Every day Johnny Kane wakes up, he’s living his dream job.
Kane, a 1999 Delta High School graduate, has spent the past 20 years in sports broadcasting, wearing the many hats of reporter, host, and play-by-play announcer.
He’s covered the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Pistons the past 10 years for Bally Sports Detroit, formerly Fox Sports Detroit, with some high school sports mixed in.
His other stops were at WKAG in Hopkinsville, Ky., at KSNT in Topeka — television partner for the University of Kansas — and the sports director at KNBC in Kansas City. He’s also worked at the Big Ten Network.
Along the way, he’s seen the Kansas’ men’s basketball team win a national title in 2008 and finish runner-up in 2012, and the Kansas City Royals fall in the 2014 World Series to the San Francisco Giants in seven games.
Kane, an Ohio University graduate, has always had the passion to be a play-by-play guy, but has thrived in the opportunities given to him in performing various network roles.
The Blade recently caught up with Kane to discuss his establishing himself on TV and the highlights of his career.
The Blade: Why did you get into broadcasting?
Kane: That was always my career passion. People always say do what you love. When I was writing for my high school paper, I thought I’d be a sports writer. Once I started in television [at Ohio University], just knowing that personality can be attached to it a little bit easier, television just felt like a fit for me.
The Blade: What kind of athlete were you in high school?
Kane: I wore my basketball hoop out on Wood Street in Delta. I played every day. I was obsessed. I played basketball, football, and ran track/cross country. I had a major knee operation when I was high school. That really put me back. I was probably 5-foot-11, 155 pounds. I had to transition with that year out and shift my focus from that point.
The Blade: What are some of the most memorable things seen in your career?
Kane: I got the opportunity to move to Topeka. Kansas made the [championship] run, it was the year that all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four. I was along for the ride as a reporter/anchor for [KSNT]. I was moved to tears. You can be in the profession for your life and never cover a champion. You live it with them. That was what I thought would be the pinnacle of my career. It really was and still is to this day; [my] first foray into the big time.
In 2014, the Royals made it the postseason for the first time since 1985. They went to seven games against [pitcher] Madison Bumgarner and the Giants. That was another time in my life where I was moved to tears because they came up short. The Royals the very next year won it all in 2015. Timing is everything, but I wouldn’t trade that for anything because my time [in Detroit] has just been unreal — covering Miguel Cabrera’s 3,000th hit, 500th home run.
The Blade: What are some of your qualities that have allowed you to stay in the business for so many years?
Kane: When I graduated Ohio University in 2004, I remember thinking I was ready for ESPN. You don’t know what you don’t know.
A lot of people, when they start out, they want to have their thing, they want to have their catchphrase. They might force it. I remember I was told one time, just because it’s your Super Bowl [first game], it’s not for everybody home watching. You want to do your best, but you can’t lose your composure because you’re trying to empty your clip of catchphrases.
Coming to Detroit, it’s such a blue-collar city. You may not be gifted with golden pipes. I think I’m a pretty regular person, what I think is a regular voice, a regular guy. When I talk to athletes, I try to handle it that way. You have to genuinely be curious when you’re asking questions. Be authentic with the people you’re talking to and then earn their respect.
The Blade: What are still some of the everyday challenges you face as you progress and add years?
Kane: One of the big things is always keeping it fresh. We try to bring the viewer to the game. In fairness, in the time I’ve been here, the Tigers haven’t won a ton of games, nor have the Pistons. You come into a city when expectations are what they are, and a team is not playing about .500, you have to go into the room and talk to a losing manager and head coach.
It’s asking open-ended question that generates some kind of response. That’s the daily challenge. Every day is a brand new canvas. Momentum can carry, but really nothing that happened yesterday has bearing on what’s going to take place today.
I’m big into the preparation, so when you get into the game, your head isn’t buried down into your notes. You’re just reacting to the action. The subject matter, the names, now you can just have an unbridled call and meet the moment and just punctuate when necessary, tee up the analysts to bring it home.
The Blade: What has it been like to work close to home, for so long, in a town like Detroit?
Kane: Life has a way of working out. I didn’t originally target Detroit as a final destination, although it is the closest big city to where I grew up. Shortly after I moved in 2015, my sisters and brothers began starting their families. All of my nephews and nieces refer to me as ‘Spuncle’ (sports uncle). My family is all in Ohio. Having a majority of them 100 miles away means I don’t have to miss out on as much as I did earlier in my career. Detroit is one of the true great cities to cover sports in the country. I believe that deeply.
First Published June 2, 2024, 12:30 p.m.
