WWSU sports director and ESPN broadcaster Shea Neal joined DJ Patrick Schmalstig on the radio show “Raider Strong” to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted college sports and his recent experiences on Feb. 3.
One of the topics that Neal referenced was how he would like to improve his coverage of certain sports for the university.
“I’d love to do more soccer and volleyball broadcasts here at Wright State, and start to sound like an actual soccer announcer or an actual volleyball announcer and give people the same experience they would get watching a volleyball or soccer game on TV,” said Neal.
Solid performances
As of Feb. 3, the women’s volleyball team at Wright State University (WSU) is undefeated. The other sports teams at WSU have also been performing well over the past few months, with the men’s and women’s basketball teams both sitting in second place in their respective conferences.
“Our sports teams are having an incredible year when you consider the circumstances where they went six months not being able to work out together, not knowing when their season was going to begin and not knowing when they were going to be able to practice together,” said Neal.
Neal praised the coaches for the work they have accomplished during this time, mentioning that they have one of the hardest jobs in the NCAA currently. The coaches direct their players on the floor but also keep an eye on the mental health and academics of these students.
“The last eight months have been brutal for a lot of people obviously, but especially these college athletes, where once you get to campus, it’s almost like you’re isolated from the rest of society because you have to be in that bubble,” said Neal. “I think that the coaches really have done a remarkable job because these athletes are still performing at a high level.
Broadcasting in a pandemic
All of the sports games that WSU has been broadcasting during the coronavirus pandemic have been shown on ESPN3, a decision that Neal agreed with.
“I think that’s a great resource because with people not being able to get into the Nutter Center, you only have to pay four or five dollars a month to be able to watch Wright State on TV every single game,” Neal said.
Neal is thankful for the athletic department at WSU for finding new ways to keep the media involved in these games. Though he and his fellow broadcasters have to wear masks and undergo temperature checks when broadcasting games, he is pleased that these games can still be broadcasted at this time.
One of the highlights of being able to broadcast sports during a pandemic for Neal is the interactions that he has, such as the parent of a player commenting that they enjoyed his call of a game. He believes this to be a big responsibility and is happy that he can impact people in that way.
“It’s cool that I can use what I love to do to give people almost like a mental break from the stresses of what’s going on right now,” said Neal. “If I can give you two hours where you can tune into my broadcast and listen to your daughter play volleyball or listen to your son play basketball or something like that, I think I’m doing something very good.”
