For many people, it takes years for them to find what they’re passionate enough about to dedicate the rest of their lives to.
But there are others whose passion is clear from the start. Take John Fanta, for example—a 2017 graduate from Seton Hall, who knew he wanted to be a sports broadcaster for as long as he can remember.
“I would watch a game for an inning or a quarter, and then I would turn the volume down and start calling it myself from the living room,” said Fanta, recalling his childhood. “I would talk about sports, listen to sports—I just knew from an early age that [sports broadcasting] was my calling.”
Born and raised in a sports-crazed town on Cleveland’s west side, Fanta has since become one of the most recognizable voices in college basketball. He works with industry giants like Fox, NBC, CBS and the Big East Digital Network to call some of the biggest games in Division I hoops. He primarily calls games for the Big East, sometimes even for his alma mater.
And yet, while some may recognize his name or voice, many might not know his story: a story of passion, ambition, and hard work—but also a little bit of serendipity.
The Big Broadcasting Break
The oldest of four kids, Fanta grew up in a “very busy family.” He credits his parents for instilling a hard work ethic in him through the example they set.
“My mom was a teacher…[and] my dad owned his own business,” he said. “I was the son of two blue-collar, 40-hour-a-week parents who just grinded and worked for everything.”
A diehard Cleveland sports fan, Fanta attributes his passion for broadcasting to the legendary broadcasters who covered the city’s various sports teams over the years.
“When you grow up in Cleveland, you grow up with amazing voices,” he said, citing some of the broadcasters who inspired him, like Tom Hamilton, who has called Cleveland Indian/Guardian games on the radio for over 35 seasons, and the late Jim Donovan, who was the “voice of the Cleveland Browns” for 25 seasons before he passed away in October of last year.
Fanta’s first big broadcasting break came in high school through an unexpected turn of events. Encouraged by his dad to “pursue his passion,” Fanta joined the broadcasting club at St. Ignatius High School during his freshman year. Initially brought on as a cameraman, Fanta’s opportunity came at halftime of a junior varsity basketball game.
“About three or four weeks in, at halftime of a game, the play-by-play guy at the time said, ‘My heart’s not in this anymore—I can’t do it,’” Fanta recalled.
With no other option, the school’s athletic director turned to Fanta in desperation and asked if he could take over.
“And that began the first of probably 250 to 300 broadcasts that I was part of at St. Ignatius,” Fanta said. “All because my dad said, ‘Why don’t you pursue your passion?’”
Eventually, Fanta became the broadcasting club’s president, and by the time he graduated, he had gained experience calling many different sports and sporting events.
“I would drive all over the state—I even covered state championship games,” he said. “At Ignatius, I discovered that this passion of mine could really be something.”
Pirate Pride
After high school, Fanta knew he wanted to attend a college close to New York, thinking it would give him the best chance at a career in sports broadcasting. He also wanted to attend a college with an established broadcasting program, where he could gain hands-on experience as an undergrad. Among the colleges he visited were Syracuse, St. John’s, and Fordham—all of which offered him nothing but vague promises.
“It was like, ‘Yeah, we’ll figure something out for you,’ or, ‘Yeah, we’ll get you on the air at some point,” said Fanta, recalling those visits.
Then came SHU, the only school to offer him exactly what he wanted—a guarantee.
“Meanwhile, Seton Hall came and said, ‘Look, we’ve got a radio station, we’ve got The Setonian, we’ve got the Pirates Sports Network (PSN),’ Fanta said. “‘And if you want to get involved, we can get you involved right away.’”
Fanta took SHU up on their promise by joining PSN his freshman year. Not long after he joined, “lightning struck twice” for him as an unexpected opportunity presented itself during a soccer game.
Postponed due to weather, and originally scheduled for the day before, the game's regular play-by-play announcer was unable to attend. Initially brought on as a cameraman, Fanta was then asked to call the game just ten minutes before kickoff.
“I had never called a soccer game in my life,” Fanta said. “But when the game ended, they said to me, ‘That was amazing, when can you be back?’”
“I responded, 'Whenever you need me,’” he continued. “And that was the start of a couple hundred different Seton Hall athletic events that I participated in or covered over the next four years.”
With PSN, Fanta quickly became the leading student voice of the network and its ultimate “utility” player—he did a little bit of everything for the network, from handling play-by-play commentary for their broadcasts to writing in-depth features. He traveled over half the country covering the university’s sports programs and even hosted his own weekly show, “On Deck,” where he discussed all things SHU sports.
“I would basically cover Seton Hall Athletics through every lens,” Fanta said. “It was one of those things where if the opportunity was going to be given to me, I was going to make the most of it.”
A young John Fanta with former SHU men's basketball head coach Bill Raftery | Photo via John Fanta
Fanta applied this ambitious mindset to not just PSN, but every outlet on campus: he also worked with SHU’s student radio, 89.5 WSOU. In 2023, he was presented with the station’s Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.
Fanta was even a contributor to The Setonian, where he served as a staff writer his first two years before becoming the assistant sports editor as a junior.
“As a student, I thought, ‘All these outlets are on campus, and I’m going to school here,’” Fanta said. “So I think for me, it was like, ‘just say yes to every opportunity, and then find a way to make yourself valuable.’”
During his senior year at SHU, Fanta was presented with The Most Valuable Pirate Award—an award typically given to a student-athlete for excelling in their respective sport. Although not a student-athlete himself, the athletics department felt that Fanta was more than deserving of the award given his hard work and dedication to providing comprehensive coverage of the university’s sports programs.
“After receiving the award, I told the student-athletes that, ‘This was my way of playing the game,’" Fanta said. “I loved covering them and their programs, and all I ever wanted was for them to be successful on the field or on the court—so it was just an honor to receive that.”
Fanta credits SHU for giving him many opportunities to gain valuable experience and showcase what he was capable of.
“I learned a heck of a lot [as a student] that helped me later in my career because it felt like a career while I was still in college,” Fanta said. “And I think that's exactly what Seton Hall wants you to have: in-the-field experience so that when you do get out in the field professionally, you know what you’re doing.”
Broadcasting and Beyond
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from SHU in 2017, he joined the Fox Sports broadcasting team as a play-by-play broadcaster. This past year, he called games for NBC Sports and CBS Sports as well.
Although calling games is what he loves and dreamed of doing all his life, Fanta doesn’t want to be only limited to his role as a broadcaster.
“I don’t want to be just a play-by-play guy,” Fanta said. “I like doing other things as well.”
Fanta mentioned how much he enjoys writing features for Fox Sports and engaging with fans on social media. He also is a podcast host for The Field of 68, where he talks about college basketball with Terrence Oglesby and Rob Dauster.
When he’s not hosting his own podcast, he occasionally appears as a guest on other shows as well. In April, Fanta was a guest on “The Big Podcast” hosted by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
And yet, no matter the opportunity, Fanta is—above all—grateful.
“It just has been such a joy to live out this dream,” Fanta said. “I relish every moment.”
Returning to The Hall
A moment Fanta relishes more than others is when he gets the opportunity to call games for his alma mater. Whether at the Prudential Center or historic Walsh Gymnasium, Fanta said that he loves calling SHU sporting events because “it’s like a taste of home.”
“While I do have a job to do and have to be impartial, it always means a lot to get a game where I call my alma mater,” Fanta said. “It’s a special feeling and one that I’m thankful for.”
Following what was a tough season for SHU’s men’s basketball program, Fanta maintained his confidence in head coach Shaheen Holloway, who led the team to their second NIT title in school history just the season before.
“I believe in Holloway,” he said. “Last year was last year, and I still think that he’s got a bright future leading Seton Hall to success.”
“I think the program’s going to be just fine,” he added. “It’s just a matter of figuring some things out and looking towards the future. Seton Hall’s faced more adversity than the adversity they’re in right now and have fought on, so I think that’ll be the case for the basketball program.”
He also mentioned how the recent approval of the House v. NCAA settlement “had to happen” and how necessary it was for smaller schools like SHU to “maintain a pulse” in their respective conferences.
“For Seton Hall, basketball is as much of a priority at the university as anything because it has to be,” he said. “When the basketball programs are having success, Seton Hall is better off because of it—so the House settlement is critical.”
While others take the summer off, Fanta continues to work—the “offseason” simply doesn’t apply to him. When there’s no college basketball to call, the NBA hires Fanta to cover the NBA Draft, where he breaks down picks and interviews players at the Barclays Center. He also calls games for Peach Jam, an annual high school basketball tournament that features some of the top recruits in the nation, and the WNBA, where he’ll call a few regular season games for the New York Liberty.
“Basketball’s a year-round sport—it just doesn’t end,” Fanta said. “I’ll do the draft, I’ll do Peach Jam, I’ll do the WNBA, and then before you know it, it’ll be the fall again, and we’ll be tipping off at The Rock [aka the Prudential Center].”
Fanta’s Biggest Accomplishment and Advice
An “everyman” of sorts, Fanta has accomplished a lot in his collegiate and professional career—and yet, for him, none of it compares to becoming a father.
On May 12, Fanta and his wife, Vicki, welcomed their son, Andrew, to the world.
“He’s a beautiful baby boy and to call him my son is really just surreal,” Fanta said. “It’s the best title in the world to be called a dad.”
Ahead of his first Father’s Day since the birth of his son, Fanta described the feeling in a way only fitting of a prolific sports broadcaster like himself: “No game, no March Madness moment, no buzzer beater, no nothing matches the love, the excitement and the thrill of being a father.”
For SHU students who aspire to do what he does, Fanta’s best advice is to “say yes” to every opportunity—just like he did, and continues to do.
“That ‘yes’ could lead down a pathway that you dreamed of or give you an opportunity you didn’t even know existed,” he said.
Placing more emphasis on the latter, Fanta also added that “how hard you work and how you treat people” will ultimately determine the trajectory of your career journey.
“Seton Hall is a university that has people working at it that genuinely care about us alumni and students,” he added. “So make the most of your Seton Hall experience every day and the avenues it will lead to—all it takes is that positive outlook and a big ‘yes!’”
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
