Steve Overmyer: The Stories Behind the Scoreboard

What does it feel like to be standing on the field when Dan Marino hits a touchdown pass in front of 80,000 screaming fans — and think the whole stadium is cheering for you? That's the kind of moment that turns a young broadcaster into a lifer.

Steve Overmyer has spent decades telling sports stories at the highest levels — from CNN to CBS News New York — and in Part 2 of our conversation, he breaks down what makes sports the last great unifier in a divided culture, why the best broadcasters learn to get out of the story's way, and what a dancing crossing guard has to do with the most important lesson in journalism.

Plus: Patriots fans in New Jersey, Buffalo Bills loyalists who don't think the Jets count as New York, and the moment Steve accidentally became part of a college football game.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Welcome to the Progress Report, where we don't just talk about what's broken, we shine a light on what's being built. Today's guest is someone who has spent his career telling the stories that bring people together on the field, in the community, and across one of the most competitive media markets in the country, from anchoring at CNN to covering New York's biggest sports moments. And now, as a familiar face at CBS News New York, Steve Overmeyer has seen the evolution of media storytelling and what audiences truly connect with. But what makes his work stand out isn't just the highlights, it's the human stories behind them. You've covered some some pretty iconic moments. What what is one that that you think back on that still gives you chills?

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Oh well, it's always the first, right? Other than my hitting 101 miles per hour. When I was standing behind Robert.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

When Bob was there with that gun and it hit 101, I I've never I'd never heard a 101 mile an hour pitch that close. I've been on the field for a couple of Randy Johnson heaters, but I'd never heard it whiz like that before. So that's that's top of the list. So, you know, notwithstanding that, you know, amazing moment, I would say firsts are always the ones that stick with you most because it's the first time you're feeling something. Um, in that first job in in Fort Myers, the first week, I can't remember which week it was in the season, but it was the first time that I was covering a Miami Dolphins game. Now, this entire game, press get to stay up in the press box, we get to eat the food, we get to write down little notes. But in the last five minutes of a game, this was again 1994. So they allowed us, this is they allowed us on the field in the last five minutes. So to do that, you have to get on the elevator and at Joe Robbie Stadium, which used to be where the Miami Dolphins played, you had to walk through the Marlins, the Florida Marlins dugout, and step on to the field from the first step. Well, it just so happened that when I hit the top step, I had never been on a field before in my life. Now I hit the top step as Dan Marino hits Mark Duper for a touchdown, and 80,000 people stand up and start cheering. I just felt like it was for me. It felt like this is what an athlete feels like. Watch this. This is incredible. That's really cool. That was you know, uh, that was probably one of the more memorable moments. But I will say another one happened while I was there. You know, I would say within a year or so, um uh Florida, I'm sorry, Florida State was playing Florida in the swamp, and I went up there to cover that game and uh back deep for uh uh a kickoff return where work done and rock prested in. Well, the kickoff went past them. I'm standing basically underneath the goalposts, uh, writing my notes about what just happened on the play before Jamie German touchdown. Kick goes up, it bounces, just like you see a million times on TV, and it bounces off camera. But bounce straight to me. And I caught it and I took a D and I downed it, and it's the rest of it. Wow. So that's really cool. Never miss an opportunity to feel like you're part of a game.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

Hey, amen. Amen. What do you what do you think makes uh sports such a powerful unifier, even in, you know, in a in a uh today we we kind of talked about it before we before we started um recording the episode, but all of the the negative noise, like I think about the winter Olympics, and I'm watching the Winter Olympics and the and the hockey, and I'm like, oh man, like I feel I feel like everybody is in line with each other. So t tell us your feelings on on what what do you think is so magical about sports bringing people together?

SPEAKER_01 4:17

It's it's like one of the final respites of our society that allows us to have a shared experience physically together. We are so locked in on interacting with people on social media that human interactions are becoming more and more minimal. That that human experience, that uh ability to just uh empathize with another person is a lot more difficult when you're doing it online. It's it's a lot more difficult when you're just seeing a face and words. But that that that bonding experience that you might get all singing the same song at a concert is the same bonding experience that you get all cheering for, you know, a Juan Soto home run or an Aaron Judge home run or, you know, Garrett Cole strikeout, cross our fingers, he's coming back. Uh, we're gonna get him. But you know, those are the kind of things that you know you you don't see in the world as much. And that's why sports brings everyone together. Sports reminds us who we're all rooting for together, who you know, how we can uh be part of you know something communal uh without it being disruptive, more or less.

SPEAKER_03 5:38

Yeah, yeah. I I think I think back to when um I'm a huge hockey fan. So when when the Caps won um uh the Stanley Cup several years ago, I I had never uh experienced anything like it to be out at a bar watching watching the last game. And I mean, I I'm surrounded by strangers, but I'll tell you what, they were my best friends, and we were hugging and jumping and screaming, and it was so amazing. It was so such an amazing feeling to be to be part of that, right? And and be united despite of everybody's differences and and opinions on everything.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Yeah, and it is it is a way to kind of um identify with people and as a conversation starter. I can't I can't tell you the number of times uh yeah, I'm a New England Patriots fan. I started rooting for them when I was you know five, six years old because I love the emblem they had on there, they had the Pat the Patriot hike in the football. Uh and I loved I was like Mr. American as a little kid. I I loved red, white, and blue and Hulk Hogan and you know, wrote a letter to Ronald Reagan. And but anyway, I I love the Patriots, but living here in New Jersey, there's not a lot of Patriots fans. So if I wear a Patriot shirt or Patriots hat and somebody sees that, or I see somebody else with one, you know, inevitably we'll start chatting with each other and we don't know each other from anywhere. You know, we don't know what kind of person they are or anything, but we're chatting about who the Pat's got this weekend, or you know, just different things about the team. And I think that's really cool because you know, you you don't walk by somebody and say, you know, oh, I got a Tommy Hill figure shirt too. You know, be like, okay, but if they got if they got a Patriots shirt on, you're gonna start talking to them.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Yeah, I I chased, I chased some guy down at a winery the other night on Friday night. He came in and he's at the bar with his wife and he had on a New York Mets hat. And so I was like, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. I was like, Mets, metz, mets, mets. Oh yeah. And then all of a sudden, some other guy came in with a met's hat, and I was like, we're multiplying.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

I love yes, I agree. You're you're not chasing someone down.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

You shop a banana republican. Me too. Me too. I can't believe this.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

Yeah, totally valid.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Totally valid. That that you know, that can backfire. I literally saw this, I want to say, during football season this last year, uh, standing on the platform uh down at uh uh at Grand Central. Uh I'm sorry, I was at Penn Station heading up north, and uh and we were waiting for the training. Some guy, some guy just looks over at the person right next to him and goes, Hey, you an Eagles fan? He goes, Guy pulls his earbuds out and he goes, We're in New York who be an Eagles fan here. And that's when the guy just kind of pivoting and walked away. So don't use sports, just understand the surroundings before you start asking if a team or if you're a fan of that team.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Well, you'll both laugh because I'm in a bowling league. And so last year in in the winter, um a year ago, there there is a guy and he's bowls in the league, and he always is in some sort of buffalo swag, right? Buffalo, it's the Bills, it's the Sabres. I'm a big Sabres fan. So I went up to him because I'm like, right, I I'm I'm just looking for for fellow New Yorkers down here in in the DMV. So I'm like, hey, Buffalo, are you from are you from New York? And he's like, yeah. I said, and ironically, his name's Bill, and he's from Buffalo. And and so anyway, I'm like, oh yeah, he's like, yeah, I'm a big Buffalo Bills fan and and the Sabres. And I said, Oh, I'm Mets, Jets, and Sabres. And when I said Jets, his wife looked at me and said, The New York Jets are not a New York football team. Like that. And it was like, the Buffalo Bills are the only legitimate football team that is a New York team. And I walked away and I was like, Oh, oh, I was so offended. I was so offended.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

It is. They warmed up after a while, but I was yes, they they take that very seriously, don't they? Yeah, they do. I mean, Manhattan apparently is is not New York to them. Uh, and the Jets, because they play in Jersey, because they they play in Jersey, they train in Floram Park, the Giants train in East Rutherford, they play in Jersey. Those are not New York teams, apparently. Yeah, you know, so uh according to them, there's only one New York team. Okay, all right. Well, Steve.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

I mean, I I remember going to Fordham in in 2003, and Fordham, at least I learned at that time that we had a high population of Red Sox fans and Yankees fans, a lot of kids from New England and a lot of kids from obviously the New York area being a Bronx you know school. And I remember there were actual fights because if you remember that that playoff between the Yankees and Red Sox, it was the Don Zimmer, Pedro Martinez. Oh, yeah, and then it ended with the culmination being the home run by Aaron Boone to finish it. And there were actually fights on campus between Yankees and Red Sox fans because it had gotten so heated. And you know, it's funny sometimes these these players, they don't they don't know who a lot of these fans are, but you you care about them as if you know them, as if they're family to you. And you know, it it's it's it is kind of a cool thing that something in life can stir that kind of emotion in you, and you really don't even know the people, you know. And at the end of the day, you're rooting for laundry because once they leave that team, it's this it's the jersey you're still rooting for.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

And and and you know that's what cre creates such confusion. You're like, yeah, bogs and pinstripes. I don't know. Cheer for Johnny Damon now that he's uh Yankee. Uh like where where do I go with Roger Clemens as a Yankee? How do I land with that? That would that's tough to you know, tough to go back and look at some of those old Roger Clemens videos, equity was socks.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

Yeah, and Jose Canseco. I remember as a little kid when he was with Oakland, the Yankees fans just all over Jose Conseco, and then he ends up playing for him and helping them win a World Series in 2000. And it's you know, it's crazy because I think sometimes as fans, we get kind of caught up in thinking that the player, you know, is is fully embraced, you know, embracing the team he's with, and that's who he is. Yeah, and you forget sometimes it's a business and that okay, yeah, I'm I'm part of this team, this is who I'm working for. But if that team over there offers me a better contract, I'm now that team. And you know, we don't want to think like that though, as fans, although we we kind of all know deep inside that's that's just part of the business.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

Well, I think you that yeah at that point you're just grateful for the moment, get grateful for the season they give you. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

Exactly. Well, if you if you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Well, I would have learned a lot earlier to uh to not make it about me and make it about them, and I think that's something that uh most young broadcasters fall into this trap of wanting to be on camera for uh stand-up intro, stand-up bridge, stand-up close, uh lead an on-camera lead-in, you know, you they um you fall into this trap of wanting to be the star, uh, but what happens is you lose focus on the story. And I found uh relatively early on in my career, midway through my career, I should say, that um if you allow the story to be the star, and if you treat it like you are uh um, like I said before, the conduit that allows them to tell the story, um, it's gonna be a lot easier for you. And it's uh doors just find a way to open up when you lead with gratitude, when you lead with humility. Um, I don't know how to put uh any kind of a tangible uh uh explanation for it, but that's just how the universe, if you want to call it that, works. Is that the more you lead with things that are positive, the more you start to recognize positive things around you. And the more you start to feel like you are in a world that is heading in the right direction, or at least that you are, you know, one of the people that are steering it or helping to move the needle in the right direction. But I I do think that it it all does uh come from what you lead with, where you start. And and that that it's not just in the broadcasting business, though much more important in the broadcasting business because we are broadcasting to millions of people, but it's just as important on everyday life. That's honestly that's that's one of the main focuses of the uh the types of features that I like to tell. Some of them are amazing people doing amazing things. Um, but I also love telling the story of someone doing something small, like uh a crossing guard who dances uh to get the attention of the driver so that the driver sees her and makes sure that she that they see her stop sign. So she dances. But what you see is a dancing crossing guard. These are little things. This is something that you don't have to do something you know miraculous to be an impact on someone's life. You can take little steps to do um small gestures that will reward you with a little uh you you'll get gratitude from them, and that will reward you with giving yourself a little bit more self-worth, and and hopefully that will inspire you to do bigger things or at least continue to do more positive things. So I that's why I want to show the world that small moments can be just as impactful as the big ones.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

You know, my dad always said that about Johnny Carson. He said one of the things he loved about Johnny Carson is he let the guest be the star. And he said, you know, and I don't want to mention some of the other ones, but he said, you know, some of these other guys, he says, I feel like it's almost like dueling comedians that he okay, now he's got he's got to try to say something funny. And Johnny was funny, but he had he did it in a way that allowed that person that was on his show to really be the star. And and to your point, he also had a wide-range, very eclectic group of guests. I mean, he would he would have you know Frank Sinatra on, and then a guy who was selling bird feces as jewelry, you know, that were on after him, and it would be kind of just a small little story that you know that this guy did. And and but it was interesting. And I think part of it was because he gave the guy a voice to be interesting and and and explain what he what he did. And yeah, that's obviously he was you know one of the best ever at it in in his industry. So that's I think that's a cool, cool mindset that you have.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

Well, there was someone from my hometown back in Huntington, Indiana became super famous from being on Johnny Carson. His name is Eiffel Plasterer. He was the bubble man who back in the 1980s would just blow these amazing bubbles on the Johnny Carson show, and he had it back like about four or five times. So Eiffel Plasterer became an absolute legend in Huntington, Indiana because Johnny Carson had the ability to look beyond just superstar talent. Yeah, that's cool.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

Yeah, well, and you I mean, big picture-wise, right? Everybody, I I'm a big I believe believer in in life is all about amazing stories. And and I mean, there are people out there and and every one of us has amazing moments and amazing opportunities and stories that I mean to your point, Steve, they don't they don't always get get uh highlighted, obviously, because they may be the janitor or the crossing guard, and and it it's wonderful that you uh you highlight things like that. Um what what keeps you grounded when the when the camera turns off? Well how how do you stay centered?

SPEAKER_01 18:16

I mean, uh the idea is perspective. Life is all about perspective. Um, you know, uh I'm not uh I'm not uh someone that people even recognize on the street very often. I'm just a a husband, a father, um, and you recognize the role that you're in. Um if if I were a little bit uh higher on the level of like uh I'm more like a Z-level celebrity, but if I were a little bit higher, that might be a little bit more of a concern. But for for someone like me, I mean I think uh the the whole point is just recognizing who you are, where you're with, maintaining focus on uh the people that are around you. And uh and I think that that makes life pretty easy to balance then.

unknown 19:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

So you so you're not like Ron Burgundy telling people that you're kind of a big deal.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Yes, you know, my my my video game, my my my video game call sign is kind of a big deal. So you will find me on PS5 as kind of a big deal. Yes. That's awesome. Only because Ron Burgundy is just the character of being um the self-righteous anchor man is is just so funny to me that I I absolutely had to lean into that.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Yeah, I love it. Uh Steve, before we wrap up here, I know you've done some work with muscle dystrophy and tunnel the towers. Um tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Well, muscular dystrophy hits close to home. My uh my grandfather, my aunt both passed away because of muscular dystrophy. Um, and it was, you know, it's obviously something that is it's it's foremost in a family's mind because it's genetic and it gets passed down. Um, and it's fortunately uh not stricken myself or my sisters, um, you know, but uh it's still something that affects millions, or should say at least hundreds of thousands of people, you know, across the nation. And I think that, you know, any time that we can raise awareness of a disease that it's uh it's hard to believe sometimes in in this day and age that uh we don't have we haven't had the technology to figure some of these out. And that's what that's what makes it so frustrating uh on so many different levels. Um you know, a friend of mine has Parkinson's and just uh uh just did a um uh uh a brain stimulus implant that I cannot believe it's not cured his Parkinson's, but he is a completely different person now because of the technology that we have. And I want to find a way to help fund more technology to um to help get us out of these, you know, uh health issues that we seemingly continue to have. Um and muscular dystrophy is um you know is uh it's one that's been uh fought for a number of years, but you know, uh no cure, no real even remedy for muscular dystrophy has even been uh discovered yet. And uh it just to me then it just it needs more funding, uh, more understanding of how to get that um knocked out if you can.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Yeah, well, that's a great mission.

SPEAKER_01 21:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Thank you. Well, Steve, it's been awesome talking with you, and uh, we loved having you on the show. And any before we go, any advice, and I'm asking for a friend, any advice for two people. That went to high school together that are starting a podcast, you know, for uh how to how to how to reach Rob, you buried the lead.

SPEAKER_03 22:07

We went to elementary school together, too. His grandma was was the school secretary in elementary school. Oh, that's is that right?

SPEAKER_00 22:20

Jess and I have known each other a long time, and it's it's funny, we haven't seen each other in years, yet we're co-hosts on this show, and we're gonna see each other on uh I think May 1st for the first time probably in 20-some years.

SPEAKER_03 22:33

And and you chuckle, Rob, because you uh you're you are saved in my phone perpetually as Robbie Samorano. And when I talk about you to others, I say Robbie Samrano, and then I'm like, I mean Rob.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:49

Yep. Well, I would say you are doing it right now. You are being yourselves, you are having conversations that you want to have. That's what's going to grow. But I would say uh frequency is important. Uh so I would say once a week if you can, yeah. Um, because you want the audience to be continually engaged and keep the time limit to something that is always exciting. There are some podcasts that run four hours long, uh, Dan Carlin's hardcore history, but I'm engaged for the entire four hours, you know. But there are some podcasts that run 15 to 20 minutes long. And what they've done is they've taken a two-hour conversation and they've just taken the best parts of it. Now it's entertaining. So find what works for you, what feels better. Is it the more organic, big uh uh conversation, or do you like the tighter production version of this? And then figure out which topics really resonate with you. And by resonating with you, I really do mean getting into each other's heads. And maybe it's something that that works, that that works for both of you, or maybe one person has uh a certain angle and the other person has another. There's a million different ways uh to go about it. It's just niche is the best. Finding a niche audience is you should be able to make money on a thousand monthly subscribers. You know, if you can get to that level, then uh there's gonna be there's gonna be a financial return to it. But it's it's not about the financial return, it's about you know finding ways to give voice to things that you think haven't been given voice, you know, to see behind those walls and to and to allow those voices to be heard.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

Well, thank you for that, Steve. That was excellent. I hope it helps, man. Thousand subscribers, Jess. That's what we're looking for.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

Yeah, well, what if I mean I told you uh a couple weeks ago we had uh we'd hit 50, 50, 50 episodes? No, but it wasn't. Oh, that's awesome. Was it 50?

SPEAKER_00 25:05

I think we hit 50 episodes. Oh, you're in your stride, yeah. 25. Yeah, I'm off.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

25, 25, 25. Yeah, so we'll we'll get there. We'll get there. We're we're we're baby stepping our way.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

Yeah. You're in your stride, you know. You've got two great personalities, and clearly both of you have uh a positive message to send. So, and and it comes from the heart. It's you know, and I think that that's a real important piece of it.

SPEAKER_02 25:34

Yeah, and that's hired coach. Yeah. Every week we find the stories worth sharing and remind you that America is still moving forward. Thanks for listening to the Progress Report.