By Kyle Merber
November 22, 2023
Like every other fan, I have complained endlessly about broadcasts. Having the chance to be on the broadcast sort of feels like halftime at a basketball game when a fan comes down to the court to attempt a half court shot. If it’s so easy, then do it yourself!
This was my second year being part of the ESPN broadcast alongside Carrie Tollefson and John Anderson. I am happy to share that I have accomplished my pre-meet goal of being able to tolerate anonymous comments about my performance, though I should smoke a few cigarettes before the next one to drop an octave.
Like many of us, I stopped paying attention to the NCAA with the same level of intensity once it stopped having a direct impact on my life. When the opportunity first presented itself, I committed myself to follow along again so that I would know the storylines without needing notes – you just don’t have time to check those. Instead, I tried to focus on the screen in front of me and the names and splits on the live results board (thank you Dipen and Cody for the assist).
I still prefer writing to broadcasting because there’s an editor who makes sure I won’t put anything out into the ether that’ll make too many people mad at me. But the professionalism that John, Carrie, Tim, Scott, Sam, Tom, Tyler, brought made it easy for me to do what I always do whether at home or on television: become embarrassingly enthusiastic about running.
Kyle Merber
After hanging up his spikes – but never his running shoes – Kyle pivoted to the media side of things, where he shares his enthusiasm, insights, and experiences with subscribers of The Lap Count newsletter, as well as viewers of CITIUS MAG live shows.
