Light tackles broadcasting

What he didn’t fully realize until this week, when he attended the NFL’s third-annual Broadcast Boot Camp, is that the same level of detail is required for play-by-play announcers, analysts, and studio hosts.

As Light, 31, considers career options for when his playing days are through, the ultra-detailed aspect of sports broadcasting has caught his attention. While play-by-play men like Jim Nantz (CBS), analysts such as Ron Jaworski (ESPN), and studio hosts like James Brown (Fox) often make it look easy, Light has quickly discovered that what viewers see is the culmination of countless hours of preparation.

“You look at it from what we do in the NFL, and how well we get ready to game-plan with our teams, they’re doing the same thing in getting ready for their studio sessions and live broadcasts,’’ said Light this week from NFL Films headquarters in Mount Laurel, N.J. “There is so much prep work that goes into it that you really have to know what you’re doing in advance.

“That is in addition to actually being on camera, and there are so many things you have to take into consideration with that - the speed of your delivery, your diction; all those little things that make it so entertaining to have yourself in front of the world.’’

Light is one of 24 NFL players (past and present) who took part in the boot camp, which had instructors from the top of the profession, including Jaworski and Brown. Tuesday was the first of four days, which start at 7 a.m. and don’t wrap up until about 11 p.m.

The opening day, each player prepared to be part of a standard NFL pregame studio show, alongside Brown, which included a visit to wardrobe and makeup. Each player picked one of six possible topics out of a hat, and Light - a left tackle who protects the quarterback’s blindside - laughed when he learned what he’d be analyzing.

“Oddly enough, my topic was on Matt Cassel going to the Chiefs. That was a nice softball for me,’’ he said. “We had to go into the studio and it feels as live as anything you can do. I sat across from JB and he cued me up and threw me an initial question to get the interview rolling. We went right into the topic.

“We got to see some of the clips that would go on with each topic, so we had an idea of what to expect. The nuts and bolts of the whole thing is that they get that on tape, you go through two of those sessions and then they critique them that night. Basically, it was like ‘American Idol.’ ’’

The witty Light, who rates ESPN’s Kenny Mayne as his favorite sports anchor, was considered a natural.

Still, he’s not sure broadcasting is in his future. More than anything, he chose to attend the boot camp for the same reason he’s enrolled three times in the NFL’s Entrepreneurial program.

“As a player, you get some unique opportunities to learn from some of the best, and I thought this was a great opportunity to learn,’’ he said. “It’s a chance to find out if this is something you want to do when you’re done playing. A lot of the guys here, including myself, kind of feel like this is something they might be interested in, but they really don’t know where they would fit in or what they really want to do, so you come to a broadcast boot camp and get thrown into the fire, and you go through a lot of different scenarios.’’

Of the 40 players who participated in the boot camp the last two seasons, 21 have earned broadcasting jobs.

Regardless of if that happens for Light down the road, he’s already gained greater understanding of those who are in the business, such as the network broadcast crews on the day before games.

“I think you’re more mindful of exactly what it is they’re after,’’ he said. “I’ve always felt like when I go into a production meeting, there are obviously things you can and can’t talk about. There is some tidbit or piece of information that they’re searching for.’’

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.