PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Kate Scott is the Philadelphia 76ers’ television play-by-play broadcaster for NBC Sports Philadelphia, one of the first two women to become full-time TV play-by-play voices of a major American pro sports team. She is about to finish her first regular-season calling Sixers games after the legendary Marc Zumoff retired following 27 years behind the microphone.
I sat down with Kate to get her thoughts on her first season in Philadelphia, some of her favorite calls this season, and what she still hopes to do in Philadelphia, as well as the impact she's having on aspiring broadcasters.
I also had the chance to talk with a young broadcaster, Kayla Santiago, who is following in similar footsteps to Kate's and has been the voice of the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats and the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
Dave Uram: Kate, the first thing that I want to start with, you tweeted a couple of weeks ago…
What did you mean by that tweet? And what has your experience been like in Philadelphia one year in?
Kate Scott: What I meant was exactly what I said. Thank you for giving me a chance. I know that this has been a huge change for every Sixers fan, not just because it's not Marc Zumoff for the first time in almost 30 years. But it is a female voice. And I know for the majority of sports fans, not just Philly sports fans, very few people have heard a woman call a game, ever. So now the fact that here, I am a woman calling your beloved Sixers, not just once but every single night. That's a huge change.
And I also know that Philly loves Philly. I understand that. I know that was one of the reasons that “Zoo” and Tom McGinnis, our radio voice are so beloved because they're born and raised. And I completely understand that. So I knew that this was going to be so much change for every Sixers fan everywhere.
I so appreciate everybody who gave this new kid, from the other side of the country, with a voice and a style that I'm sure a lot of you are taking a long time getting used to, for giving me a shot. And I'm having an absolute blast, like I said, because this is just an awesome phenomenal sports town.
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Uram: I think anybody who replaced “Zoo” would have had tough shoes to fill. Because for people our age, all we knew was “Zoo” calling games. So you're totally correct. And that it was a huge change, How often does “Zoo” keep in touch with you? How often do you hear from him? What kind of feedback have you gotten from him?
Scott: You never want to be the person replacing a legend. You want to be the person after the person who fails to try to replace the legend. And then people have gotten that person out of the way.
But now that I'm here, I don't think, even though it has been hard, that's been a layer that I know that I'm going to continue to go up against. And I know that he understands how difficult this was going to be for whoever was following him because of the legendary status that he holds.
And because of how beloved he is here in Philly, and because he has that awareness, he has done everything in his power to help people accept me. I mean, you've seen it. The fact that he took me out to lunch and beat me to the Twitter punch and tweeted out the picture of us, and he still has that I believe as like the header photo on his Twitter profile.
The fact that he has time and time again, back to me publicly, has meant so much, and then behind the scenes, we're texting. He and his wife Deb took me and my wife out to dinner a number of weeks ago at one of their favorite spots in downtown Philly, and he is being the perfect [professional] partner because he was the one who said, “Kate, you're not trying to fill my shoes, I have my shoes. And now you're stepping in, in your shoes. I'm just passing the baton to you. And now it's your turn to run the next leg of the race and to run it like you because they hired you, the same way they hired me all those years ago. They didn't want Marc Zumoff 2.0, or they would have hired Marc Zumoff 2.0. They wanted Kate Scott. So go be you.”
Yeah, I can't thank him enough for everything he's done, and continues to do. And I'm looking forward to going back to his beach house and having some brews with him this summer.
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Uram: When was the moment that you realized, “I love Philadelphia?”
Scott: Every couple of months, there's a moment. And I just look around and just think to myself how lucky I am to be here. You know, in the fall, I was here by myself. My wife and pup were still back in Oakland. And I was walking around, and there was a street that I think I sent out a picture of on social media, and it was late at night and I was just walking back to my Airbnb and looking down the street and it was quiet, and there were leaves on the ground. And there were Christmas lights or just white lights that are there all year round. And I just thought to myself, “This is beautiful. This is gorgeous. And this is not a Philly that somebody on the West Coast often gets to see.”
And then I was just driving and exploring in the Haverford area. And I was like, “Oh my gosh, the colors are changing. This is beautiful.” And then I fell in love there. And then there was a gorgeous day, I think in early January when the snow had kind of cleared for a couple of days. And I was walking through LOVE Park and looking back at City Hall. And that was another moment. “Wow, this is such a sensational city.” So it happens time and time and time again.
Uram: In Detroit, you named 10 different women with the 76ers who have prominent roles with them. How special is it for you to be associated with this organization that really values inclusivity?
Scott: I'm so glad you brought that up. Dave. It means a lot. As a woman working in this industry, you never expect that unfortunately, or I haven't.
There are so many women involved with this organization…they are treated as equals they are treated as if they were hired for their job because they're good at their job. The fact that they're a woman is a small part of it. But so then it's been wonderful because often I am the only woman in a lot of the rooms that I am in. There's a women's locker room when the Sixers are in town, and I believe they do that for everybody, but the fact that there are a lot of us in there changing, getting ready before the game together, and packing up for the bus afterward, it is wonderful. And as I said on the broadcast, it makes me even more proud to be in this position.
Uram: How often do you think about the positive impact that you're having on young people and young aspiring broadcasters?
Scott: To be honest, I don't think about that much. Because then I think things would get overwhelming. It's a very serious responsibility to me, but I know the best way I can accomplish opening doors for other folks is to just do the best job that I can.
It kind of takes me back to my first couple of days working radio traffic. The advice I got right off the bat was, “Don't think about the hundreds of thousands of people that are listening to you in the Bay Area right now, Kate. Just act like you're talking to me.” That's what the anchor who I was working with at the time. He said, “I'm going to throw to you, just act like you're talking right back to me, you're telling me what the traffic is out on the roads. And you and I are just having a conversation.”
And that's what I try to do every night when I'm broadcasting, because I know if I do that, I'll sound more personable. I'll sound more conversational. I'll be a better broadcaster. And the better broadcaster I can be, the better and larger impact I think I'll have on this industry. So that's how I tend to approach it.
Uram: What do you want to do in Philadelphia that you have not had the opportunity to do yet?
Scott: I haven't had tomato pie yet. Dave, I know. I know. I need to do that. I haven't been to a Flyers game. I can't wait to go to a Phillies and a Birds game, because those just look like out-of-this-world fun. Haven't even been to the Philadelphia Museum of Art yet because it's been just so busy. So I look forward to being that tourist running out the steps and then going into the museum and looking around. Can't wait to get out to Boathouse Row and see some races this summer. What else give me all the things? I know I’ve got a lot of cheesesteaks to eat, so I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I can't wait for all that.
Uram: What's your message to anybody who's listening to this? Watching you on TV? Seeing you on your very active social media? What's your message to anybody who follows you that wants to get into broadcasting?
I'll take it a step further. What's your message to anybody who wants to do something, but was told they can't do something but they want to do something? They were told they can't? What's your message to people like that?
Scott: Do you want it? Do you really want to do it? Is there a fire burning in your soul that's just telling you, “I've got to try, I really have to try because it's gonna be hard, but I think that if I work hard enough, I might be really great at it, and I might have a whole lot of fun getting to do that?” Then you should try. You should do it.
You should know that it's not going to be easy. Because paths that other folks haven't walked done before, you know, they're full of weeds and rocks and fallen trees, and you're going to have to clear some space. And it might be more difficult than you want it to be. But the reward is pretty spectacular. And the joy that you're going to experience from overcoming those challenges and the confidence you're going to build because of the things that you will accomplish that you didn't think you could, is then going to give you the confidence to get to the next step or the next phase. And it could be a pretty great journey.
So if it's something you really want to try, just know that you can do this. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. It's a long journey, but it's a whole lot of fun.
Kayla Santiago is one of those young aspiring broadcasters taking that long journey, learning from Scott’s example. Here is part of our conversation with the Delaware Valley native who is now with the Delmarva Sports Network
Uram: When you see a talented woman like Kate Scott in this industry that has been a very male-dominated industry, when you see her have the success that she has, how does that make you feel about your future in the business?
Kayla Santiago: It makes me feel like I want to work better every single day to get there. And of course, that was always my goal. But when you see somebody you know that looks like you that is a female like you, especially in play-by-play, you see a lot of the times it is very, very male-dominated. To see the success that she has, and how good of a job she's doing right now, just makes me want to work even better to get, maybe one day, where she is.
Uram: Kate, Lisa Byington who does the Milwaukee Bucks games, and other women in sports broadcasting are paving the way for you. How do you think that you can help contribute to that, and the inclusivity early in your career, and pave the way for other broadcasters to come after you with everything you've accomplished so far,
Santiago: I think it's really important for me to kind of just keep going. That's where I'm at. Constantly going into a workplace and working as hard as I can, knowing that I can improve every single day constantly working on my craft, and it will eventually pay off. And you know, I love even the high schoolers around where I'm at. I love always talking to them. And they get really excited because right now, I'm the only female. So being able to have that and show representation around the small area that I'm in, it's like, “Wow, there's a female doing this. Maybe one day, I kind of want to do the same thing.” So always just trying to tell people that this is a possibility, you just have to work hard to get there.
Uram: Kate got hired by NBC Sports Philadelphia, and it became known that she was going to be replacing “Zoo.” You grew up in the Delaware Valley. I assume you grew up watching the Sixers and watching Marc Zumoff call all those years. Kate's done a great job this year with Alaa (Abdelnaby). What was your reaction when NBC Sports Philadelphia hired Kate?
Santiago: I personally was really excited. I also had the thought process of, I hope, fans of Philadelphia accepting her because, being so used to Marc Zumoff who was absolutely phenomenal and talented for so many years, it's a little bit hard to make a switch. And it's also hard to accept that a woman's coming into that role if you're looking from the outside in. But for me as a broadcaster and being in this business, I just thought it was absolutely fantastic.
For Kate Scott to get it in such a big city, and a city that is full of sports and love sports, I was just super excited for her. And I was really looking forward to listening to her and game one. And I looked back at all her stuff that she did before, I was like, “This is legit.”
You're not just gonna wake up and be an NBA broadcaster, but being able to see where they are, what they did, and where I'm at now really, really helps me.
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