For my fourth interview of this ongoing series, THE INDUSTRY, I had the honor and privilege of connecting with on-air studio host and play-by-play broadcaster, Gary Apple. Mr. Apple is the host of the NY Mets Pre- and Post-Game live for SNY. He also provides the play-by-play for UCONN Men’s Basketball, hosts the UCONN Women’s Pre, Post, and Halftime shows, and has worked as a studio host for MSG, NBA TV, and a variety of WFAN radio shows. Leading up to my interview with Gary, I was especially excited because he was the first on-air talent I’d had the chance of interviewing, and this is the profession I hope to have a career in someday.
Gary’s passion for sports formed at a young age, spending many of his adolescent and teenage years as an athlete on the field. Gary even dreamt of playing at the professional level, but “I wanted to play in the NBA one day, but I only grew to be 5 foot 10”, he said. This realization, one that many individuals experience, usually causes a person to abandon sports entirely as a career and pursue other paths. However, Apple’s passion, determination, and true love of sports inspired him to find a way to “Get in on the action without actually playing”, as he puts it. He devoted all his energy in his later teenage years to sportscasting, which led him to Syracuse University and its powerhouse broadcasting program.
Similarly to my previous guests, Apple’s college years were filled with an array of experiences and internships that would contribute to his craft and build confidence for the future. For Gary, the significant difference between Syracuse and other strong broadcasting schools was the opportunity for him to live broadcast games for the school teams. Gary’s skills offered him the chance to work with Syracuse’s prestigious radio station, WAER, where he was able to broadcast NCAA football, basketball, lacrosse, and soccer. The students broadcasting on WAER even had the opportunity to travel with the teams. Gary recalled a trip he took to broadcast a football game against Ohio State, an experience he considers as his “first professional broadcasting moment.”
In knowing the versatility that is needed to be successful in THE INDUSTRY, Apple also took on announcing play-by-play for the local minor league affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Perhaps this was a preview for his illustrious career in the studio for our country’s national pastime. At this point, Gary felt equally as comfortable sportscasting as he did as a talk show host, so he was torn. To decide, Gary decided to apply to two internships, one at CNN Sports Atlanta, and the other, a morning talk show for CBS in Washington D.C.
The next sequence of events in his life was quite unfortunate for him at the time, but most likely shaped Mr. Apple’s career into what it has become over the last 30 years.
“I honestly was leaning towards the talk show at the time,” Apple stated. But much to his disappointment at the time, he was offered an internship at CNN Sports but did not hear back from CBS. Or so he thought. After coming to terms with the situation, Gary took the position at CNN and was determined to expand on his sportscasting skills. Then, the following day, Gary got what he considered a confusing call from CBS. “I got a call saying ‘we never heard back from you, we offered you the position. Unfortunately, I had to decline because I had accepted the internship in Atlanta!” Gary viewed this as a teaching moment, but it also helped reveal his future. “I was set on a path at CNN Sports, and this is what I was meant to do,” Gary recalled.
Syracuse and CNN Sports were both experiences that Gary viewed as “places he could go to make mistakes”. After an immense amount of hard work, perfecting his audio craft, learning social skills, communicating with athletes, and developing his own unique style, Mr. Apple began his professional career in St. Louis at the great KMOX radio station. KMOX had been graced by big-time sportscasting names such as Bob Costas as well as father-son duo Joe and Jack Buck. St. Louis gave Gary the ability to expand on his skills in terms of developing the versatility needed in THE INDUSTRY. “From studio, play-by-play, radio, or sideline, the more you can do, the more valuable you are to an employer”, he shared. These are very inspiring words to me.
A question I always love to ask my guests is whether they’ve ever been starstruck, as it’s a thought that often comes to mind while working on THE INDUSTRY. I asked Gary if he ever had, what I like to call, a “WOW, I’m really here”- moment. He viewed it as a more gradual process during his “burst” onto the sportscasting scene and couldn’t recollect a specific moment. One thing I can say about this INDUSTRY, is that everyone seems to know everyone in one way or another. It’s a smaller industry than I would have thought. My first interviewee, David Gavant, worked with Michael Jordan, and my previous, Brian Langsbard, worked with John Williams. In Mr. Apple’s case, he had worked with a man on the Mount Rushmore of sportscasting, Bob Costas. In their first encounter, an unbelievable and exciting coincidence, Gary ran into Bob while boarding a plane from St. Louis to New York, the night after broadcasting a college basketball game for the USA Network. Without any previous relationship whatsoever, Costas sat him down for some advice. Gary was ecstatic and was even invited to Costas’ radio show in New York that weekend. Although Costas and others have offered Gary a large amount of inspiration and advice, Gary told me, “Over the years I’ve learned that people are just people, whether they’re athletes, superstars, or anything else. “
This industry is by no means easy to get involved in, and the idea of outworking the guy next to you to attain success can in fact be parallel to that of the players on the field. “Coming up through the ranks, I was willing to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I believe in any industry, the willingness to work that hard is needed,“ Gary advised me. The responsibility and pressure for on-air talents is very specific, though, a boss in St. Louis once told Gary. “It doesn’t matter if you show up 20 hours before your show to prepare. If you don’t bring me viewers, you’re of no use to me.” These words stuck with Gary, and now will stick with me. While you must work hard, you must also be able to stand out among all the other broadcasters on air.
I’m currently in the early stages of writing a book called “A Letter to Someone Who Hates Sports,” a novel based on meaningful sports stories that take place off the field, and the ways sports have impacted our world on an emotional level. I’ve decided to include this as a segment within my interviews, where I ask my guests what they would say to someone who doesn’t see the significance of sports the way myself and people in THE INDUSTRY do. Gary took the approach of the impact that sports can have on societies around the globe. “Sports has an unbelievable ability to unite communities and people… when Kansas City won the Super Bowl, every single person in the city tuned in, the city was galvanized,” Apple stated. He continued to say that we need sports now more than ever with social media and politics fragmenting our societies. I really considered these words after Mr. Apple told me this, so it will have to be in the book!
Now I’ll move to the portion of Gary Apple’s career that so many New Yorkers are most interested in, Apple’s illustrious career with the New York Mets at SNY. The unique thing about a career in broadcasting is that while much hard work is needed, the opportunity to have a job you enjoy so much it doesn’t feel like a job, is especially true for Gary. “I love my job; I grew up a Mets fan. I understand that I have a great responsibility to the fan base and organization to act as a go-between for the fans and team”. This was yet another inspiration to me for my career path. Although I’m not a die-hard Mets fan myself, I was able to enjoy and appreciate the 2015 World Series run, which Mr. Apple views as one of the most enjoyable experiences he’s had while covering the team. In an unorthodox but equally as exciting experience, Apple and his team produced the Pre- and Post-game shows outside of Citi Field, “It was a madhouse”, Gary recalled.
Looking back on our interview, I can truly say that Mr. Apple was an incredibly relatable guest for me, and I learned so much from speaking with him. As I mentioned previously, I can understand so many of the feelings Mr. Apple had in his teenage years. I also dreamt a bit too steeply of a career as a professional athlete, and like Apple, eventually realized I wouldn’t be happy with any career choice outside of sports. I asked Gary for one line of advice as I embark on my own journey into THE INDUSTRY, and he replied, “You have to be willing to sacrifice, outwork everyone, go anywhere and put your heart and soul into everything-that’s what will separate you from others. Also, information is king”. This advice will surely stay with me for many years as I strive for a career as successful as his.
Gary and I wrapped up by his advising me to always be kind, 100% of the time, because way too many people aren’t anymore. What a great representation of who he is as a person. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to conduct this interview, which inspired me and opened my eyes to the work ethic and traits needed to be a great sportscaster, student, and person.
