2023-08-18 13:00:39
“This comes from October or November of last year, since the Apple TV contract with MLS for broadcast rights for 10 years of all league matches in English, Spanish and French was made. They called me at the end of January 2023. The stars aligned and we were able to sign the agreement with them for this season that ends in December, since there was no problem in continuing to belong to Telemundo and the Primera Fútbol Radio Network ”, Explain.
Sammy Sadovnik in a link for Telemundo. (Photo: personal file of the Peruvian presenter and narrator)
─Your celebration of Messi’s first goal when Inter Miami faced Cruz Azul was a trend. How do you prepare to shout a goal the way you do? Is there a previous training?
It is the experience of all these years. I am totally self-taught. The first time I narrated a game was in Peru, on the radio, where you have to clarify and paint the game a little more. Was very young. I was hoarse in the first 45 minutes (laughs).
─How long does a goal cry have to last?
The repetition is the one that marks the goal cry. Usually it shouldn’t be that long. Sometimes the repetitions come in faster than others and it goes too far. For example, for the Premier League, which we broadcast on Telemundo every weekend, you already know the ‘timing’ because they have a certain time. In the MLS, with Messi, I stretched out a little more because the repetition did not enter, they left the image of celebration.
─Is it true that the biggest fear of sportscasters is that they get a rooster?
Here in Miami I had a speech therapy. I frequently became hoarse, but it wasn’t a problem with my vocal cords. I had acid reflux, so I stopped eating lemon, tomato, garlic, and raw onion. I also had a cold and, of course, it is a problem. Who did not miss a rooster? It has happened to me several times, especially when I rest little. Right now I am not resting much because I am doing the Women’s World Cup on Telemundo, I also have a radio program and the MLS thing. Also, I’m always traveling.
─And do you have time left to dedicate to the family?
Luckily my wife likes soccer, she accompanies me when I travel. She was with me at all the World Cups. From Korea to Qatar. And now that all this is over, we’ll take a vacation.
─How many World Cups have you covered?
The one that comes next, that of 2026, will be my eighth.
─You shared a microphone with Teófilo Cubillas among other World Cup figures. Was one more special than another?
Without a doubt, the World Cup in Russia was an exciting thing because we had never had the opportunity to be with the national team. It was my turn to recount the playoff against New Zealand: qualifying in Lima. That time I proposed to the channel that the Peruvian goalscorer of the World Cups, Teófilo Cubillas, accompany us. It was very exciting to relate the goals of Carrillo and Guerrero against Australia with him. Thank God we have had to put together beautiful groups, both on the radio and on television. From Dr. Carlos Bilardo through Bora Milutinović, Diego Forlán -who was the top scorer in South Africa- the ‘Loco’ Abreu… Important figures from which one is nourished.
Sammy Sadovnik and Teófilo Cubillas narrating the matches of Peru in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. (Photo: personal file of the Peruvian presenter and narrator)
─What is the most important narrative you have done?
Without a doubt, Peru’s qualification for the World Cup in Russia. The match with New Zealand and Peru’s three matches in the World Cup.
─Did you also have to shout the goals of New Zealand’s qualification in the last World Cup? How is it done so that emotions do not win you over?
You had to do it professionally, lead the procession inside. I think it was the most complicated narrative because we had the illusion that Peru would return to the World Cup.
A life dedicated to journalism
Sammy Sadovnik began working at Radio Libertad when he was thirteen years old. He came to television at the age of 17 thanks to the remembered presenter Pablo de Madalengoitia, his mentor. He has been dedicated to sports journalism for almost 30 years. Before, he made musical, entertainment and family programs, which served as the basis for his development on television in the United States where he managed to establish himself.
“Jorge Eduardo Bancayan, who at that time was the most important presenter of salsa on Radio Libertad, was the one who opened the doors of radio for me. I got to television thanks to Pablo de Madalengoitia, who had a program called ‘Agenda Personal’ (1988), on Channel 4. I was in charge of the music sequence. I interviewed the artists. Then other things came up. I have worked with Lourdes Berninzon, Amelia Machiavelli, Ernesto García Calderón Jr., Micky Rospigliosi. I learned from teachers. They made me who I am now. Here, in the United States, I have also been lucky to work with top-notch professionals,” he says.
Sammy Sadovnik interviewing the Pimpinela duo. (Photo: personal file of the Peruvian presenter and narrator)
─Any memory of Pablo de Madalengoitia that has marked you?
He always told me to study languages, that I had to be prepared for when the opportunity comes.
─In the best moment of your career, what led you to emigrate to the United States?
I wanted to try my luck. After getting married in December 1999, in Miami, I managed my work visa. At that time I was working at Panamericana TV with Lucho Trisano, at Teledeporte. I asked for a kind of unpaid license from the channel. Five weeks after arriving, I got a job on the radio. A Peruvian boy who had been my operator at Radio Miraflores helped me. But my goal was to work on television. As far as possible, I wanted to do the same thing he was doing in Peru. Almost two years later I started at Gol TV. Now I’m at Telemundo, in a very competitive market.
─With which you won a sports Emmy.
That’s how it is. After four nominations, I finally won one as a group with Telemundo, for the coverage of the World Cup.
─What do you think of the Peruvian National Team with Juan Reynoso in the technical direction?
It would be a huge failure not to qualify. But, I trust Juan, because he is a capable technician. He has a great career. He won Cruz Azul champion after three years in Mexico, a very competitive market. The problem is that there are no replacements because there are very few clubs that do training work. There are no new figures that have selection level.
─What has been the hardest fall you have had?
When Channel 2 was taken away from Baruch Ivcher, out of loyalty, basically, I submitted my resignation letter, I left the sports program hanging. That day I stayed on the street. It was terrible. Two months later, Micky (Rospigliosi) called me to work with him. When you are young, you are very passionate.
─ Do you have any pending goals?
I would like to continue with mine. It’s a blessing to work on this. We are now with MLS. Next year we have the Olympic Games and the Copa América and the 2026 World Cup are coming, in the United States, which will be the closure of everything.
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