Ann Schatz is a sports broadcaster who works for

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known a ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

, Pac-12 Network,

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The compan ...

, and the

Portland Thorns FC The Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which receives support from the Uni ...

Early life

Schatz was born and raised in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, as one of six siblings. Schatz attended

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

, where she played basketball and softball for the Bluejays. Schatz graduated with a degree in journalism and mass communications. After graduation, Schatz became the first female sports reporter ever in Omaha, covering the weekend sports news. In 1989, Schatz and her family moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

KOIN Koin or KOIN may refer to: * KOIN, a TV station in Portland, Oregon * Koin, Guinea See also * Koine (disambiguation) {{dab ...

hired Schatz to be the first female sports reporter for the Portland area, a position she held until 2005. Ten years after arriving in Portland, Schatz was hired to be the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

sideline reporter, video feature writer, and producer. Schatz is recognized nationally as being the first women's sports reporter in two markets, Omaha and Portland.

Broadcasting

In 2005, Schatz left the Trail Blazers and KOIN to begin a new broadcasting endeavor, calling sporting events for College Sports Television (CSTV). While at CSTV, Schatz acted as a play-by-play announcer or analyst for women's basketball, women's soccer, and softball. Schatz remained with CSTV through their transition to

CBS College Sports CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known as ...

and continues to call games with them today as part of the

. When not working for CSTV, Schatz acted in a similar position for

Fox Sports Net Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...

, calling Pac-12 women's games, and for the Mtn., calling women's Mountain West Conference games. In 2013, FSN lost broadcast rights to the women's games and Mtn. closed its doors, but Schatz didn't lose her place; Schatz was hired by Pac-12 Network to be one of their many basketball analysts. Schatz was also hired by ESPN to call select WNBA games and to work on feature stories. Her ESPN work was featured heavily during the 2014 Winter Olympics. Schatz received nationwide recognition for the special feature on Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding 20-years later. Schatz had been asked to do a profile on Harding while she was at KOIN. That profile would be used and credited as part of the 20-year recap. Today, Schatz continues to be recognized for her sporting broadcasts. Among her many broadcasts are the Summer and Winter Olympics (KOIN), the Boston Marathon (ESPN), men's and women's basketball (CBS Sports Network, Pac-12 Networks, Westwood One), the WNBA Playoffs (ESPN), the US Women's Open Golf Champions (ESPN), and being the voice of the Thorns. When she isn't calling sporting events, Schatz also works as a motivational speaker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schatz, Ann College basketball announcers in the United States Living people Women's college basketball announcers in the United States American radio sports announcers Women's National Basketball Association media Year of birth missing (living people) Creighton University alumni People from Omaha, Nebraska Portland Trail Blazers announcers National Basketball Association broadcasters Women's National Basketball Association announcers ESPN announcers Journalists from Oregon Television personalities from Portland, Oregon