In Jim Goin’s time away from FGCU, the equipment in the production trailer had scattered around campus, the trailer itself even became a health hazard.
During his short-lived retirement last fall, Goin got a call from the FGCU Athletics Department to help rebuild the basketball stream broadcast for ESPN+ from Alico Arena. Before he quickly accepted the offer, he thought about the previous years as producer in the small trailer at Alico Arena.
Goin had originally been approached by the Athletics Department in 2012 to partner and produce the basketball games from Alico due to his resume and time on campus.
He had been involved with sports production since the mid-1980s working as a camera operator, technical director and crew chief at events all over Florida. He started working on campus at the WGCU building as a producer and director. He focused on a featured series called “Spotlight on the Arts.”. He said his dream project was to create a student-driven short series called “Curious Gulf Coast.” Students would produce segments about the art and history of Lee County and he would make the final adjustments to air it in between PBS shows. Shortly after, the FGCU Athletics department asked him to direct and produce the basketball games from Alico Arena
“When this opportunity came up to be able to do the ESPN broadcast for FGCU, I jumped at the chance to be able to do it,” Goin said.
He would lead a team mixed with FGCU students in the first season of streamed basketball games. Goin remembered one of his favorite memories on campus, the season that put FGCU on the map. Head Coach Andy Enfield led the Eagles to the NCAA tournament in March where they reached the Sweet 16 and earned the nickname “Dunk City.” Goin sat back and watched the nationally televised game against Georgetown that took place in Philadelphia, wishing he could be the one filming the team he watched in the trailer all season. Goin worked with the ESPN production crew until his retirement in 2021. While away, he missed his time on campus and working on different projects.
He returned in 2022 to the empty trailer. But, by the end of the season the broadcasts were back to the standard Goin wanted just in time for a much bigger workload. ESPN+ would now livestream baseball and softball games for the first time.
“I really felt an obligation to make it succeed. I always said FGCU is one of the premier schools
in the state of Florida and in the ASUN’ All of our broadcasts should reflect the quality of the university,” Goin said.
In spring of 2023, the streaming operation moved under the control of the University Marketing and Communications department. Goin received funding for new cameras, replay systems and a new production trailer. Until that point, the production team had used the equipment from the initial year the streams started. Along with higher quality equipment, he can now pay student-employees. In previous years, students would only earn service hours.
“From a production standpoint, this is huge,” Goin said. “We’ve been begging for new equipment the last five, six years and just no money for it so I never even thought it was possible. So for it to happen and happen so quickly is just a miracle.”
With the new equipment, students are able to take part in broadcasting the games.
“I always wondered if I were to do that job what would that be like. I didn’t think I was going to get paid, the internship but to get paid is a huge bonus,” Joe Coppola, a first-year cameraman
said.
The new setup is just in time for an expansion of the streaming program for other FGCU sports. In 2024, Goin’s team will begin streaming both soccer teams, volleyball, as well as a full season of softball and baseball. While he misses the creativity of “Curious Gulf Coast” and other programs, he is motivated by working with students and teaching them the ropes of the sports media industry by helping operate cameras and working in the production truck. Although the workload has been heavy this year with setting up a new trailer and preparing for new sports, Goin looks forward to what is to come on campus.
“I don’t want to say it’s my legacy, but I just have a lot of pride in the fact that I was a part of
the team that put all this together,” Goin said.
