Olympics|Anni Jämsä played a couple of years ago herself. Now he is garnering praise as a basketball reporter for the Olympics.
Paris
Streaming service The journalist of the Olympic basketball broadcasts of Max and the free channel TV5 Anni Jämsä has garnered praise in his new role.
Jämsä, 28, is familiar to basketball fans from the domestic league courts and the national team. He ended his playing career, at least very likely, in the spring of 2022 after getting to experience professional life in Italy. In his last seasons in Finland, Jämsä played for Tampere’s Pyrinnö, whose captain he also served as.
At the Olympics, Jämsä was on site first in Lille, where the preliminaries of the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments were held. The playoff stage also brought him to Paris.
Jämsä follows the matches on the side of the field. His accurate observations of the events and atmosphere have delighted viewers. Jämsä has brought added value to the broadcasts, even though the studio and commentary already have enough expertise.
“Everything has gone really well. I’ve been on fire from this atmosphere. For me, sports and sports journalism are such that I would do anything I like, but in my sport I can be completely myself,” says Jämsä enthusiastically.
He says that he constantly observes what is happening on the field and what the audience would like to hear. Jämsä tries to avoid things that viewers already see anyway. Having your own sports background is a big advantage.
“I can put myself in many positions and roles. I can understand, for example, the expressions of players, and also coaches and judges. It would be much more challenging in some other sport where I wouldn’t understand so many details, which is what it’s all about.”
Jämsä is on site with the photographer. Studio broadcasts are made in Denmark.
Anni Jämsä has used the interviews to get Shawn Huff’s advice.
Matches in addition to early observations, Jämsä conducts player interviews. Among them, the NBA star is especially memorable by Anthony Davis interview.
Jämsä’s interviewing skills have been praised, but it is not always easy to get athletes on the air. It can be especially difficult for athletes like the American NBA elite.
The competition for comments is fierce after the games, because the matches in the United States naturally also attract the most journalists.
“It was pretty wild. It was a lot of hassle, and we had to do everything we could to get an interview. I’m proud that we got it done and it was a good interview.”
Jämsä was already worried if he would get anyone to interview, because players left the place one after the other. Davis was also already running away, but Jämsä saw him still there and remembered the former captain of the Finnish national team Shawn Huff a tip.
“He said that when it’s a tight situation, always remember to call the players by their first name. Thus, it is easier to get their attention. I then shouted AD and motioned to come here. Then he came. It was a big relief and it saved my day,” Jämsä says and laughs.
AD is the nickname of Anthony Davis.
Stateside also involves one of Jämsä’s most memorable experiences at the Games. Police closed the streets in Lille when the US team arrived in the city by bus. Jäms couldn’t get to his hotel either.
Anni Jämsä played in the seasons 2020–22 for Tampere’s Pyrinnö, of which she was also the captain.
People flocked to the place in droves as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the superstar. The United States has a team that has been described as the team of all time. This time, the country got almost all its biggest stars with it.
“People screamed and cried when they saw them. It made me realize how big a scale everything is happening here.”
It has been important for Jämsa to be able to tell about the women’s basketball tournament as well. She says she normally follows everything possible about women’s basketball.
“It has been a dream come true to be able to watch it.”
Jämsä started thinking about a career as a journalist a couple of years ago to fill the void left by gaming. He started journalism studies at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences last fall. He has also studied to become a physical education teacher at the University of Jyväskylä.
Jämsä has already had time to accumulate work experience at Yle and Warner Bros. At Discovery, where he has been part of the hockey team.
Former major league and national team level basketball player. He is now at the Olympics as a basketball reporter for Max and TV5. Is 28 years old.
Playing career: Nine seasons in the Women’s Basketball League in Tampere’s Pyrinnö, Hyvinkää’s Ponteva, Äänekoski’s Huima and Forssa’s Alu. Also played in Germany’s German Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A2.
National team: 13 adult national matches, 87 youth national matches.
Medals: One SM gold, three SM bronze.
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