Shaq Takes Crash Course in Sportscasting

ABC News On Campus reporter Bradley Blackburn blogs: Shaquille O’Neal has lived his life very publicly as a basketball star and celebrity, but now he’s planning for another career in front of the cameras — as a sportscaster. 

This week, Shaq attended Syracuse University’s "Sportscaster U," a program that gives pro athletes a crash course in appearing on TV.  Shaq learned how to conduct an on-camera interview, write scripts, and host a program in a TV studio.

After a 17-year career as one of the NBA’s biggest stars, Shaq is hoping to reinvent himself.  He told the AP, "After basketball I’d love to have my own radio show, my own TV show."

And Syracuse University hopes its crash course will help him get there.  The university started training pro athletes in broadcasting last year, but they custom-designed this week’s program for Shaq.  It was a one-of-a-kind curriculum for a very unusual Syracuse student.