AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Local man finds his calling in sports broadcasting
Morgan Donahue: Shot… SCOREEEEEEEE!
Anna McCusker: This voice is booming and dynamic, like it belongs on ESPN. But the man behind the mic isn’t a seasoned sportscaster. He’s a full-time sales representative who never imagined he’d be broadcasting. Now at almost 40 years old, you could say — he’s found his calling.
Donahue: TREVOR THE TRIGGER FERREIRA ON A PASS FROM GEORGE STAMATAKOSSSS!
McCusker: Morgan Donahue grew up in Westwood, Massachusetts with a sports statistics-loving dad and a family of athletes. But even though he was passionate about it, being the voice of Westwood school sports was never part of the plan.
Donahue: I live a good life with what I’m doing in sales.
McCusker: That changed when his nieces and nephews started to play on the sports teams at Westwood High School, and Donahue learned their games would be recorded, but silent. So, he decided to give sports broadcasting a shot.
Donahue: The cool thing was no one had done it, so I’m like I can start it and be awful and who cares because it’s still better than nothing.
McCusker: And it was a rough start. Looking back, Donahue says he cringes at his first attempts at play-by-play…
Donahue: and then on the Hoptown…
McCusker: But as he continued to put himself out there, he found himself falling in love with calling the high school games.
His older sister Jess says Morgan’s ability to talk to anyone and his killer memory make him the perfect fit, but it all began by just by being an uncle who cared.
Jess Hancock: Even when my kids were little, he’s like #1 uncle right? Even when my kids were little, before it was even a thing, he would take videos and post them on YouTube. ‘Bub the Savage’ you know? And just hysterical clips of like the kids as babies playing sports that we just died laughing.
McCusker: The new podcast he hosts for the school, “The Wolverine Report,” has become a local hit, featuring interviews with coaches, players, and alumni.
Donahue finds pride in memorializing these moments in local sports and telling the stories of past and present student-athletes.
Donahue: It’s our history and it’s what makes our town special.
McCusker: The powerful part is this is all volunteer work. Donahue travels to away games, spends hours learning about players, edits during his lunch break at work, and doesn’t earn a single penny. He does it all to give back to the community, with the hopes that someday soon, just maybe, he can make this into a career.
Donahue: You’re putting it into the bank. Each game, each podcast is equity that’s put into a bank, and eventually, you know, you cash out.
McCusker: After finding this calling late in life, Donahue hopes his efforts inspire others to pursue their passions, no matter how out of reach they may seem. And, through all the ups and downs of learning something new, he’s not afraid to share his secret for success.
Donahue: When you can develop that mindset of you can laugh at yourself, you’ll be so successful. Cause you know what? It’s going to get better. It’s not going to get any worse than that!
McCusker: For Donahue, age is just a number —
Donahue: Crucial goal for the Wolverines!
McCusker: — when it comes to chasing your dreams. Anna McCusker, NCC News.
Donahue: Wolverines getting the second goal! Up two to one! A big goal!
WESTWOOD, MASS. (NCC News) — Morgan Donahue grew up in Westwood, Massachusetts with a sports statistics-loving dad and a family of athletes. But even though he was passionate about it, being the voice of Westwood school sports was never part of the plan. As a full-time sales representative, he never imagined he’d be broadcasting.
That changed when his nieces and nephews started to play on the sports teams at Westwood High School, and Donahue learned their games would be recorded, but silent. So, he decided to give sports broadcasting a shot and now at almost 40 years old, you could say he’s found his calling.
“The cool thing was no one had done it, so I’m like I can start it and be awful and who cares because it’s still better than nothing,” Donahue said.
And it was a rough start. Looking back, Donahue says he cringes at his first attempts at play-by-play but as he continued to put himself out there, he found himself falling in love with calling the high school games.
His older sister Jess says Morgan’s ability to talk to anyone and his killer memory make him the perfect fit, but it all began by just by being an uncle who cared.
“Even when my kids were little, he’s like number one uncle right? Even when my kids were little, before it was even a thing, he would take videos and post them on YouTube. ‘Bub the Savage’ you know? And just hysterical clips of like the kids as babies playing sports that we just died laughing,” Hancock said.
The new podcast he hosts for the school, “The Wolverine Report,” has become a local hit, featuring interviews with coaches, players, and alumni. Donahue finds pride in memorializing these moments in local sports and telling the stories of past and present student-athletes.
The powerful part is this is all volunteer work. Donahue travels to away games, spends hours learning about players, edits during his lunch break at work, and doesn’t earn a single penny. He does it all to give back to the community, with the hopes that someday soon, just maybe, he can make this into a career.
“You’re putting it into the bank. Each game, each podcast is equity that’s put into a bank, and eventually, you know, you cash out,” he said.
After finding this calling late in life, Donahue hopes his efforts inspire others to pursue their passions, no matter how out of reach they may seem. And, through all the ups and downs of learning something new, he’s not afraid to share his secret for success.
“When you can develop that mindset of you can laugh at yourself, you’ll be so successful. Cause you know what? It’s going to get better. It’s not going to get any worse than that,” Donahue said.
For Donahue, age is just a number when it comes to chasing your dreams.