Mariners' broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith has a journey like no other

Dog walking, DJ school, six years in the minor leagues, and uncertainty have taken Goldsmith on a journey like no other.

It wasn’t until his college graduation was just 45 days away that Mariners’ broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith got the urge to try out broadcasting.

“It’s kind of a wild one. I don’t know that there are many like it. That doesn’t make it good or bad, just different.”

Goldsmith started out as a history major at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. As graduation approached at Principia, a small Division III school, he got the idea to become a sports broadcaster.

Just 45 days before graduation with no formal training or experience, Goldsmith decided to enroll at Broadcast Center in St. Louis. The academy was a trade school, but despite its name, it was mostly focused on training DJs and news anchors.

During this time Goldsmith says he did what every proud college graduate does, “I moved into my parents basement and learned how to be a DJ.” While it doesn’t seem ideal, he learned to operate equipment and how to be part of a production team.

This training ended up being an integral piece of his journey, serving him well in his time as a minor league broadcaster.

After his training and working at a local appliance store, Goldsmith finally applied for a broadcasting job with the Gateway Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are an independent club based out of the suburbs of St. Louis.

This job paid him just 70 dollars a month, but he was thrilled to be there. The gig consisted of two innings of play-by-play per game, and included an on field interview following the conclusion of the game.

There were a lot of fond memories during this time, but the job didn’t come easy to him. “I was generally terrible the whole year. I had no idea how to interview someone,” Goldsmith said.