About Matt Cord
Current Job
Philadephia 76rs In Arena Announcer
Skills
About the job
Matt got his current job from being the Philadelphia Wings announcer from 1993 to 2000, the new owner for the 76rs needed a new in arena announcer at the time, he liked matt so he chose him. Matt says the best part of his job is doing the player introductions before every game. Matt says the biggest downside of his job is when people ask for tickets or autographs.
Matt says his skills to succeed in a industry like his are, knowledge of the game, be prepared, know the opponent and having good announcing voice.
Matt says that other than the new owner liking him for the job, he also had to put his name out there in the radio world so that he had more experience. He says his job is unique and different from other people in the arena announcing industry because in the NBA, announcers talk the most weather its fouls, number of fouls, points, assists, ETC. Matt says he maintains a work life balance so well because he's had this job for so long he is used to it by now. if he wasn't an arena announcer for the 76rs, he would be a ski instructor teaching people how to ski in Aspen, Colorado. Lastly, his compensation is around 75 thousand.
Experience & Education
Matt attended college at SUNY Plattsburgh from 1978 - 1982, his major was philosophy. After college he started work on the Philly sports radio station called 102.9 WMGK Morning show! He started working there the year of 1990 and still works there! He started being the arena announcer for the Philadelphia 76rs 1997 and still works there today! lastly, his other years of experience come from being the arena announcer for the Philadelphia Wings Lacrosse Team from 1994-2000.
How Matt Got His Current Job
"I got my job with the Sixers because of the new owner. I was currently working for the Philadelphia wings and they play in the same arena as the Sixers. The owner liked me so he gave me the job. Ive been with them ever since."
Best Part Of Matts Job
"The best part of my job has to be doing player introductions. I have a unique introduction for every player. It lets me use creativity. Its also gets the crowd hype."
Biggest Downside of Matt's Job
"When people ask me for tickets. It just happens so often. Other than that, when people ask me for autographs. That's pretty much it."
Most Valuable Skills Matt Has Learned
"You have to have knowledge of the game, that's the main one. Other than that you need to be prepared. Oh, and you need to have a good announcing voice. That's big!"
Example Of How Matt Networked To Get His Job
I was already involved with radio and I was the announcer for the wings. They played in the same arena as the Sixers. When they got a new owner, he liked me. He picked me for the job."
Matt's Advice For Breaking Into The Industry
"Try everything" "I mean everything" "anything you like to do. Just try it."
How Unique Is Matt's Job From Other People Doing The Same
"There are only 29 other announcers in the NBA. One for every team. So that means the way I call fouls, assists, points, ETC have to be unique. It makes the job fun"
How Does Matt Maintain Work-Life Balance
"Ive been in the industry for a long time. It definitely took some getting used to. Through experience you just learn how to handle all of it. I understand how to maintain it by now."
Compensation
The average compensation for an NBA announcer is around 75,000.
"What would you do if you weren't working your current job"
"Oh, great question. I would definitely be in Aspen, Colorado. I would want to be a ski instructor. Those guys live the life."
What I Learned
What I learned from Matt directly correlates from what we learn in class. Professor Poorman always talks about how you need to make connections. That is exactly what Matt did to get his job with the Philadelphia 76rs. There are a couple major takeaways that I have from my time working with Matt that I have gathered.
The first takeaway I have from working with Matt other than you need to make connections is you must enjoy your job to be successful. As you can see from my website, there is only two downsides to his job. Neither of those downsides include his actual job, just people that happen to be in his social life. During my phone call with Matt, he told me countless times about how much he enjoys his job and how it has made his life so much better and enjoyable.
My Second takeaway from Matt is that you can still enjoy your social life if you want to have a successful job. As you can see from my website, he has gotten so used to his job that he can enjoy his social life and still succeed. You don’t have to have a set schedule and be in bed at a certain time every night to be successful. You can enjoy your life and still make a living.
My 3rd and final takeaway from my time with Matt which is also like my first takeaway is that you don’t have to make a million dollars a year to have a great job. Yes, Matt does very well for himself and makes a great amount of money. But he does not make a salary that sticks out like a sore thumb. This is because he enjoys his work. If you enjoy your work, it doesn’t matter how much you make. To be successful and make a lot of money, you need to enjoy your job, this is how Matt makes a great amount of money.