NBC sports writer addresses students

The National Communication Association hosted its first Careers in Communication event this past week at the Maxwell Library withTom Curran of NBC Sports. Curran, a graduate of St. Anselm College, has written for the Providence Journal, appears on Fox Sports New England, and can be heard on WEEI 850 sports radio. He cordially addressed over forty BSC students and faculty in the Heritage Room Curran discussed everything from his start in the field of journalism to Tom Brady's inability to win in Miami.

Curran started his discussion by explaining how he was once in the same position as the audience, not knowing where to go in life and what career decisions to make. He shared the story of his first few years out of college. Even after an internship for a television station in New Hampshire, Curran found himself working dead end jobs for his first few years after graduating, until he took a sports writing position at The Cape Cod Times.

"You need to take your future seriously, get on a road and stay on it," said Curran. "Starting off isn't easy, there is a lot of sacrifice and hard work." "You must have the passion and the time to prove who you are and what you can do."

With time, he worked his way up to the Metro West and Providence Journal. There he became very active with the New England Patriots, forming friendships with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

After years of hard work and sacrifice, Curran was rewarded when he was contacted by NBC Sports to become an NFL columnist for their new website. He explained that being successful in sports writing could be achieved by following Belichick's expectations from his players, "show up on time, be prepared, and do your job."

While bestowing a wealth of information on the crowd, Curran was able to set a casual, comfortable mood by engaging in lighthearted sports talk with the audience. A lively chat about the NFL Draft and the latest nightclub antics from Tennessee Titan Adam "Pacman" Jones got the audience involved and opened up the floor for questions.

Senior Jason Botelho, a sports broadcaster for BSC basketball loved the experience. "It was really nice to have a nationally known columnist come and talk to us like we were his peers," said Botelho. "Curran's sharing of life lessons was very inspiring."

The deeply engaged crowd probed Curran with questions ranging from how he got his start in radio to what a typical day is like working for NBC Sports. Starting off as a caller, sharing information and opinions with the hosts of WEEI's nightly talk shows, Curran was eventually invited to be a part of the in-studio programs, which he still does today. At first, Curran said the thought of being on television was nerve racking, but he was confident of his knowledge and felt he could hold his own.

Curran is often a guest on FSN New England Sports Tonight. He explained that beat writers have in-depth, special information that adds an edge to the nightly show.

"Instead of just having two guys in the studio, it is nice to hear from someone who had just spent the day talking to a coach, or with the team at training camp," said Curran. "You also get paid pretty well to guest star on these shows."

He discovered that writing for a newspaper was much more predictable then a website. Writing for a website calls for lots of monitoring of daily sports happenings. It goes at a very fast pace, where the writers often have to credit other sites and newsmakers. When a story breaks, you need to be on it.

The work of a sportswriter is all about information, who has it and who can get it the fastest. Curran asked the audience for sports tips. "If anyone has any sports information that would be of interest to me, let me know," he said.

Before closing out his discussion, Curran touched bases on a few interesting facts about his career. Growing up locally, and being a sports fan, many students wondered what it was like to be working right in the thick of the sports spotlight.

"Sometimes it's very hard to control your emotions in a professional setting when you have great interest in the team you are covering," Curran said. "It is also very hard to criticize a player who treats you so well during interviews and press conferences."

In the end he spoke highly of being a sportswriter in Boston. "New England writers are set apart because they are enriched with the sports history here and can utilize it in stories," Curran said.

A large turnout of students and faculty sealed the NCA's first Careers in Communication event as a success, especially for the campus sports nuts.

"He was a very candid speaker who was humorous and very informative. His enthusiasm about his job was very motivational," said senior sports fan, Kevin Murray.