His student job: ‘It’s almost been an escape for me’
You’d never know play-by-play announcer Tyler Danburg, a junior journalism major, has Tourette syndrome, and that’s thanks to hard work and big dreams.
When third-year journalism major Tyler Danburg puts on a headset, his focus is on the sporting event in front of him — the one he’s broadcasting.
Whether it be play-by-play for Ohio State football, sideline reporting for Buckeye basketball or any other assignment, he speaks fluidly and confidently, with an expertise that belies his 20 years of life.
Tyler’s voice may be smooth, but his journey into broadcasting was anything but. His Tourette syndrome, a complex disorder causing repetitive movements or unwanted sounds that are difficult to control, was diagnosed when he was a young boy. Tourette’s inhibits many people’s ability to speak without interruption, but it has made Tyler even more focused on his career dream of professional sports broadcasting.
“I have Tourette’s,” he says, “but Tourette’s doesn’t have me.”
It started on a flight to Arizona as 6-year-old Tyler was joining his father, Curtis Danburg, for the Cleveland Guardians’ 2009 spring training. Curtis, vice president of communications and community outreach for the Guardians, says he will never forget that plane ride.
Curtis says he believes stress was the biggest factor in bringing out Tyler’s tics for the first time. Tales of the Arizona desert’s scorpions and spiders and the fear of being on a plane for the first time may have triggered young Tyler.
“We were hearing these noises and couldn’t understand why,” Curtis says. “We started calling doctors and that’s when the journey began.”
Upon returning to Cleveland, Tyler and his parents saw a multitude of neurologists and would eventually receive the diagnosis: Tourette syndrome.
“Like every parent, it’s scary when your child has something,” Tyler’s mother, Danielle Danburg, says.
From then on, Tyler and his family searched for proactive approaches to manage the tics. Lifestyle changes and focusing on holistic wellness proved to be monumental in helping Tyler to lead a normal childhood. For example, after a blood test identified major triggers of his tics, Tyler cut out foods like wheat, dairy and even tomatoes. He also learned to regularly exercise.
Danburg works a women’s volleyball game at the Covelli Center, broadcasting play by play for Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio. (Photo by Logan Wallace)
No diet or exercise regimen helped Tyler as much as getting behind a microphone.
“It’s almost been an escape for me,” Tyler said. “When you throw on the headset, everything goes out the window. It’s just you, your voice, the broadcast, and the canvas that’s in front of you: the game.”
Perhaps that’s because of the confidence that comes from fulfilling a lifelong goal.
Tyler attended his first Major League Baseball game when he was only 5 weeks old. Having grown up in press boxes with his father, he has long known he wanted to become a broadcaster.
For his third Christmas, he was given an ESPN microphone and headset. At the family party that year, Tyler could be found toddling around interviewing everyone.
“Having that exposure early on, you never know if that will open a door to a love of the game,” Curtis says. “Certainly for him, he’s been passionate since day one.”
“He’s always had this passion, he’s always had this dream, and he’s always had this challenge that he didn’t let consume him.”
In fact, the Cleveland native says he was drawn to Ohio State because of the wealth of opportunities for aspiring broadcasters. He immediately got started with Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio and Big Ten Plus, and now calls events on both platforms across 13 sports.
“We not only have the chance to broadcast 36 varsity sports, but the chance to do it from the first day of freshman year,” Tyler says. “I think that’s what compelled me to attend Ohio State the most.”
During his first few weeks on campus, in 2021, he called a women’s soccer game against TCU for Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio. Then, that November, he manned the mic for Big Ten Plus for the first time, calling a women’s volleyball game against Iowa.
Production Manager Marco Fragale of Big Ten Plus has worked alongside Tyler since the student broadcaster’s first semester on campus. Fragale says Tyler’s commitment to the craft wowed him from the start.
“Hearing him for the first time shocked me — in a good way,” Fragale says. “His professionalism blew me away.”
Fragale, who has heard Tyler on the air many times, wasn’t aware of his Tourette syndrome until interviewed for this story. “Knowing that now, listening to the way he talks and the cadence in his voice, I think that’s just a testament to how hard he has worked for this,” Fragale says.
No matter which sport he’s calling, Danburg is happy to be there, such as at this men’s soccer game at the Schumaker Complex. (Photo by Logan Wallace)
Tyler’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. During his first two years at Ohio State, he was named a Second-Team STAA All-American by the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America, which recognizes the nation’s top collegiate sports broadcasters. As a junior, he is serving as vice president for Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio.
“He’s always had this passion, he’s always had this dream, and he’s always had this challenge that he didn’t let consume him,” Curtis says. “He fought through it, and now we’re seeing him live out his dream.”
Tyler’s ultimate goal is to be both a radio broadcaster for a professional sports team and a play-by-play announcer for a national network — a feat that may seem daunting. But he’s putting in the work and grasping every opportunity he can to get there.
What started as a mere ambition for a 6-year-old kid has turned into a successful reality for Tyler. At Ohio State, he has called more than 200 games across 16 different sports — and counting.
And, though his journey hasn’t been an easy one, he is still finding ways to soar.
“If you can rise above and rise against and do what you love, regardless of whatever condition you might have, you just go out and do it,” he says. “Don’t let it prevent you from doing whatever you want to do for the rest of your life.”
