Joel Goldberg broke into the sports broadcasting scene in the 1990s by knocking on television station doors, cold calling broadcast executives, and sending out resume tapes.
His career was not handed to him, it was built on persistence, connection, and years of hard work.
Over a 30-year career, Joel has worked in four markets, covering two World Series Championship teams and thousands of baseball games, as well as multiple Super Bowls, NHL playoffs, and NCAA March Madness tournaments.
Along the way, he has interviewed countless athletes, Hall of Famers, and celebrities, telling stories that range from the most famous stars to under-the-radar role players.
Since 2008, Joel has had the privilege of covering the Kansas City Royals as a host and reporter, a role that allows him to inform, entertain, and connect fans to the athletes they admire.
Through his years of storytelling and observing how championship organizations succeed—and fail—Joel recognized that the leadership methods and culture-building strategies used in sports could translate directly into the corporate world.
This realization led him to launch a motivational speaking business in 2017.
He is also the host of the podcast Rounding the Bases with Joel Goldberg and the author of the books Small Ball Big Results and Small Ball Big Dreams.
Key Points
• Big dreams & life lessons in baseball
• Unlocking success by embracing imperfection
• Media's dynamic evolution in storytelling
• Balancing high performance with family
• Transitioning from sport to speaking stages
Best Quotes
08:41 - 08:48
• "My longtime broadcast colleague, Ryan Lafe, who's our play Byplay guy, so I've been with him for 18 years in Kansas City."
17:53 - 18:00
• "When you're a professional and you, you've signed up for something that you love doing and it's your career, he just got on a plane and went and performed."
25:28 - 25:35
• "I always feel good about the guys that maybe met their spouse in college maybe before they were big time or, or in high school."
39:36 - 39:47
• "But like as far as viral content and all that, look, I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a dopamine hit from when a ton of people watch something that I do that goes viral."
46:40 - 46:48
• "There are just like any other profession, there are athletes in, in all sports that, that are doing it for the money. They don't like it so they won't miss it."
48:52 - 49:02
• "I love the, the, the small ball metaphor because in obviously with my baseball ties, the bunts, nobody thinks that a bunt is exciting."
50:34 - 50:49
• "It's not something that ends up in a bio or, or anything like that. But you're doing something to help advance your, cause your team's cause your purpose and you don't get a lot of credit for it publicly."
