While growing up in New Baltimore, Michigan, Daniella Bruce always knew she wanted a career in sports broadcasting. By her sophomore year at Anchor Bay High School, plenty of visits to East Lansing had already solidified her eventual college decision: MSU was the place for her.
While some question the value of a college degree these days, Bruce says, “I use 100% of what I learned at MSU every day in my career. I can’t say enough good things about the program and the professors I had along the way.”
Today, Bruce is taking on a new role as a TV reporter for both the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings, including some hosting of pre- and postgame coverage on FanDuel Sports Network. After beginning her career as a game day host for the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena, Bruce was called up to provide color commentary alongside radio play-by-play announcer Ken Kal when the usual color commentator came down with Covid-19.
“Radio had not been on my radar at all,” says Bruce. But she stepped up and excelled at the job. “I’m so glad my path led me down that road. Radio has been a blessing and has taught me so much, as it sometimes gives you a little more freedom than TV and more leeway to learn.”
In a full-circle moment, Bruce ended up working with Tigers radio play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson just a few years after meeting him in a journalism class at MSU. Dickerson told her that she had a great voice for broadcast and that if she put in the work, she would be successful. In another twist, Dickerson’s wife, Lori Anne, was one of the MSU professors—along with Bob Gould who Bruce says had a major impact on her as a student.
As the world of sports broadcast evolves toward more streaming, Bruce says the goal is to make it easier to get the product to consumers.
“We don’t mind if you’re watching on an iPad, a phone, a TV or a computer,” she says. “If there’s one thing about sports fans, we know they’re going to want to watch their teams. We’re going to make it happen one way or another.”
In addition to her broadcast work, Bruce has plans to support research to reduce or eliminate lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease.
“My grandmother had lymphoma for a large part of her life, and we lost my grandfather to Parkinson’s,” she says. “These are causes I’m passionate about.”
Driven and enthusiastic by nature, Bruce says passion is what motivates her in work and life. But in the end, she doesn’t let the whirlwind of sports and broadcast culture get to her.
“My schedule can be crazy, and I can get exhausted after a 10-day homestand in baseball,” she says. “But then I sit back and realize I get to do exactly what I want to do. I don’t take a day of it for granted.”
How could she? Her love for Detroit—the city, the sports and the people—has Bruce right where she wants to be. “My dream scenario is to keep doing this while perhaps expanding my portfolio into freelancing for some national networks,” she says. “But I’d love to stay in Detroit.”
Stay tuned for more from Daniella Bruce.