Sports Journalist Without Sight Overcomes Obstacles

Sports Journalist Without Sight Overcomes Obstacles

digitalsportsnews | December 5, 2014
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Most would say that sports are a completely visual experience, but one of the most important aspects of Radio and TV broadcasting comes from the announcer. Being from the Philadelphia area, the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, Harry Kalas, was a beloved part of our cities culture. For nearly four decades, the smooth, baritone delivery poured out of Veterans Stadium, before becoming Citizens Bank Park, and television speakers of fans in the Philadelphia/South Jersey region. A recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to the game, Kalas was one of the last longtime announcers closely associated with one city. Another, Vin Scully, threw out the first pitch at the Los Angeles Dodgers' home opener marking his own 60th year with that club. Kalas' signature "Outta here!" home run calls will ring forever in our hearts as Phillies devotees. Some people are just born with a voice that can take the action of a game and translate it into something so much more; turning sound into memories of some of the best and worst moments in sports history. The University of Missouri, a school known for its strong Journalism program, takes in hundreds of freshmen from across the country to learn about news or sports broadcasting. One of those freshman’s shining voices comes from Blake Tarrants. At 18 months old, Blake had an allergic reaction to a vaccine which caused inflammation of his brain and his optic nerves to shut down. Despite being blind, Blake has developed a strong love of sports and a passion for talking about the game. He grew up in Kansas City listening to the Chiefs and Royals games on the radio. “Even though I can’t see it the way everybody else can, the mental and vocal gifts I’ve been given and the amount of time I’ve spent around the games, it helps me form unique opinions and I think that’s what really gets people’s attention when the listen to me and that’s what people enjoy the most,” Blake said. Mostly, he gives the sports updates for newscasts and sits in on some of the talk shows. A high school classmate of Blakes, Brandon Kiley is currently a producer for “The Big Show” on KTGR in Columbia, Missouri and has worked with Blake for the past few months. The observation aspect of sports broadcasting for Blake is replaced by the play-by-play man that announcers are only slightly reliant upon. "Despite not being able to see the game, Blake has many talents that make him a successful broadcaster," Kiley says. "Blake can recall seemingly unimportant plays and give you exact details." Kiley says he helps Blake a bit but hasn’t been his crutch, and can’t help but watch and enjoy when Blake works. One day, Blake hopes to reside in Kansas City, getting paid to talk about his favorite teams.