“The Personal Side of Sports” with Andy Lynch from Channel 44

 WTLW TV 44 sports broadcaster Andy Lynch visited the NB-NK Rotary Club to share his experience with sports broadcasting, his ministry and his love of people.  Lynch, who was born in California and spent his early years in Toronto , Canada , developed his love of sports at an early age, growing up cheering for the Steelers in Pittsburgh , PA after moving there at age 4.  Andy knew early on that he wanted to become a collegiate and professional athlete and he even had the height advantage he needed.  At age 16 he was 6’6” tall and played basketball, but never did “make it big” as an athlete.  However, he wanted to remain close to the sports scene and what better way to do that than to become a professional sports broadcaster. Andy spent countless hours “commentating” his own video game play in his basement as a kid and knew that he’d found something he loved doing, and a way to be involved with sports.

 A local weatherman was a member of Andy’s church so Andy pulled him aside and asked “what do I need to do to get into broadcasting?”  His dream was to become a big time commentator with a pro team or a sportscaster in a major market so he knew he’d have to go to a great school.  The weatherman suggested that Andy check out Syracuse University and so he did.  As soon as Andy had arrived on campus, he knew “he’d come to the right place, despite the one winter that brought 190” of snow.”  Andy credits his experience at Syracuse for “becoming the person he is today.”  At the end of his four years of broadcast school, few people had jobs lined up.  Andy got a call from a small station in Fairbanks , Alaska to be their “sports guy” and off he went.  

Andy related that “if my dad hadn’t come with me to help me get set up with my apartment and my first car, I might still be stuck frozen up there someplace.  I didn’t have any idea how to get started in life but my dad really helped a lot.”  Andy continued on, “I remember that we landed at 1:00 am local time and the sun was just beginning to go down and I asked myself and God, “what am I doing here?”  My plan was to be here for a year, then move on to a bigger market for a couple years, then move on to a bigger market, maybe a pro team and hit the big time.”  Andy is not into fishing, hunting or anything really “outdoorsy” and he shared that he had a tough time getting to know the local folks at first.  “Most TV broadcasters are up there to get their start and move on, and that was certainly my plan,” said Andy.  Lynch shared one “bonding experience” that helped him grow closer to the locals:  “I agreed to take a polar bear plunge, I thought it would be a good way to show them I was trying to be a part of the community and culture.  The day of the event, it was around 20 degrees below zero and windy.  They had set up a tank full of ice water and we had to jump in.  The strange thing was that once I was in the water, it felt warm, compared to the air outside.  Once got out, it was a different story and I ran inside quickly,” he joked.   Andy’s plan to leave after one year in Fairbanks didn’t exactly work out.  “Almost four years later, I was sitting there asking God, “Why am I still here?”  I had grown close to the people up here, and I’d realized what sports broadcasting is really all about,” shared Lynch.  “My time in Alaska was special.  I learned so many lessons while I was there, especially that sports is about much more than just winning and competing.  I learned how to connect with people, and that the people and their stories are really what are most important. I had set out to become famous but I learned that there’s so much more than that.”

 Andy had decided it was time to get back to the lower 48, after living in North Pole, Alaska in an “apartment right behind Kris Kringle’s house.  I was literally next door neighbors with Santa Claus.  The house in front of my apartment is the “Santa Claus” home you see pictures of in North Pole, Alaska .  The owner even has his driver’s license name changed to Kris Kringle,” Andy joked.  Andy felt called to mission work so he moved to Xenia , OH and for 6 months became involved with “Athletes in Action,” a group that sends athletic teams on missions around the world. “It was a wonderful experience but I missed broadcasting and television too much,” shared Andy.   

Andy described how he came to work for TV 44, “I saw an ad for “The Sports Report” on WTLW TV 44 in Lima , and that they were looking for a sportscaster.  I ended up being selected to help get the program off the ground in 2005 and I haven’t looked back.”  Andy continued, “It’s a perfect way to share my love of God, and to help people see God’s love through sports.  We’re a Christian station and people realize we’re for real and that we’re there for the athletes, the kids and their stories, not the winning and the glitz.  The show and the station are doing well, despite the economy and “we’re working lots of hours to cover as many of the local sports games and stories as we can.  It’s a really busy job but the connections with the kids and the people make it all worthwhile.”

Andy closed his talk by sharing a bit of gratitude for his life today, “My wife Leah and I recently adopted our son Nathan, and through that process we’ve come to be very passionate about adoption and what good can come from helping a young birth mother who has the courage to give her child a life with a good couple.  Leah and I work together at the station, so we bring our son in with us.  We have the ministry and the sports so it’s just incredible.  It’s wonderful that TV 44 has given us this opportunity to reach out and share God’s love through sports.”

Hosting Rotarian: Joan Leffel