Blue Jays announcer Dan Shulman captures the moment

For this week’s MVP, we’re chatting with Blue Jays announcer Dan Shulman.

Working in an industry based on competition, the sports announcer talks about winning big (and losing with grace). 

By Rosemary Counter

Think you’re having a busy week? Here's a welcome lesson in relativity: Toronto-based Sportsnet play-by-play Blue Jays announcer Dan Shulman right now the self-described “luckiest guy in the industry,” took time from this very busy monumental moment to chat. (Oh, you know just 32 long years since the last time the Toronto team made it to the World Series and cleaned house with Joe Carter’s most dramatic home run in team history.) 

In this week’s edition of MVP, Schulman talks all about finding success in the uber-competitive world of sports, the pressure of performing one game at a time and, of course, how he’ll celebrate if, and when, Toronto becomes this year’s  champs. 

You’re headed to the World Series with a mic in hand. Is this what you dreamt of growing up, and is it everything you thought it would be? 

I didn’t really think about trying to be a broadcaster until I was 23 years old. But this is absolutely wonderful… I’ve been fortunate enough to get to cover 12 World Series for ESPN Radio, and even more fortunate to get to call games for my hometown team of Toronto. So this brings both of those things together. Obviously, I am extremely excited, and more so because I get to do it all beside my son, Ben, also a Jays radio announcer. We’ll be the first father-son duo to call a World Series. 

When and how did you know that you wanted to be a sportscaster?

Not until I had graduated from Western University. Sports were a hobby for me at school, but a few months after graduating, I started feeling that what I was doing might not be the best thing for me long-term. I decided to see if I could get into radio. My parents and grandparents were part-supportive, part-concerned. They didn’t know anyone working in broadcasting and were worried whether it would work out or not. But they all came around very quickly.  

Can you describe a moment where you felt you’d, as they say, “made it”?

I guess I would go back to 1995. I wouldn’t say I’d started thinking I’d arrived, but I started being so excited about the kinds of things I was getting to do. That was the year I started doing Blue Jays games for TSN and calling baseball and college basketball games for ESPN. It was beyond exciting for me, especially not having been in it for that long, at that time. At the same time, I think any announcer would tell you there are, and can always be, moments that bring you right down to earth. You’re constantly being evaluated, you’re only as good as your last game, et cetera. That’s why it’s so important to give your best each time you put on the headset.  

Back to the World Series, how will you celebrate the Jays win—if it happens—knock on wood?

As always, I’ll document the moment as best I possibly can. I try to remember, ”Just say what you see.” But something like this is obviously a bit different, with millions of Jays fans being so excited about the team making it to the World Series for the first time in 32 years. If they do win, I hope my calls match the moment, but it’s not something I could or would ever script out in advance. If they don’t win, that’s OK too. I just hope people still feel that it was a wonderful, enjoyable season, where the team exceeded expectations and gave so many people so much joy.