May I have a Word?
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May I have a Word?
Noel Sanchez
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On this episode of May I Have a Word?, I'm joined by sports reporter and digital content creator Noel Sanchez, whose work with Dodgers Nation along with his Los Angeles Lakers coverage for Bleacher Report has helped him build a voice in the ever-changing world of sports media.
Noel and I talk about his journey into sports journalism, what it takes to cover one of the most recognizable franchises in baseball, and the work that goes on behind the scenes to create engaging content for today's sports fan. We also dive into his Lakers coverage, his passion for Los Angeles sports, the evolution of digital sports media and some of the experiences that have shaped him both personally and professionally.
It's a conversation about baseball, basketball, storytelling, persistence, and turning a genuine love of sports into an opportunity to connect with fans.
May I Have a Word? with Noel Sanchez -- Sports Reporter & Digital Content Creator: Dodgers Nation | Lakers Coverage for Bleacher Report
Alright, alright, alright. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back once again to the May I Have a Word podcast. As always, I am your host, Gustavo Montes. What is going on, everybody? How are you? I hope y'all are doing well out there, staying safe and staying sane during these crazy little times of ours. Let's get down to brass tacks, ladies and gentlemen. We have an incredible guest that joined us a few days ago by the name of Noel Sanchez. The man is a Swiss army knife when it comes to digital creation for Dodgersnation.com, which in my opinion is the number one worldwide source for any content that is ran by Dodger fans. I mean, I don't even know if it's fan-made anymore, to be honest. I mean, it is a full well-oiled machine that they have over there. They are top dogs when it comes to any Dodgers Nation news. So it is an incredible website, and this young man is now one of the tops there. He's all over the website, he's all over all the social media pages and everything. The man is an incredible digital creator of many things. You can find him in front of the camera, behind the camera, whatever articles he's writing. He not only works for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he also does work for Bleacher Report with the Los Angeles Lakers. And who knows where this young man's career is gonna take him, but it's gonna take him to the stratosphere and beyond. We're very lucky that he was able to sit down and have a word with us. The man gave an incredible interview. I tried to trick him up with a couple rapid fire questions, but the man shot from the hip and he hit bullseye every time. However, before we get into the great, great news, we got some reads. We gotta pay some bills, alright? Got bills that come in. Just the bills that you pay, I have bills as well. We gotta keep the lights on around here. First read is Evo Gen Nutrition. This episode is brought to you by Evo Gen Nutrition. 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Groons makes daily nutrition simple with convenient superfood gummies packed with more than 60 ingredients, including whole foods, fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals, prebiotic fiber, atofangens, I did not say that right, antioxidants, and super mushrooms. Just grab your daily pack at your local grocery store, enjoy your gummies, and get on with your day. It's a simple way to make better nutrition part of your everyday routine without the blender, the shaker bottle, or the complicated supplement cabinet. Grune Superfood Gummies, daily nutrition made easy. Alright, and we have Buzz Sprout. Like I told you, I got hit up yesterday. Somebody was like, yo, I loved the podcast, man. Great episode. How did you do it? How is it available everywhere? With one click of the mouse. And I straight up told them one word only, Buzz Sprout. Free 90 free, two-week trial. For two weeks, you guys get the whole run of the place, and you get to see how the magic is made. So just go to buzzsprout.com, you sign up, it's free 90 free. Then from there on out, your choice to what package you want to sign up with. And from there on you get to see what magic you can come up with yourself with the podcast, or maybe a YouTube subscription, maybe a YouTube page you can come up with. They have access to all of it. Saying that, buzzsprout.com, go check it out. That's it for the reads. You guys enjoy the episode. I hope you guys enjoyed as much as we did recording it. Noel Sanchez, get to know the name. All right, guys, I'm out of here. I'll catch you on the flip side. All right, all right, all right. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for May I Have a Word podcast with Mr. Noel Sanchez. He's now the host of DodgersNation.com. In my opinion, the greatest Dodgers fan site out there. Well, I'm not even sure if you can consider it a fan site now. This is a legitimate site now. This is this is big leagues, pun intended, when we're talking about fan-made content creation. Yes, Mr. Noel Sanchez is taking time out of his busy day. He does have to go to the stadium today to watch our boys in blue take on the Cincinnati Reds. So we are just grateful that he's taken time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us and have a word. And Mr. Sanchez, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_01I'm doing well, Gustavo. Thank you for having me on. Uh such a beautiful introduction from you. I really appreciate it, and I'm really excited to talk to you today.
SPEAKER_00All right, thank you. Well, let's dive into this really quick. Before we get into the Dodgers, the Lakers, and everything that you're doing now, who is Noel Sanchez away from the camera? Where did your story begin?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, it it all starts uh, you know, right here in my house in Montebello. Uh born and raised here, uh, two parents, one brother. Uh, grew up a lifelong Lakers, Dodgers, and USC fan. Earliest memories of life. I was watching all of those teams on TV, specifically with the Dodgers. I remember uh my family and maybe like five or six other families with uh kids that I grew up playing sports with. We would all get like the cheapest pavilion tickets. Uh, we would make sure to sit in right-filled pavilion, all you can eat. And then we would all take the metro to the games. So I mean that's that's like the earliest version I remember of just being a big fan of the Dodgers. And you know, like I grew up playing sports, playing basketball, playing baseball, playing football. Um, and also I always had a passion for writing and just for overall like literature media. I I feel like looking at math and looking at sciences, I never leaned towards those. I always found myself wanting to like write essays or read books. And you know, I feel like where I'm at now working in sports media, working for Dodgers Nation, I was able to combine two of my passions, sports and writing. So yeah, it's it's been a very, very fun journey. And yeah, I would say it really all started right here in Montebello, Gustavo.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's incredible. Oh, may the all you can eat section rest in peace, man. Oh man, good times. I hate that they took that out. You're a Cal Poly Pomona alum. When you were in college, did you already envision yourself working in sports media or did this career develop in a completely different way than you expected?
SPEAKER_01So the funny thing with Cal Poly Pomona is when I was a senior in high school and I was looking at different colleges I wanted to go to and wanted to apply to, uh, one of my field trips that we took in high school was to Cal Poly Pomona. And while we were there, the tour guide spoke to us about different programs that they were introducing. And that year, they had just introduced a brand new communications program with an emphasis in journalism. There was multimedia journalism, uh, there was written journalism, there was also a new PR department that they were kind of teaching for whoever wanted to get into like player relations and you know other PR spots. Um, so I don't know, when I was going through my college decision, Gustavo, that always stood out to me. I was like, wow, you know, it almost feels like a sign. Like I really wanted to study journalism. I was looking at different schools with great programs that had a long history of kind of developing great writers and great on-camera talent. But for some reason, hearing that Cal Poly Pomona had started something new and they were really investing into it and they wanted to bring in students that had a passion for this, it just called my name. And ultimately, when it came time to choose my school, Cal Poly Pomona One, uh, you know, I spent four years there, got my bachelor's in multimedia journalism. And it was just a great experience overall. Like I said, I grew up playing sports, I grew up loving to write and read books. And when I found out that Cal Poly was starting this program, it just felt like the perfect way to merge both of my loves.
SPEAKER_00The planet's aligned for you in that one. Do you remember the moment when you realized I might actually be able to turn this, my love of sports, into a career?
SPEAKER_01That's a great question, Gustavo. I would definitely say when I started my own Instagram, it was when I was in college, I was also working at Trick filet, uh, the one right here in Monterey Park, right near my house, worked there for three years, my first job. Um, I would say there was just something special about, you know, I started just recording on my phone and I had a nice little like plug-in mic and I would edit on my phone. I didn't even know how to edit on a laptop yet, didn't know how to set up proper lights. But just being able to get my reps in and put my voice out there, put my face out there, put my videos out there. I would say in that moment, I knew, you know, right now it might not work out, but if I just continue doing this and I continue studying all the greats before me and I build a community, and you know, I have people reaching out to me saying, I love this about your videos, I don't like this about your videos, I want you to talk about this. I I could feel that even if it would take some time, I believe that I eventually was going to be able to make a career out of this. So I would say, yeah, when I first started actually putting content out there for the world to see.
SPEAKER_00That's great to hear, man. There are thousands of people online talking about sports every single day, every single minute. How did you figure out what your voice was going to be and what would make Noise by Noel different?
SPEAKER_01Man, that's a great question. I would definitely say when I first started, I was trying to go for more of the super hot topics, super clickbait stuff that I knew people were gonna want to send to their friends and you know, comment. And of course I still do, I still love talking about training topics, but over my years of content creation, which I believe is about four years now, I started back in 2022. I found that when I talk about topics that I personally am passionate about and that also are just unique, that I feel like not too many other people are talking about, those seem to resonate with my audience a lot better. Like if you in my, I've changed my bio a couple of times over the years, but I remember changing at one point. And in my bio, I specifically stated that I like telling unique Dodger stories and unique Lakers stories because I feel like even in the press box, you know, that I work at in the clubhouse when I go down and talk to players, there's so many talented beat writers in there, so many talented reporters that know the game of baseball and know the stats, know the game down to a T. And you know, I've thought to myself, you know, I could go that same route. I could ask questions and tell stories specifically about stats, specifically about just the game. But I would rather bring something different to the table that's more myself. And that's where I feel like I've really thrived in that sense. With all the other creators, with all the other on-camera talent in the world, I think my stories are true to myself. And I really like to highlight the backstories of players, highlight the players as humans and allow the fans to see them in a different light.
SPEAKER_00That's a beautiful segue. You've gotten access to players and environments that most fans only see from the outside. How do you balance being a lifelong sports fan with having to remain professional once you're actually standing in that room?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think you said it perfectly, Gustavo, with just keeping in mind that I'm in a space that so many people have dreamed of and you know that so many people would love to be in. So as much as I enjoy watching this team play, you know, even yesterday in the press conference, Dave Roberts was talking about Ellie Della Cruz throwing down Tao when he tried to go for that inside the Park Homer. And Dave said he had to put his his uh fan hat on in that moment and just appreciate that play that Ellie made. And I feel like that's the case with a lot of the media members I've been around and what I try to keep in mind. Like, of course, at the end of the day, everyone's a fan of this team. This team is incredible, the Lakers are incredible. All LA teams are incredible. The Rams, they put together an incredible roster, too. So really just the city of Los Angeles. I feel like everybody's a fan, but I just try to keep in mind that at the end of the day, this is still my job. You know, I have a I have a lot of goals within this industry. So if I just you know appreciate what's in front of me, love what I'm doing, but maintain professional at the same time. I think that there's a there's a perfect balance that can be achieved.
SPEAKER_00That's beautiful. Me personally, when I was growing up and I was playing sports, I remember that one of my football coaches saw a kid celebrate a touchdown in a like a very annoying way. He stands there and he tells me, act like you've been there before. That's gonna carry you a lot further in every room. You fanboy in some of these situations, he goes, People remember that for the wrong reasons. So hearing you describe like that just brings back that he acts like he's been there before. And it's not about arrogance, because there's a difference between arrogance and confidence.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, absolutely. I think it's all about you know respecting the craft for sure. That's that's how I always look at it. And I think that's exactly what your football coach kind of was alluding to there.
SPEAKER_00Beautiful. And future, in my opinion, future Dodger, Ellie de la Cruz.
SPEAKER_01Yes, sir, yes, sir. We need to make that happen.
SPEAKER_00How did the opportunity with Dodgers Nations come together and what did it mean the first time you realized you were actually covering the Dodgers rather than simply watching them as a fan?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so uh going back to my time at Trick filet, really when I started my Instagram and started putting content out there, the whole store really kind of rallied behind me. Like, I think my first like 50 or 60 followers, majority, were my coworkers at Shrick-fil-A. They just all supported me, they all believed in me, and they all loved to see me going after what I love to do. And the owner of the Chick-fil-A Mr. Maurice Lee, he was so good about sitting down with all of his team members and really learning about what we wanted to do in life. And he's a man that has so many connections. He's built multiple successful companies. And yeah, he he just always believed me since day one when he saw me putting in the time outside of work to make my videos and chase my goals. And once he knew that I wanted to be in sports media, that I wanted to cover an LA team, that I wasn't strictly bounded to just one team, he had a connection over at Dodgers Nation. So he was able to set me up uh for an interview with the owner of Dodgers Nation. It went really well. Uh, he started me off as an intern. Uh, I worked really hard, really tried to show that I wanted to be a part of the team. Uh, then was able to get moved up to a writer. And I moved on from Trick filet, ended up working full time with Dodgers Nation as a writer for about 10 months. And then after those 10 months, there was an opening on the social media side. So my boss, he sat down with me, said, like, hey, you know, we could go out there, we could look for someone else. But he's like, I know that you have a background in social media. I know that ultimately you do want to be on camera and you want to work on the media side. What do you think about taking over? So, you know, I had to take it. I couldn't turn that down. It was hard at first, but where I was lucky, I had about three or four months before Shohei Otani signed to really get my reps in. And then by the time he signed, I was in a really good spot. And I just I felt like from there it's just been non-stop, you know, every month has flown by, but I've learned so much. The opportunities have come my way that I'm very, very grateful for. And yeah, Gustavo, it it felt surreal to know that I was covering the Dodgers. At the time when I first started, it was 2023. So is that down year where they didn't really add anyone to free agency, but they still ended up winning the division, even though everybody thought the Padres were. And then Shohei signed, Yamamoto signed, and now they're going for the three pizza. Yeah, it's really been a dream come true.
SPEAKER_00You came on just on the cusp of the golden eras. That's pretty awesome. You mentioned Shohei. Shohei Otani's reached a level where that almost transcends baseball. What is it like covering him up close compared with experiencing the phenomenon through television and social media?
SPEAKER_01I mean, there is just really no words for the player he is, the human he is, and all the fans that he attracts. Like recently, I've really I've really been I've made a couple videos already talking about a fan that went viral on X. You probably saw her. Uh, she traveled to the US for the first time a couple days ago, but she happened to come to the game where Shohei was out of the lineup. You know, she was in the stands, she was crying, she was devastated. Ultimately, the Dodgers social media team reached out to her on that same X post and they were able to hook her up with some Shohei gifts to kind of make up for it. But it's like so many people tune in to watch and play from all over the world, especially in Japan. I remember the world baseball classic, almost every household in Japan was tuning in to see their team play. So really, there's just no words to describe his. I know this is like a funny played out word, but it's aura. You know, when he walks into a room, you feel the energy, you feel the aura when he steps up to the plate. When he was able to hit and pitch the season, unfortunately, he's not going to pitch again this year. But I mean, really, he he is just he has just become a figure in sports that we're going to be talking about for generations and generations to come. And he's someone that really we are so lucky to be in the same lifetime as him to watch him play for the Dodgers.
SPEAKER_00Lucky is the one thing my godson recently became a fan of the Dodgers. I was lucky enough to take him to opening day. We went up a few weeks ago. We went to Luka Doncic night.
SPEAKER_01That was fun.
SPEAKER_00Um, and he absolutely loves the Dodgers. And it's like I try to tell him he's 14 but barely learning baseball. He's he's like, and it's like I've had to kind of tell him I'm like, buddy, you gotta understand that you're watching probably the greatest baseball player of all time. And we may not see this for who knows how many more years. It took us like almost a hundred years from Babe Ruth to Shohei. To me, it's always something exciting that I never thought I'd be a big fan. Uh the Dodgers operate with championship expectations essentially every season, though. Does that make them covering more exciting, or does it actually make them the standard almost impossibly too high?
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's a good question. I would 100% say very, very exciting. Yeah, I think this stretch of Dodgers baseball is not something that should be taken for granted because you know, we even saw like the past two decades how kind of roller coaster the Dodgers were. Of course, in the in the in the later 2010s, they had that great team that really set the standard for what they're doing now. But the ownership group they have right now willing to invest into every possible realm to make sure the Dodgers have the very best talent, they have the very best assets, they have the the very best amenities to make sure that the players are taken care of. You don't see that all the time. You know, you see like the Yankees fans clamoring at their ownership group to do what the Dodgers are doing. You see other leagues that have salary caps, the Lakers. The Lakers are such a such such a franchise, their franchise that has accumulated so much over the years, but because of the new salary capitals in the NBA, they can't just go out there and get talent like they used to. So we're in a very unique time where the Dodgers have played all of their cards right and they've been able to put together a roster that we may never see again. It's like Shirley's not gonna pitch again the season. Oh well, we still have Yamoto, School Bull, Glassnell, Snell, you know. So I would say it definitely makes it super exciting to walk into that stadium every day knowing that we're covering the best team. And then, of course, like you said, the standard does get set really high. This is a dynasty, this is could go down as the best baseball team ever if everything goes well for them. So it's definitely a mix of both.
SPEAKER_00What do you think people outside of Los Angeles misunderstand about Dodgers fans and the culture surrounding this team?
SPEAKER_01I would say while there are a lot of new fans because of how successful they've been, and because of the global reach they have now, with a lot of fans coming in from Japan and Dodger Stadium becoming one of the top tourist spots in LA, there's just so much history with this team, and there's so many fans that have been fans for decades, you know, that have been passed down through generations. And just because they're not at the games doesn't mean they're not supporting the team 24-7. You know, I feel like a lot of a lot of opposing fan bases are quick to say, oh, bandwagons, Pete Armstrong, you can say like Dodger fans come to Dodger Stadium just to take selfies and they leave early. You know, there's something special about Dodger fans that you need to be here in Los Angeles and you need to be a fan of the team to understand. You know, and unfortunately, tickets are very expensive nowadays. A lot of the true fans either can't afford the tickets or they just don't want to spend that much money. They'd rather be at home with their loved ones, make some food, crack open a drink here, and just support the boys, bring the community together. That you can't see that at the stadium. You can't some you can't even really see that on social media. A lot of the older fans aren't even on social media. So I feel like that's the misunderstood part about the fan base.
SPEAKER_00Last Dodger-related one. I'm not gonna let you off on this one. You've been your favorite Dodger of all time. You only get one.
SPEAKER_01Oh, you know, it's it's it's hard not to say Shohei because he's Shohei, and because I've been able to cover him up close, but I'll say the man that kind of he's my first memory of the Dodgers. I'll go with Matt Kemp. I loved watching Matt Kemp play when I was young. The swag, uh, the big plays, the the presence that he carried. It was awesome seeing him come back and sign that one-day contract with the Dodgers to retire two years ago, and him getting his bobble hit night. So I'll go with Matt Kemp for sure.
SPEAKER_00Getting robbed of the MVP as well, infamously getting robbed of the MVP. All right, we're gonna transition to the first LA team that I loved, and that's only because the day I was born, they won the title. The Los Angeles Lakers.
SPEAKER_01Oh, wow. Oh, wow, that's incredible.
SPEAKER_00Yes, sir. It was uh the very famous time where Magic looked in the camera and said back to back. Oh, that's incredible. That was the day I was born. So God made me a Lakers fan from day one. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yes, sir, yes, sir. You also create Lakers content with Bleacher Report. How different is your approach when you're covering the NBA compared with Major League Baseball?
SPEAKER_01I would definitely say when it comes to the NBA, every sport and every like fan base and even every like kind of creative outlet is so different. But um, with the NBA, I've played basketball a lot more than I played baseball when I was younger. So I definitely feel like on the court and strategy-wise, I'm nowhere near as talented as any of these guys. It's like Brian Scalabrini said, he's closer to LeBron than any of us are today. So talent-wise, I can never relate, but I can I can relate to just being on the court and making reads, putting in the time to develop as a player, and you know, just understanding the game from that standpoint. So I feel like my approach to my Lakers videos is more of as someone that has experienced playing basketball for a large portion of their life. Versus baseball, I still played when I was younger, but baseball, I've learned a A lot more through actually covering the team and being there with a lot of experts that I've covered.
SPEAKER_00Unfortunately, the Lakers are one of those franchises where almost anything becomes national and international news. As a creator, is that a dream because there's always something to discuss, or can it become exhausting?
SPEAKER_01I would definitely say the Lakers market as a whole has become a little saturated through the years. Like you mentioned, national headlines, every little thing becomes a talking point of every show. So, really similar to the Dodgers, it's all about finding that unique topic that I could talk about. You know, even something as little as I love doing like film breakdowns. There's a cool clip that was circulating yesterday of uh Colin Sexton was participating in an open run and he matched up with Anthony Edwards a couple times. He clamped him up, and then on the other side he blew by and scored on him. So you know I'm gonna do a video on that, just kind of breaking down the energy he's gonna bring this season and you know, those types of matchups that he's gonna be taking on for the Lakers to allow other guys to get their buckets. So, yeah, it's it's really just about finding the unique pockets and like I like I mentioned earlier, remembering why I do this and leaning on the stuff that really makes me passionate.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. And one more, just a way with the Dodgers. I'm gonna give you one here. I'm not gonna let you off. But you get one courtside seat to watch any Lakers team from any era play one game. Who are you choosing?
SPEAKER_01I would absolutely choose the the any of the any year of the three P Lakers. You know, that's that's one team that I'm like, man, you know, as my I I love Showtime. It's incredible that you were born on the day of the back-to-back. Um, I would have loved to see that team as well, but I would have loved to see a young Kobe, you know, getting to it, learning the game and learning what it means to be a star. And then also to Shaq, the most dominant player of all time. I would love to see him up close, see how despite being that big, he was able to move and he was just able to be the most dominant voice we've seen in the NBA.
SPEAKER_00Little side story here. I grew up in Phoenix. My sister and I, we're big Lakers fans, and my sister comes to me and she's like, yo, I got tickets. This was the season where we got Gary Payton, got Car Malone, and Kobe was on trial. It was his first road game. People in Phoenix have this immense Napoleonic complex with anything related to Los Angeles. For sure. And I know I'm gonna catch shit for that. I know I'm gonna get heat for that for saying that, but it's just the truth. That game, anytime he touched the ball, Kobe, the loudest booze ever. I tell people, if you ever wanted to feel hate, it was that. And that was the year that we lost to Detroit in the finals. But that game, it just sticks out to me. I mean, I like I was lucky enough to go to Kobe's last game and everything, but that game, my God, just you felt so much tension. You felt so much, and like I tell you, you felt hatred in that game.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and that kind of defined that season for them.
SPEAKER_00Sports media has changed dramatically. Players can speak directly to fans now, and creators can build audiences without ever working for a traditional television network. Where do you think people like yourself fit into the future of sports journalism and sports media?
SPEAKER_01I mean, I absolutely think like I love everything that I learned at Cal Poly Pomona. I'm really grateful, like I said, that that journalism program uh started right when I kind of was going into my college journey. I I love the idea that you can just build your own portfolio from home. You know, you can even be like a an architect major, but if you have a passion for sports and you want to have like a backup or a side hustle, you can easily do this when you get home from school, when you get home from work. So, you know, I feel like everyone being able to create their own page, buying equipment, just recording on your phone, recording on some earplugs. Other outlets and like you mentioned, TV networks, they have such a big pool and a big pond to recruit talent, to see potential in someone. And of course, with that comes more competition. Like there, that's that's no secret. The more opportunities there are for people to pick this up, that means there's another guy that could take your job, another guy that could take your lunch money. So I think the best of the best will come out of this. And like I said, I think it's just amazing to see how much creative freedom we have nowadays in sports media.
SPEAKER_00How much do analytics affect what you create? If something you're genuinely proud of doesn't perform well, can you shrug it off or does it still bother you?
SPEAKER_01Early in my time, like first couple years, uh it it was tough, like especially when you put so much time into something and the audience doesn't understand it, or it just doesn't hit the right audience, the numbers don't show. But I would say in the past year is where I've really come to terms with if I'm proud of something and if I'm happy with something that I'm putting out, that really has become enough for me because I believe that good content in the end always wins. And I trust my instincts. I'm still learning every day. I'm never, I'm never one that feels like I've learned everything and that it's too late for me to try new things. But I feel like I've been able to create enough and I've learned enough to where I when I'm confident that something's gonna do well, I think it does pretty well. And even when it doesn't, just the fact that it's something that I'm passionate about and it's a unique story and it's something that I believe in that that's become enough for me.
SPEAKER_00What's something you've learned about social media that you wish you knew when you posted your very first piece of content?
SPEAKER_01I would definitely say every platform is different, and every every audience on each platform is different. I try to make sure that I post all of my content to every platform. It's like every every it's just like every sports fan base is a little bit different. I think people go to different platforms for different needs for different videos. Uh, some people are going just to TikTok for sports stuff, some people are going to Instagram just to catch up with their friends. So I would say not thinking that every platform is so linear, because I used to think that when I first started.
SPEAKER_00All right. For somebody watching or listening who wants to break into sports content but doesn't have credentials, connections, or a huge following yet, what would you tell them to start doing today?
SPEAKER_01It's funny, I was actually talking about this on a on a podcast yesterday as well. Um, my best piece of advice would be prioritize either the job that's making you money at the moment or the school you're going to to land that career that's going to make you money. But then in free in your free time, be absolutely obsessed with this. Be absolutely obsessed with becoming a creator, with trying to get your credentials, with trying to break on onto the scene. Because in this field of sports media, I've never met anyone that's truly successful that hasn't been obsessed with this. Like, of course, I mentioned work and family, and if you're religious, you know, all faith, all that comes first. But right after that, it needs to be your dream, needs to be your goals of working in sports media. Because we talked about earlier, Gustavo, nowadays anyone can pick up a camera, anyone could create a page, anyone could start making videos. So you really need to wake up every day with this on your mind. You need to wake up every day thinking, like, you know, how am I going to get better today? Because there's just so there's so many people coming for it. So you have to figure out a way to stick out among the rest.
SPEAKER_00That is solid advice right there from a man that is on the rise. Last one, and then we'll get into some rapid fire that I got for you. You've gone from being a sports fan to building your own platform and now getting opportunities to cover some of the biggest teams and athletes in the history of Los Angeles. When you look at where you started versus where you are today, what does this journey mean to you and what do you hope is still ahead for Noel Sanchez?
SPEAKER_01That's a great question, Gustavo. Again, it's it's really meant the world to me. You know, as someone that literally just started in this room, not knowing what they were doing, you know, figuring out equipment on the fly, watching YouTube tutorials, reaching out to other creators for advice to think I'm at where I'm at now. And I truthfully, like it's it's hard for me to reflect in the moment. A lot of times I'm just thinking about, you know, the next day, the next video, the next interview, the next opportunity. But time to time here, especially when I talk to someone like yourself or my family, my girlfriend, my friends, I do kind of realize like how much I've been able to do in the past few years. So thinking about all the hours that I poured into it all the all the time, it really means everything. And you know, next up for myself is I just want to keep evolving in the space. I've I feel like I've found a true passion for interviewing others, interviewing players, interviewing other personnel within the team, sharing stories like that. So, you know, I truly do hope to continue growing in that. Uh, I hope to continue sharing unique stories. I I would love to be sidelined, you know, at Lakers games, uh on the field, during games at Dodger Games, and you know, just continuing to see where this space takes me.
SPEAKER_00That's incredible, man. All right, we got through the easy stuff now. Now we're going rapid fire. Now we're going rapid fire. For official name reasons. I'm gonna use the official name, even though I don't particularly call it that. Dodger Stadium or Crypto.com arena.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I'm gonna go Dodger Stadium only because you could go there more times throughout the year. There's more games, uh, there's more events overall that's being held. So I'm gonna go Dodge Stadium. All right.
SPEAKER_00If he was still with us, Kobe Bryant or Shohei Otani, the tougher athlete to interview without getting starstruck.
SPEAKER_01I would definitely say Kobe Bryant just because like I I watched Kobe like my entire life. Like, literally, like my earliest memory of sports was watching Kobe Bryant hit buzzer beaters for the Lakers. Of course, I watched Shohei when he was young on the Angels, but um, he's only been on the Dodgers for three years. So just because I have more memories of Kobe with the Lakers.
SPEAKER_00Walk-off home run or buzzer beating three. I'm gonna go with Buzzer Beating Three. I dig it. Derek Fisher style. Yes, sir. 0.4 seconds.
SPEAKER_01Best food at Dodgers. I'm gonna go with the new item that they have this year. I tried it at the Dodgers Stadium uh food preview that they had for some media, the chow main burrito. Chow main burrito? Where do you find it? Uh it's reserved level. Okay, um, it's right like kind of like near the spots that are level with home plate. But make sure that you go get it early in the game because it sells out pretty fast in the first couple innings. But it's really good, man. It's of course chow means in it. They got some chicken, it's wrapped in a tortilla, and then they give you some good hot sauce on the side. It sounds crazy, it sounds like a crazy mix, but it works.
SPEAKER_00I'm down to try anything, so I'll definitely be up there the next time I'm at the stadium. One current Dodger you'd want at the plate with the season on the line.
SPEAKER_01Freddie Freeman.
SPEAKER_00Freddie Freeman, let's go.
SPEAKER_01There's a there's a couple of good options on the team, but Freddie has stepped up on the very biggest stage, when it's banned at the most. So I'll go with Freddie.
SPEAKER_00One athlete you've never interviewed who is at the top of your bucket list.
SPEAKER_01Uh definitely Luka Doncic. I would absolutely love to interview Luca. I think he's in such a unique space right now. Now that it's truly his team. Of course, he's been the guy. LeBron James took that back seat the last one and a half seasons when he was on the Lakers. But now that LeBron's in Philly, uh Luca had such a big role in building out the Lakers offseason, putting together that trip to Slovenia and really just embracing what it means to be a Lakers. So I would definitely just love to talk to Luca about his approach, about you know, a lot of his other peers winning championships and just how badly he wants to win with this team.
SPEAKER_00That is perfect. That is awesome. Rapid fire over. Breathe easy, brother. That was great, man. Great. Mr. Sanchez, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule. We know that you got a jet on over to Blue Heaven on Earth. Thank you again. Amazing story. Everybody, follow him. I'm gonna tag him in everything. This is the man that is probably one day you're gonna sit there and be like, wait a minute. I heard him speak a while back. Now he's sidelined, he's there doing his thing. Thank you very much, sir. We wish you nothing but the best. Thank you for having a word with us.
SPEAKER_01Gustavo, it means a lot. Thank you so much for having me on, man. You got a boss.
SPEAKER_00Well, there you go. How about that? That was a great one. That was very fun to do. Like I told you, I try to hit him up, try to switch him up with a few rapid fire questions, but the man was tier one at all times, well spoken, well read. Well, I'm excited to see where his career is gonna take him. I'm pretty sure that he's gonna be on the four letters soon enough. That's ESPN. I mean, if not, then you know he's he's writing his own ticket one way or the other. The sky is not the limit for him because he's shooting past it. We were very privileged that he took time out of his busy schedule to sit down and have a word with us. When it comes to someone like him, it is a one at all times. So thank you, Mr. Noah Sanchez, for taking the time. Alright, folks, that's gonna do it for this episode of the Man Have a Word Podcast. As always, you can find it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon. Wherever you can find a podcast, you type in Man Have a Word, you will see the logo, you hear the voice, and we are off to the races having some fun from minute one. Alright, guys, you guys take care. This has been the Man Have a Word Podcast. As always, I am your host, Gustavo Montes. You guys stay safe out there, stay sane. Hope you're eating clean. Be nice to one another out there, yeah? Alright, talk to you later, guys. Love ya. See ya.