Sports media industry leaders explored the latest topics in sports journalism, broadcasting, digital media, communication and content creation at Klein College of Media and Communication’s 14th annual Sports Media Summit on Feb. 20.
Tim Kurkjian, who joined ESPN in 1998 as a reporter for Baseball Tonight and a senior writer was interviewed by Claire Smith, KLN ’79, the first female Major League Baseball beat writer.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
Laughter filled Anneberg Hall’s atrium as prospective students and current Temple University students listened to renowned ESPN baseball analyst and writer Tim Kurkjian recount one of the most humbling moments of his career. Speaking at the Klein College of Media and Communication’s Claire Smith Center for Sports Media during its 14th annual Sports Media Summit on Feb. 20, Kurkjian told a story about an unexpected request that came from his boss at ESPN. His boss, Mike McQuade, asked him to race in a sausage costume during the Milwaukee Brewers’ famed Sausage Race, which takes place at Miller Park during the middle of the sixth inning at every home game.
“I was so confused being inside this giant costume, which completely overpowered my tiny little body,” said Kurkjian, who stands at 5 feet, 5 inches. “We take off and I am the worst hot dog I have ever seen. It was like running down the street holding a gigantic beach umbrella over your head in a hurricane while you are drunk.”
He finished so far behind in last place, he joked, that event staff had to shout at him to get off the field because the game was back in action.
“The point is,” he told the students, “Every once in a while, you have to go outside of your comfort zone, take a chance and do something for the good of the team.”
Each year, Temple’s Sports Media Summit offers prospective and current students the opportunity to meet a panel of industry professionals and learn about the latest trends in sports journalism, broadcasting, digital media, communication and content creation. Participants toured Temple’s sports media facilities and experienced its student-run media outlets, including OwlSports Update, Temple University Television, WHIP Radio and The Temple News. Through interactive live broadcasts, newscasts and content creation, attendees experienced how current students practice in professional-style media settings, offering a firsthand look at the immersive training and resources at Temple that prepare many alums for successful careers.
Among the Temple alumni on the panel was Ali McCann, KLN ’19, who is now an on-air host with Golf Channel, appearing on The Drop and contributing across golf and sports media platforms. The panel also featured Sage Hurley, KLN ’22, senior digital club reporter for the Philadelphia Union, and Mario Rodriguez Canuto, KLN ’25, who worked as a writer for the Associated Press covering the 2025 FIFA World Cup in Philadelphia.
Also speaking at the summit was Alison Grove, senior director of strategy in operations and partnerships at Grimm and Grove Communications. Most recently, she helped co-organize and win Philadelphia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Kurkjian said what drew him to the summit is his close friendship with Claire Smith, KLN ’79, the first female Major League Baseball beat writer, who covered the New York Yankees from 1983 to 1987 and is the namesake of Temple’s sports media center. Smith led a Q&A conversation with Kurkjian at the event.
“When Claire Smith, my dear friend, asks me to do anything, I am in. I know how great the program here is at Temple because she is a part of it,” he said. “Nothing makes me happier than when I can speak to young aspiring journalists, people who want to write.”
He told the group that becoming a baseball writer felt like his destiny, having attended Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, named after Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson. But Kurkjian recalled that he did not start out as a strong writer when he covered football for the school paper.
“The football coach told me, this might have been the worst story I have ever read. I hope you are not planning on making this your life’s work,” Kurkjian said. “I was a terrible writer, but I figured it out eventually. If you want to be a good writer or good on TV, you have to do it every day.
“It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, or how terrible your voice may be; if you show up, try and come prepared every day, you can make it in this industry. I’m living proof of that,” he added.
Tim Kurkjian has covered every World Series game and Major League Baseball All-Star Game since 1981 and has served as a National Baseball Hall of Fame voter for 35 years.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
One of the students asked Kurkjian how he transitioned from starting as a beat writer for the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles to covering all 30 Major League Baseball teams nationally for Sports Illustrated and later appearing on television for CNN/SI and ESPN with no on-air experience.
“I started cutting out every box score of every game and taping them into my notebook every day for 20 years,” he said. “For my day-by-day book, which I did for 30 years, I recorded every game played that day, including every pitching line of every pitcher.
“When I moved from writing to TV, I asked the people at CNN/SI if they would teach me how to be on camera. They said no, there is no time, you’re on. You’re a writer; you’ll figure it out. A year later at ESPN, the answer was the same,” he added. “The point I’ll always remember is this: You are a writer, and writers can do anything. Learning to write originally will help you in every single way in life.”
To wrap up the event, Kurkjian took a photo with each student who lined up to meet him and spoke one-on-one with them.
“Hopefully, a few things that I said today got through to the people. Anything I can do to open the mind of a young journalist, writer, broadcaster, you can count me in,” said Kurkjian. “And today is a perfect example of how many people I have met, who want to do what I do or what others do, you just have to show up and try.”