A basketball and soccer player at Northwestern, Byington has worked as a reporter and announcer for multiple major sports broadcasts, including Fox Sports, ESPN, CBS, Turner Sports and the. Ja Morant powers Memphis onto the list, while Klay Thompson's return recharges Golden State. This season Scott and Byingtons lifelong dreams came true in becoming the two first females to hold full-time TV play-by-play roles for a major mens professional sports league. Lisa Byington is an American journalist who is currently working as a play-by-play television announcer for Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA champion. She was a basketball player herself, and with mens games televised much more frequently than the womens, March Madness was always her favorite event. Are you a statistician? A couple of television production trucks were stationed in a corridor not far from the court, but Byington faced a dilemma: Which belonged to Bally Sports Wisconsin, the teams broadcast partner? Moreover, she just takes it as one small part of her big story. Byington distanced from fitness for a while after college ended and her professional life started. Women Of The NBA: Lisa Byington & Kate Scott Kate Scott and Lisa Byington are living their lifelong dreams and making history as NBA play-by-play voices. It can be very lonely here, so its really wonderful to have somebody who understands, Scott said. Everything was kind of fuzzy after that, she said. This year alone, she became the first woman in history to call play-by-play during NCAA men's basketball tournament. Bucks broadcast team of Marques Johnson and Lisa Byington reports on the game of the Milwaukee Bucks against the San Antonio Spurs. Lisa Byington is a sports reporter, commentator, and studio host best known for having a versatile voice in the sports world. This article about a United States journalist born in the 1970s is a stub. Was struck by several storylines from my time at NU this past weekend, so I refuse to write on one topic , Were an ADD society now anyhow, so heres your thoughts on the go.bullet point style . Northwestern also claimed the Big Ten title in 1982 . Lisa Byington has worked for BTN, FOX, CBS, Turner, and ESPN. I think people who dont know me or havent followed my story think Lisa has gotten yeses, right? Lisa has gotten a lot of noes, Byington said. I say it sucks in the sense that it happens once and then we have to wait three more decades for it to happen again. Over the last decade, a majority of her work has been done at Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network. Byington spent 12 years in local news covering events such as the Brown Trout Festival and Alpena Community College Lumberjack Games, in Alpena, Mich. One of Scotts first jobs out of college was reporting on sports and traffic for a variety of Bay Area radio stations. Byington added that her own mother is her role model as she taught her to not set goals based on gender stereotypes. BTN's Lisa Byington opens the Northwestern-Bowling Green game. For this series, Julia Adams spoke to women from various positions around the league from play-by-play broadcasters, to analysts, to producers in order to capture how the NBA is supporting women to enter roles on a league-wide basis. I would dribble in the kitchen and slam dunk against the wall much to my mothers dismay.. She made her first appearance for the Big Ten Network in 2007 during their opening football weekend. Byington chatted with Zora Stephenson, the Bucks sideline reporter, then made her way across the court to greet Beth Mowins, who was preparing for her play-by-play duties with ESPN, which was also broadcasting the game. I think people who dont know me or havent followed my story think Lisa has gotten yeses, right? Ive just gotten a lot of big yeses in the last few months. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Beginning this October, she will take another historic step for women in sportscasting. Both Scott and Byington were drawn to sports from a young age and their experience playing sports helped influence an interest in pursuing a broadcasting career. Byington stopped in at the media truck to check in with her director and producer. Both Scott and Byington were drawn to sports from a young age and their experience playing sports helped influence an interest in pursuing a broadcasting career. "I feel grateful I grew up with a mom and a dad who never made goals gender specific," she explained. What has been key for these women in making it in this industry is having a community of supporters, role models and mentors both male and female who have helped support them along the way. Eventually, Byington would move onto Northwestern University where she lettered in basketball four years - and was a three-time All-Big Ten Academic selection - and two as a soccer walk-on. And Scott believes women have the opportunity to be the future behind the league, as long as they want to be there. She graduated with a communication degree from UC Berkeley in 2005. Scott just auditioned for the open play-by-play position for the Philadelphia 76ers with little belief that she landed the role. [But] it all comes down to the job that we do all year long.. Her passion for sports, especially basketball, has been with her since the beginning. She received two degrees at Northwestern a bachelors with a print journalism concentration and a masters with a broadcast concentration. At Portage Northern High School, she helped lead the girls basketball team on a run to the state semifinals. Scott just auditioned for the open play-by-play position for the Philadelphia 76ers with little belief that she landed the role. What an athlete. Byington grew up in Michigan and played two sports at Northwestern University. ] Here is the Michigan natives career in a little more detail. Everyones made me feel like family, Byington said later. Fans, just consider the basketball IQ of your new Bucks Broadcast Team. There are going to be a lot of moments where youre gonna doubt yourself and wonder if this is what you really want to do listen to your heart and your gut and if the answer is yes, keep going. In March, McPeak was part of the NBAs first all-female TV broadcast team when she was the play-by-play voice for a TSN broadcast of a Toronto Raptors-Denver Nuggets game. [9] Both teams made the NCAA Tournament. Not many would know, but Lisa always dreamed of being a player as an eight-year-old kid, but slowly the transition took place, and she has totally fallen in love with the role of play-by-play. And Scott believes women have the opportunity to be the future behind the league, as long as they want to be there. Lisa Byington was born on the 18th of May 1976 in Portage, Michigan. We want you here, Scott said. Despite possessing a love for sports along with years of broadcasting experience, both women would tell you that the journey to where they are now has not been easy. For this series, Julia Adams spoke to women from various positions around the league from play-by-play broadcasters, to analysts, to producers in order to capture how the NBA is supporting women to enter roles on a league-wide basis. March 2021; September 2018; November 2017; She was a basketball player herself, and with. The butterflies might return when she takes her seat courtside on college basketballs biggest stage. Lisa Byington (born May 18, 1976) is a play-by-play announcer, studio host, and feature producer/reporter. When Byington opted not to pick up, Cohen resorted to sending a text message that featured a GIF of Antetokounmpo. The former Northwestern basketball and soccer player has worked as a . "mainEntity": [ Take a closer look at the league's most productive and efficient players on isolation plays. We still have some left! he said. Stats Statistics Statistics; . Lindley believes NU is one of the only, if not the only FBS school, implementing this kind of training method. Welcome to Milwaukee, Lisa!! Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Late Goals Put Badgers Ahead in Women's Soccer", "Lisa Byington to Call NCAA Tournament Play-by-Play", "Michigan native Lisa Byington preparing for dream job as Olympic play-by-play announcer", "BTN broadcaster Lisa Byington braces for historic football assignment", "FOX Sports Unveils Broadcaster Assignments for FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019 Group Stage", "RECORD 178 COMMENTATORS JOIN NBC OLYMPICS' COVERAGE OF THE GAMES OF THE XXXII OLYMPIAD FROM TOKYO, JAPAN", "Lisa Byington Ready for History-Making March Madness Moment", ". Her debut will come Friday afternoon, as No. The support from the 76ers, the communication staff, Doc [Rivers], the players, everybody seems to truly want me here. Northwestern News and Notes. It actually makes my job a lot easier youre dealing with a happy fan base, Byington said. If you can do that, you can do anything, Feigin said. This is her latest accomplishment in a career that already has its share of historic firsts. In 2017, Byington became the first woman to call play-by-play for a Big Ten Network football game. Fitz was very clear to us on Friday that he has 1A and 1B quarterbacks. Its a part of the process, she said. Who Is Keanu Yamamoto? We want you here, Scott said. From Portage Northern, to Northwestern University, to the smallest of TV markets in the United States to the sidelines of the most recognized sports networks in the world, Lisa Byington has blazed trails all over the Midwest and beyond. MILWAUKEE (AP) Lisa Byington is making history as the Milwaukee Bucks' new play-by-play voice on their television broadcasts. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. In April, Stephenson became the first woman to call a Bucks game when she filled in for Paschke for a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets. Just thinking of all of that, it sucks in the sense of it taking this long for it to happen, continued McPeak. Who knows, maybe one day you can find yourself calling games for the Philadelphia 76ers.. Lisa Byington has just more than 6.7K followers on her. This should almost certainly mean that she commands a good paycheque from her employers and also have a pretty decent net worth. ", "Northwestern Women's Soccer 2018 Record Book & Almanac", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lisa_Byington&oldid=1150305664, College basketball announcers in the United States, Northwestern Wildcats women's basketball players, Women's college basketball announcers in the United States, Women's National Basketball Association announcers, National Basketball Association broadcasters, Northwestern Wildcats women's soccer players, Short description is different from Wikidata, BLP articles lacking sources from July 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 11:22. All you need is one person to say yes. You cant fault the person for asking that because for the past 30 or 40 years, theyve only worked with men., Kate was one of the people to text me congratulations when the news came out with the Bucks, Byington said. Bucks play-by-play broadcaster Lisa Byington smiles during a preseason game at the Fiserv Forum. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry have further appreciation for each other following Thompsons injury. Her passion for sports, especially basketball, has been with her since the beginning. Im going to be as excited as anyone would be for this kind of opportunity.. In 2017, she became the first woman to do football play-by-play on BTN when she called a game between Northwestern and Bowling Green. Then, she enrolled herself at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It is not going to be easy. Her passion for sports, especially basketball, has been with her since the beginning. Talking about her parents, her fathers name is Bob Byington, while the name of her mother is unavailable. Lisa Byington became the first woman to call NCAA Tournament games for CBS and Turner Sports as a play-by-play announcer. At Northwestern, she played varsity basketball and soccer while majoring in journalism. Byington (right) calling a preseason game between the Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. She began working as a March Madness reporter with CBS and Turner Sports in 2017, covering the 2019 mens Final Four from the sideline in the networks virtual reality broadcast. She became the first female play-by-play broadcaster for a Big Ten Network college football game in 2017. Ponderosa is a company that operates in the Restaurants industry. I like to say the phrase background noise One day a females voice on a mens game will just be background noise, Byington said. I believed when I was a little kid I could do anything in the world if I wanted a doctor, a lawyer or an NBA broadcaster, Byington said. As of now, she has been with the Big Ten Network for over fifteen years. This season Scott and Byingtons lifelong dreams came true in becoming the two first females to hold full-time TV play-by-play roles for a major mens professional sports league. Female First Hopes Its Not Such a Big Deal Soon, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/sports/basketball/lisa-byington-bucks.html, Lisa Byington, who is the first woman to be a full-time play-by-play announcer in the N.B.A., said her parents made me feel like I could do anything in the world.. ( Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. You might recognize that station's call letters have Chicago roots first at part-time CBS affiliate Channel 4 before CBS 2 was founded in 1953, then at ABC 7 before that station changed call letters to WLS-TV in 1968. Scott seen in Philly before a preseason game. Lisa Byington's favorite event since she was 10 years old has been the NCAA Tournament after she saw Indiana's Keith Smart hit the game-winning basket and David Barrett's "One Shining Moment" played for the first time. Earlier this year, she was the first woman to do play-by-play of the mens college basketball tournament for CBS and Turner Sports, and her call of Oral Roberts second-round upset over Florida drew media praise. Now moving past Lisas professional life, lets take a look at her private life. In 2007, after spending a decade with WLNS-TV, Lisa Byington moved to the Big Ten Network. Kevon Looney's historically elite rebounding provided separation in a winner-take-all Game 7. Trainers can perhaps see an injury happen better or see a player limping around in a huddle quicker from high above, than from field level. There is a place for you here. During her playing career, both the Northwestern Basketball team and the Northwestern Soccer team made it to the NCAA Tournament. The same sources also claim that her net worth is estimated to be around $3 million as of May 2023. But ultimately, I dont think of myself as a female broadcaster. There, Byington wrote, she "I chased down a ton of high school human-interest stories and state titles, juggled that with the college sports scene from East Lansing to Ann Arbor, and I got my feet wet covering all of the Detroit pro sports teams at some point or another.". I think of myself as a broadcaster, and the goal is to do the job well enough that people start thinking that way as well.. We wanted to tell you first ourselves that we would love for you to be the next voice of the Philadelphia 76ers,' she recalled. Recruiting services had him looking at Alabama, OSU, Notre Dame, and Stanford. Ja Morant powers Memphis onto the list, while Klay Thompson's return recharges Golden State. She. In fact, I joke with people that on my drive to my first job interview in Alpena, I hit scan on the radio dial, and it went all the way through without stopping. [2][3][4], Byington announced the 2019 Women's World Cup for Fox[5] and the 2020 Olympic Games as a play-by-play announcer for men's and women's soccer. On the field. While at Northwestern University, Byington played basketball and soccer. Byington had arrived early on Oct. 10 for her first home game as the teams new play-by-play voice. SIs tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and whats happening next. Scott played four varsity sports in high school, wrote for her schools newspaper and was the public address announcer for the mens soccer team. Then, for her professional career, she chose to go into sports broadcasting. She has two older sisters, who are often featured on her Instagram. You make those definitions for yourself. Every time you hear a female in a space where its a mens game where you dont normally hear a female, people are always trying to figure out who it is. She earned her BSJ and MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages. At a similar timeline in the offseason, play-by-play broadcaster Lisa Byington was going through the audition process for a role with the defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks. Lindley told me the purpose is to get a better birds eye view of injuries, especially ones that happen far away from the NU sideline. 2) Do the Quarterback Shuffle: . Scott mentioned that male supporters in the league are very important, especially as more females come onto the NBA scene. You learn how to work with it, and you learn how to laugh about it, she said. EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern has clinched a share of the Big Ten title for the second consecutive season. It is not going to be easy. She had landed the Bucks job. Because its time., I am honored, humbled, and beyond excited for this opportunity and to get this started! She also played four years of basketball and two years of soccer for the Wildcats. "acceptedAnswer": { This is one step closer to get to a point of where we want to go, Byington says. Is March Madness the Most Exciting Event in Sports.