He dribbles down the court dodging the defense. He shoots and he scores!
Many tune in to the voice that breaks down everything going on during the game. That is what sports broadcasters are for.
“Play-by-plays are my favorite part of broadcasting,” Troy Paoli said.
Juniors Troy Paoli and Ekahi Hamilton have taken over the duties as play-by-play announcers for Lakeland Hawks football games.
Paoli is a Junior at Lakeland High School (LHS). He started broadcasting for sports his sophomore year. He has been interested in this because it is a fun thing to do and he is looking at developing it into a career as a sports journalist.
“More people should do it and be involved,” Paoli said.
For Hamilton, it was a different story.
He became involved with this new hobby after not being able to participate in the sport he loved. He had surgery on his shoulder, which took him off the football field. But, it opened up the gateway to his broadcasting endeavour.
“I may take it to a career but, it might be more fun to stick to just a hobby,” Hamilton said.
They have big shoes to fill after Liam Bradford, a graduated 2024 senior from LHS, who was in the program last year.
Hamilton has family back in California that enjoys hearing him broadcast and having his little brother look up to him is something he loves about broadcasting.
“It’s the pure excitement and getting to express your love for the game,” Hamilton said.
Technical difficulties have been a struggle for this pair due to the fact that they are both new and do not have much experience with broadcasting. Even though Paoli has some experience, he has never had to run it on his own.
They have battled through these struggles now and really enjoy getting to express their love for sports through this hobby.
“You can definitely hear it in my voice when I am excited,” Hamilton said.
