Stuart Johnson is a junior political science major at Hopkins who often dons a powder blue Hopkins Athletics shirt that only varsity athletes can obtain around campus, but he is not a sports player.
Rather, Johnson plays another vital role in Hopkins Sports: he is the Blue Jays' broadcaster. His hard work behind the scenes has led him to become one of the most well-rounded and knowledgeable people on campus when it comes to anything JHU.
Stuart arrived at Hopkins from a small independent school in New York City where athletics were secondary to academics — very secondary. Having had an interest in sports casting from a very young age but unable to pursue it at his middle or high school, Johnson was finally able to pursue his passion upon arriving at Hopkins.
And he did so almost immediately. Johnson took the open position as a radio commentator for the video streams, an opportunity he had always dreamed of.
"I'm definitely indebted to Associate Athletic Director Ernie Larossa and the Athletic Communications Department for giving me the chance to call games as a freshman," Johnson said.
Max Dworin (A&S ‘11), Johnson's predecessor, was a friend of his from high school and put Johnson in touch with the right people at Hopkins. Dworin helped him over Skype to learn how to set up his new equipment.
"His positive feedback and encouragement helped get all this going," the Trinity School alum said.
Johnson's first game was covering men's basketball against Muhlenberg College on Jan. 6, 2010.
"I remember doing the opening segment with my broadcast partner, Jonas Fester (A&S ‘08)," he reflected. "He started the broadcast and then threw to me for some analysis. I have no idea what came out of my mouth, but I think it was pretty incoherent. I think I've gotten a little better since then."
Johnson says that certain sports were more challenging to cover initially, especially men's and women's lacrosse, which he knew very little about before arriving at Hopkins.
"Obviously that had to change fast," he joked. "Before working my first women's lacrosse game I called up my cousin, Bailey, who plays at Dartmouth, and basically said she had to give me a crash course on a lot of the details of the women's game."
Baseball, on the other hand — a sport near and dear to Johnson's heart and one he had played as a young boy and then all four years of high school — posed less of a challenge to him. Covering the games from the sidelines, however, took some adjusting to.
When asked if it was strange to announce baseball instead of playing, Johnson said, "Yes and no. On one hand, Hopkins baseball is played at such a high level that it's hard for me to totally relate to the experiences of the players.
"On the other hand, there are guys on the team like (senior) Joe Hemmes and (sophmore) Richie Carbone who I played against in high school. I definitely miss playing the game but I'm fortunate that I've had the opportunity to stay close to the sport through my broadcast work." While Johnson is an avid sports fan across the board, he says he is particularly attached to professional baseball. "There are so many games (in a baseball season) that you become especially attached to the team. For me, it's the Mets," he said.
When it comes to sports broadcasting idols, Johnson admires the Mets' TV play-by-play man Gary Cohen, who he describes as, "The best in the business."
It was Cohen's success story — a political science major at Columbia turned professional sports broadcaster — that inspired him.
"It was nice to know that I could come to a school like Johns Hopkins and study a passion of mine such as political science, while also pursuing my interest in sports broadcasting. I had a chance to meet with Cohen this summer while interning for SportsNet New York (SNY). It was quite an experience."
While Johnson loves every minute of broadcasting, the time commitment can sometimes be exhausting.
"I did three games in one day last year on a Saturday, " he explained. "The day started with a football game and then two soccer games. I had a bad cold going into the day. I apologize to anyone who might have had to listen to that third broadcast."
The work comes in cycles for Johnson. Some weeks, he will have to cover up to four games and interview coaches and players for the web site. Other times, Johnson stays home while the teams are on the road and can relax. On occasion, though, he travels right alongside the Blue Jays.
"I traveled to a lot of the road baseball games last year, and I have the scars to prove it," he laughed. "I must have watched each Austin Powers movie three or four times on those bus rides alone."
He was able to travel to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic regional with the baseball team the past two years, where he says he was able to get to know the team very well and enjoy himself off the field.
"I've found that the student athletes here are a very opening and welcoming group. It's been great getting to know so many of them," he said.
The experience for Johnson has been an extremely positive one and has given him a tremendous perspective into the lives of student athletes here at Hopkins.
"It all goes so much deeper than just what people in the stands, such as myself, see on game days. The hours they put in practicing, going to meetings and doing community service are staggering. On top of that, they have to handle the academic load. It requires tremendous discipline to manage your time that well."
Although Johnson considers himself fortunate to work the Blue Jays, Hopkins' athletes feel the same about him. It is not often that someone as passionate and talented as Johnson steps onto the scene, and the thanks he deserves are many.
You can find his work on hopkinssports.com and see him surrounded by a different posse of athletes around campus.
