Each year, I get to work with Jay Harris from ESPN. He generously donates his time to the fundraising efforts of Nancy Lieberman Charities by acting as the emcee of the nonprofit’s Dream Ball Gala and playing as a celebrity in the golf tournament that follows it. My role in the gala involves writing a script for it and then supervising the content creation and production onsite. As such, since 2017, I have worked with Mr. Harris to try to ensure everything flows as it should during the show.
While performing that exercise, I have come to understand some of Jay’s preferences when it comes to word choices and how verbiage is presented in a script he’ll read on stage. The video interview that accompanies this article clues you in on some of those nuances (it’s nerdy but fun, I promise). For instance, you’ll learn that he considers the word “podium” overused. I have decided he has a point here and have embraced his usage recommendations.
I don’t agree with him on everything, though, as you’ll learn in the video.
Note: the next paragraph will be Jay’s least favorite of the article.
We discussed ellipses in the video . . . because . . . wait for it . . . he doesn’t like them . . . and I do. See how when you read that sentence you naturally slowed the pace of it? You wouldn’t have done that as much if I had just dropped in some commas . . . and therefore . . . I rest my case.
This year marked the XVth year of the Dream Ball Gala. I wrote the number that way to be cheeky, as you’ll understand from the video. I wouldn’t do it that way, though, if Jay had to read it on one of the SportsCenter episodes he hosts.
Jay’s a big reason the Dream Ball event has continued to be a successful one for that many years. He’s a pro and super to work with. That shows up on stage. The whole reason he’s choosy about the words he uses is because he wants to do a good job for his audience. His background in live TV makes him a fantastic host because last-minute changes don’t phase him. And I also know I can amuse myself by adding the pronunciation of Devin Harris’s last name (Hair-iss) to his script with the thought that I may make him grin on the inside as he skips over that little Easter Egg and moves on to introducing Tommie Harris. Yes, the Harrises (or is it Harrii?) led the Dream Ball in celebrity participation this year, thumping the Turcos, Simpsons, and Paytons.
Jay thinks highly of the philanthropic efforts of his fellow Old Dominion graduate Nancy Lieberman and shows it through his embrace of the Basketball Hall of Famer’s programs and events. He and Nancy have also embraced encouraging men to get checked for Prostate Cancer. Jay survived that disease last year thanks in large part to early detection. They mentioned it on stage Saturday and continue to do so at every opportunity. So on behalf of Jay, I encourage you to please get the simple test at your next physical. And if they ask you give a speech about it, remember you’re standing at a “lectern,” not a “podium.”
