team we're still looking Char would be happy do it he he's a nicer guy than both of us so if we're doing it he'll do it yeah of course and I just you know obviously you guys seem to just have a great connection on the air and a great relationship on the air how important is it to build a connection with the play-by-play voice and the analyst that you're on on the I love that you brought that up because I do think it's it's it's a value that people talk about we throw the word chemistry around and the the beauty of chemistry is you don't all have to be best friends you don't have to spend every waking moment together but in our case it does help that we do all really like each other and we all live in separate places I up in New Jersey I live in Baltimore Charles is in Florida we have a text chain that I mean as you and I are doing this interview it's it's going off because we're throwing usually jokes around at each other funny observations but like during the as the season now will pick up it's a lot of hey did you see this did you read this article did you see this clip or uh so that Technology's really helped and what I love about our story for the three of us and and we take a lot of pride in in making it feel like a group on the air on Sundays we started during Co so Charles joined our crew Dan FZ who'd been with us and been with ion for so long uh moved on and they brought in Charles and that was a challenging time I mean I'm sure you can remember even though you're a young guy that we couldn't do anything in person so we really built the foundation of our relationship like you and I are talking right now we did a lot of zooms together together and now that we've finally over the last few years had the ability to really spend time to each other it's even better because it's like our relationship was strong and now it's even deeper based off of getting to know each other's families I me he's met my wife and my son I met his wife met his kids uh so it's it's a really it's a special thing because if you can really like the people you work with it makes a job that's not even a job it's so fun even better you also do um coverage a sideline reporter for the Ravens preseason games with their radio voice Jerry sanduski who's also been a guest on the podcast you reside in Baltimore so the Ravens are you know obviously a key part I'm sure of your life you cover Ravens games you know at CBS they're a team that looks to contend for a championship you have Lamar Jackson MVP you add Derk Henry in free agency what are your thoughts around what they can do after just coming short in the AFC Championship game last year I think it's a fascinating team Chase and and you laid it out well they they have all the talent you would want with Lamar as the reigning MVP Derek who you mentioned but then you've got Mark Andrews you got Z flowers who's kind of an emerging young wide receiver and then on the other side of the ball for my money Ran's As Good As It Gets at the linebacker position and Kyle Hamilton could be defensive player of the year this year but all that said there's a lot of question marks they lost I think 15 players in free agency and a lot of them were key contributors on both sides of the ball most notably three offensive linemen and as much as Lamar's special and Derek they would hope to be at that all proo level if they can't block well and they can't do what they need to do up front none of that matters so there's that and then on the flip side defensively you've got a new defensive coordinator in Zack or who's extremely young as Talent talented as there is the at the coaching level because I mean he's you talk about meteoric rise me he was playing a few years ago at inside linebacker for the Ravens but he over for Mike McDonald and he's got to dial up a defense that is built and there's an identity established there but I think Loston a lot of what happened last year was just how incredible Mike McDonald and his staff were at timing of Blitz and how they orchestrated manufactured pass rush without any let's call it A-list pass rushers as much as jaavan Clowney and Kyle vanoi had sort of resurgent years at their age but to me Baltimore environment in the AFC North that is as deep as any in the league they are I think the the standard right now but man it's going to be interesting to see early in this year if those losses uh in off season both on the sideline and on the field really are are uh are magnified when it comes to production and results um teams that have produced or teams like Kansas City they're currently chasing a three Pat so obviously they're going to be on the front of your mind for other teams that could contend for a title how about some other ones though maybe some of the teams that some people think he contend and some people think don't which of those teams do you think could make that jump into contention with the Baltimore San franciscos and Kansas Cities of the world I think all eyeses right now are on Houston because of what they did a year ago I mean they shocked all of us with going from basically the basement of the NFL to a team that was playing Baltimore in the divisional round and seems to have found a generational Talent at quarterback in CJ strout and that was when the roster wasn't really filled and built up around him and all they've done this off season has been add pieces in the passing game most notably Stefan Diggs but then also defensively up front with their defensive line and then just another year of seasoning of of being a team that now believes they can win at the highest level because they got pretty darn close to doing it so that that is that's really where I mean I think you start when it comes to emerging teams because it'll it'll just be a different experience for them they'll be hunted but they're kind of expecting that so we're excited because our crew going back to the ion Charles conversation we find ourselves often in that one o'clock window like the big one o'clock game especially if it's a double header and and Jim and Tony and Tracy have the 425 national game so we see a lot of the the same teams we see like the top teams that aren't playing at 425 so it's often could be Baltimore it can be Pittsburgh back in the day when New England was going it was a lot of New England I think we'll see a lot of Houston which is a exciting because again you like new and they're definitely new I'll be really interested Chase just what Buffalo is this year I'm not ready to say that windows closed even though they're going to look very different offensively it's going to be Josh Allen but now more a sum of all the parts and not Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs playing catch up and down the field right as much as they did so look the beauty of the NFL while maddening I imagine for fans and fantasy and everybody else it's it gets flipped it gets turned upside down every year outside of the last few years Kansas City uh and Baltimore to some degree I mean they've been pretty consistent but we know that what is it on average it's a few few or more than a handful of new playoff teams that are in and a handful that are out and that is the beauty of the National Football League and just like you said I am very high on Houston and I'm very curious to see what Buffalo looks like I mean it's a onea one B onec receiving core and you can even add in the tight end you know d k k in that I me there's no there's no clear number one option on that offense so I am curious to see how they produce you have some of your NFL games already set you'll be going for 17 weeks uh 18 weeks excuse me on CBS 17 games for each team throughout the season you've done some Super Bowls though how has that experience been doing uh I think it's now you have four Super Bowls you've done for C four under my belt yeah it's it's hard to believe it's it's been that many I'm so fortunate for that it's it's as unique and special an experience as you would imagine and I'll kind of say that in two ends of the spectrum it's it's everything you think of in terms of the spectacle the buildup you get out there a week in advance you're part of all the day-to-day coverage you're doing interviews like you and I are doing but then I'm also part of the day-to-day covering the teams the teams are out there as opposed to we arrive in a city on a Friday do a game on a Sunday normally but on the flip side it doesn't have necessarily the Rabid environment that even a Big Time regular season game would have in Baltimore or in Kansas City and some of these real intense environments Seattle for example because it's neutral site it's two fan bases and it's an expensive ticket so it's it's a I would say you know a more corporate crowd I mean it still gets loud Las Vegas I thought got pretty loud but it's just it's a different environment in game but then you also are always thinking as you're on that sideline and I've gotten better at doing this the last couple just kind of looking around thinking all right this is like the biggest sporting event uh of of the year right here in terms of eyes and importance on so many levels but it doesn't feel as crazy as sometimes like a week 12 game in Buffalo might feel like so it's uh it's so cool uh I like that it's not every year I mean not that we would do it every year but I it's almost like the World Cup in a lot of ways for teams you think about it for us as a network we rotate with the others and now I think that'll extend even more because ESPN's in the mix and ABC so you really do you feel like hey let's let's appreciate let's take a let's really try and knock this out of the park because we're not going to get another shot at it for another three or four years so all that built in to the uh the sauce makes it really cool you're 100% right and the Super Bowl is the biggest event so to be able to cover that just shows really how incredible you are how much of a high level you are at to be on national TV of again the biggest sporting event of the Year Evan wasburn this is been amazing and again we've spoken to many other different types of analysts and announcers in the industry we really haven't spoken to a sideline reporter so if you had to give a piece of advice to an aspiring sideline reporter that could be listening to this right now what would it be and why that's a great question because people often say what's your advice to be a broadcaster and that's a good question to ask and and I'm sure you've heard different versions of uh taking advantage of opportunity what I try to tell anyone who's doing Sidelines is you have to immediately remove your ego from your approach to the job and that's really hard because there's and you mentioned it earlier not just are my reports quick my time on air like seeing my face or hearing my voice over the course of let's call it a three hour and 15 minute football game at the most is going to be maybe two minutes uh 230 and you think about it maybe 3 minutes that's not much but so there's this inclination I think early on and when you're trying to prove yourself as a sideline reporter both when you have the opportunity to make a report on air or a pitch report to the producer because that's the process I'll say in my microphone it has a button on the back it's TalkBack so that allows me communicate with the truck while not talking on air I'll say to my old producer was Mark wolf hey Mark I got something here and he'll basically talk to ion and boom bo boom that's the process so there's this inclination earlier in your career because you want to prove that you you know what you're doing and you can you can deliver that you're constantly trying to push yourself on the air because again it's not scripted there's not like all right in the middle of the third quarter we're going to Evan for that report right it's not how it works at least at the highest levels so you have to pull back because the worst thing you can do in my opinion is if you have say 10 reports on air if five of them are like completely didn't need that three of them were really good and two were okay all people are going to remember are the five that just were unnecessary and that's the last thing you want so it it it really takes a lot of discipline and I still fight with it at this point internally 11 years into this thing where it's like I want to I do so much prep you do so much work and you just wanna you want to be able to be a star there on those Sundays and really nail all the coverage and and be all over the game it's better if you're if you only get on let's say you get on on four times in the game if those four really mattered and really helped the broadcast enhanced it and helped the viewer enjoy it and helped the booth upstairs have better coverage then you've done your job at the highest level if you got on seven times and three of those were unnecessary then the my opinion you you develop unfortunately you will develop a reputation where people will be like well I don't always have to listen to this person when they pop on because I know sometimes it's not as as meaningful as it needs to be so that that'd be the one piece of advice you one layer to that too would also go to when you're interviewing people so often whether it's in pro football but more so college basketball is really where I do it a lot you have those in-game interviews and there's this this idea that I need to prove to the person I'm interviewing whether it's the coach or the player how much I know about the sport or the game or what's happening right and so that in turn makes your question very long and wordy don't do that the beauty the best questions and I i' I've become obsessed with this is like the shorter the question and more to the point it goes back to that word efficiency thought the better because it does so many things one it forces your subject to have to like actually answer something because so many times if you listen to people that ask long questions they've answered the question within their question so then the subject will then just basically regurgitate what they said and there's this moment where you're like oh good I I said the right thing because they said it back to me but then if you think about it you just didn't give the viewer anything the goal is to have the expert or the person who experienced the game or played in or coached the game give you their perspective not repeat what you think so the best way to achieve that is to force them to ask answer a question so to Simply ask help me understand what happened here or how would you best describe what happened here or why did this happen here because you didn't you're you're just laying out the moment in time that you want their reaction to so the odds are much better that you're going to get a reaction that includes some actual tangible information that's helpful to everybody that's experiencing the game so those would be my two me it's a lot but it's it really comes down to take yourself out of it remove your ego and simplify simplify simplify uh because that that will I think often lead to better odds for better outcome Evan wasburn thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast we look forward to seeing you on all your NFL games and college basketball action this coming year so thank you so much you gotta chase anytime Bud All Right audience I hope you guys did enjoy again two for three ion Eagle Evan wurn and Charles Davis we're calling you up to come on alongside one of the best sideline reporters in the country Evan Washburn I'm your host Chase cober we will see you next time right here from the Cool Sports Network take care