Also called: Sports Broadcaster, Commentator
Calls the action live during sports broadcasts on TV, radio, and streaming.
Before a game, an announcer studies stats, interviews coaches, and memorizes player storylines. During the game they describe every play in real time while working with a color analyst. Most start calling high school or college games on local radio.
Estimate. Local radio announcers may earn $40k; national TV voices earn millions.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's in broadcast journalism or communications; years of experience calling games.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Broadcast Journalism, Communications, Journalism.
Shrinking (about -4% over 10 years). Broadcast announcer jobs are declining overall, but streaming creates new outlets.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI commentary already calls some minor and niche events; big national broadcasts stay human, but the ladder up gets thinner.
Classes: Speech and debate, Journalism or broadcast, Drama.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.