In the dugout or behind the mic calling a game, the Tufts senior is committed to his teams
Photo: Alonso Nichols
Sam Brill, A23, is an anthropology major who hopes one day to be a physician. As a Laidlaw Scholar, he has traveled to Western Uganda to study wild chimpanzees, written a handbook for rural health workers, and worked at a mobile health clinic. He volunteers at Mass General, too. Yet he still finds time for one of his lifelong loves: sports.
Brill, who has been playing baseball since toddlerhood, is the student manager for the Tufts team. He also directs programming and lends his voice to JumboCast, Tufts’ student athletics broadcasting club, where he specializes in football commentary.
How did you get involved with the Jumbos baseball team?
I tried out for the team my freshman year. I didn’t make it, but I was asked by the coaching staff to stick around and be the student manager. It’s a versatile role, especially at the Division III level. I manage our analytics technology, I run all of our social media, and I’m out in the field hitting to guys before the games. During games, I’m the most vocal guy on the bench.
I also hope to be in uniform this year, on the team as a pitcher. Baseball has informed my dream to work in orthopedics. Playing baseball and being able to see how my body works and moves through space has given me an entirely different perspective on what it’s going to mean to treat patients.
What’s it like to work on JumboCast?
You show up on game day, and you do whatever it takes to put on a half-decent broadcast. I do a lot of commentary, both play by play and color for football, volleyball, basketball, and soccer. I’m the go-to guy for football, and it’s a lot of fun. I’m friends with a lot of the guys on the football team, so they’re really appreciative to have someone on the mic who knows football and knows them personally. They always let me know when their grandma sends them a text after the game: “He called it exactly like he saw it!”
Lately, we’ve been lauded as one of the best in Division III, which is cool. I get a little bit more glory than I probably deserve because I’m a voice on the air, but our producers and our camera workers do an incredible job.
How did you get into sportscasting?
My high school athletic director asked me to be the announcer for all of our home sports. My dad works in sports media, and people say that I’ve got the same velvet voice, whatever that means!
What inspires you?
My dad didn’t do sports broadcasting until he was a little older. He re-enrolled in college and took an internship with an ABC station in New York. This eventually landed him at ESPN Radio. That was a dream come true for him, and it was really cool to watch him reinvent himself. I admire his drive. It reminds me of my mom’s stories of her parents coming to America, despite their comfortable living in Morocco, to give their kids a better life in the United States. It drives me, to leave everywhere I go better than I found it, whether it relates to baseball, medicine, or anything in between. Both my parents have taught me that anything is possible if you will it. If you will it, it will come.
