An interview with FOX Sports’ Joel Goldberg

​A native of suburban Philadelphia and Chicago, Joel Goldberg is a member of the Kansas City Royals broadcasting team, serving as the host of every pregame and postgame show on FOX Sports Kansas City. He also serves as the television play-by-play voice for the ECHL Kansas City Mavericks.
 
Joel graduated with a degree in journalism and history from the University of Wisconsin, where he learned skills he still uses today in his television career.
 
“My education from Wisconsin had a lot to do with my career once I got into the specialized classes,” Joel said. “That’s what helped shape me into what I am today. I dreamed of being on TV since I was a little kid, but I wasn’t able to actually get in front of a camera until I took those journalism classes.”
 
After completing his degree, Joel began his professional broadcasting career at the local Wisconsin NBC affiliate, then quickly moved to Madison to become a sports reporter for WMTV NBC15. Joel moved onto covering sports in St. Louis, where he was awarded the 2001 Mid-America EMMY® Award for Sports Reporting.
 
“The Rams winning the NFC Championship game at home in the 1999 was just euphoric,” Joel said. “I remember seeing the look in everyone’s eyes, from players to fans. There was just something about that moment of winning the NFC Championship at home.”
 
Joel moved to Kansas City in 2008 to cover the Kansas City Royals. There, he was able to see young, unproven players come together over the course of several years to lead Kansas City to its first World Series championship since 1985.
 
“The whole 2015 World Series run with the Royals was completely life changing for everyone in Kansas City because I watched it bring a whole city together,” Joel said. “That’s a moment that I’ll forever remember because it was a generation of waiting. I was able to witness several players come up from the minors and see them grow to the point that they were veterans and world champions, and now I am watching the whole next wave of guys do the same thing.”
 
Joel is the keynote speaker for the 2019 MCCA Annual Convention and Tradeshow, Fountains of Knowledge. With nearly 25 years under his belt developing and maintaining strong relationships with professional athletes, coaches, and team management, Joel will share stories and strategies through the lens of professional sports.
 
“If you look at baseball, it’s a large amount of people on a team, not just the players, that have to come together to get things done, with a lot of different people from diverse backgrounds,” Joel said. “Baseball is about preparation every day, through the ups, downs, successes, and more importantly, the failures.”
 
Though his address is not about baseball itself, Joel said that it uses the lessons learned in the game and applies it to an everyday work environment.
 
“There’s a message in the game that applies to leadership, teaching, sharing what you know, and creating a positive culture. I think all of those lessons from the world of baseball will be positive and good lessons for everyone.”

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