Chris Callahan had an idea 10 years ago.

Callahan, the founding dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, often talked to high school students who were thinking of enrolling at ASU and in those conversations came to realize how important sports were in their lives.

What if, Callahan thought, ASU could give those potential students the experience of covering professional sports? And what better venue than the Cactus League? Callahan called Marty Kaiser, then the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and asked if the newspaper might be interested in having Cronkite students provide supplemental Milwaukee Brewers coverage to augment what its beat writer was doing.

Kaiser, a “sports guy through and through,” Callahan said, immediately saw the benefits of Callahan’s pitch. More coverage — stories, videos, photographs — for Brewers fans and at no cost.

“That’s how it kind of all launched,” Callahan said.

From the seed of an idea, a field has grown. The Cronkite school and, in particular, its Phoenix Sports Bureau offers students an immersive learning experience that is unlike most universities across the country. Paola Boivin, professor of practice and digital director at Cronkite’s Phoenix Sports Bureau, believes ASU is the only university in the country to offer an undergraduate and master’s degree in sports journalism. (Note: Boivin’s husband, Jay Dieffenbach, is managing editor of The Athletic Arizona.)

The Cronkite faculty list reads like a who’s who of journalism. It includes five Pulitzer Prize winners, among them Leonard Downie Jr., who helped supervise the Washington Post’s coverage of Watergate; Walter Robinson, who led the Boston Globe’s coverage investigation into cases of child sex abuse by priests in the Boston area, as seen in the movie “Spotlight;” and Jacquee Petchel, a longtime investigative reporter and editor for several newspapers.

There are also Emmy winners, RFK Journalism Award winners, former top editors from the New York Times, CNN, CBS News … well, you get the point.

But it’s what the Phoenix Sports Bureau is doing that is truly unique. Brett Kurland, director of sports programs and the Sports Bureau, likes to use the phrase “teaching hospital.”

Here’s the simple explanation: The Valley is one of only 13 markets in the country with all four professional major sports teams. It plays host to Super Bowls, NCAA football championships and Final Fours. Throw in NASCAR races, the Waste Management Phoenix Open, an LPGA event and, of course, Arizona State and the Cactus League, and there’s no better place for a sports journalism student to get real-life experience.

The Phoenix Sports Bureau provides that for them.

Kurland was hired in October 2014 and, by January 2015, when the bureau was launched, many pro sports teams in town had agreed to provide credentials for Phoenix Sports Bureau students to cover games and practices.

No longer would students sit in a classroom, dreaming of covering pro sports one day. They were doing just that.

“That’s why I don’t often use the word ‘students,’” Kurland said. “It’s a working newsroom with us. They are reporters and we are editors.”

The opportunities were immediate and seemingly endless. When Super Bowl XLIX was held at State Farm Stadium in 2015, Cronkite students produced more than 100 stories. They provided social media content for the NCAA during the 2017 Final Four and, Kurland said, the NCAA was so impressed it hired two of the students to produce content for the past two Final Fours.

Students have gone to Louisville to cover Muhammad Ali’s funeral and to Springfield, Mass., for the induction of former Phoenix Suns Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Jason Kidd into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They’ve done stories on horse racing deaths at Turf Paradise and basketball on the Navajo Reservation.

Cronkite’s study abroad programs provided for 19 students to cover the London Olympics in 2012, and 25 will cover the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2020. Twelve students traveled to Scotland for the 2018 Open Championship (better known as the British Open), covered the tournament and produced content on the role of golf in Scottish culture.

“We like to think we are at the leading edge of this evolution in journalism,” Kurland said.

Sometimes, real-world experience comes to the students, too. Gary Thorne, once the lead announcer for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage and now the lead voice for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which covers the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles, taught a play-by-play class remotely this summer.

“We covered a good deal of ground, both in the context of play-by-play, doing pre- and postgame shows, interviews, then dealing with some the issues in the business,” Thorne said. “The effect of streaming, what to do on a broadcast that’s paid by the owner of a team, how that affects your independence, do you stay neutral? How gambling is probably going to become part of broadcasts.

“It was amazing. I came down for a visit and was astounded. They’re running a real newsroom.”

Fabian Ardaya, left, at the Final Four. Courtesy Arizona State/Cronkite School.

The “teaching hospital” has had a two-pronged impact on students. First, as journalism outlets cut staff because of a plunge in revenue, they’re looking for free content, which Cronkite provides. Kurland said students have provided coverage for, among others, Baseball America, MLB.com, Sports Illustrated, the Arizona Republic, the Denver Post, Kansas City Star, San Diego Tribune and the Bay Area News Group.

“The reality is we hate to see the position journalism is in right now,” Boivin said. “We’re happy to sort of provide content to smaller papers in the state or even bigger ones that need help, or television stations that can send only one person to cover an event. It’s not our ideal of how journalism works, but until that’s sorted out we’re happy to help.”

In turn, that exposure for Cronkite’s students helps them find jobs upon graduation. Chris Fiscus, director of communications for the Cronkite School, said almost three-quarters of graduates who completed an on-campus degree from 2013-18 are working in media or communications positions.

Fabian Ardaya was one of those graduates. While a student at Cronkite, he covered spring training for two years, the Final Four and landed an internship with MLB.com. Upon graduating, he got a job covering the Los Angeles Angels for The Athletic.

“It was huge just to have all that work you could show off to different employers,” said Ardaya, who graduated in 2017. “It allowed me to have that real-world experience I could point to when I was trying to find a job where other people didn’t have that kind of experience.”

Kurland said recent Cronkite graduates have been hired by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, MLB.com, the NFL Network, the Bergen (N.J.) Record, the Golden State Warriors, NBC Sports, etc. etc.

“We wind up getting a lot of calls from people who tell us, ‘We like who we’re getting from you. Send us more,’” Kurland said. “It’s almost like they get their first job under the guidance of professionals like us, so when they’re looking for a job after they graduate, in some ways, it’s like their second job. We have students coming out and getting jobs at, I think, a much higher level than certainly I could have gotten when I was coming out.”

All because Callahan had an idea 10 years ago.

Coyotes rankled by hiring of new sports-talk host

The Coyotes, who recently announced their games will be broadcast on Fox Sports 910, are upset that the station and its parent company, iHeartRadio, hired Dan Sileo, whose show will debut Tuesday from 4-7 p.m.

Sileo was fired three times by Florida radio stations in a 20-month span from 2012-13 for racist and/or sexist comments on air or on his personal Twitter account. He referred to three black NFL players as monkeys, said of Fox broadcaster Erin Andrews, “bake me a cake,” and “love Erin either naked or in a porn … not at a sports desk,” and made a joke in which he said, “Hey, one thing I’m very proud of, I saved every nickel I had. That must be the half-Hebrew in me.”

A source said the Coyotes will not allow any of their players or coaches to appear on Sileo’s show for the foreseeable future. In addition, the team released a statement to The Athletic:

“When we became aware that Fox Sports 910 had hired Dan Sileo, we immediately reached out to the station’s management to express our deep concern regarding Mr. Sileo’s abhorrent comments. Our promotion of inclusivity is deeply rooted into the fabric of who we are as an organization and we have no tolerance for racism, sexism, anti-Semitism or any other discriminatory behavior.”

The Athletic reached out to Fox Sports 910 on Thursday, and, in an e-mail response, program director Aaron Trimmer said: “I got your request. I will be back in touch.”

As of Monday evening, there had been no further response.

Shazam, Al McCoy is back

Al McCoy had a pretty simple explanation for why, at the age of 86, he decided to return for his 48th season as the Suns’ radio play-by-play voice.

“If I didn’t have the games I would be sitting at home watching TV a lot,” McCoy said. “I kind of like some of the moves they made, some of the players they added so I thought, ‘What the heck, I’ve got to do something.’

“As long as I feel I can adequately do the job … I’ve been fortunate. I still have my faculties, I can still talk, my voice is still strong, and I still love the game so why not?”

McCoy said the Suns have given him the option of not doing some road games this season but that he hasn’t decided if he’ll take the organization up on its offer.

“I’m just going to see how it goes,” he said.

Local media rates NFL broadcast teams

With the NFL regular season upon us, The Athletic asked local media members for their favorite and least favorite national broadcast teams.

Dave Burns, co-host of Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM

Favorite: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, NBC: I know, I know. Collinsworth’s comments about the Cardinals being the worst team to ever make the playoffs is like a tattoo local fans have been trying to have removed for years. Some still hold it against him. But their chemistry is top-notch and they handle the big moments better than any broadcast team in the league. A sneaky second: Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis on Fox.

Least Favorite: Sam Rosen and Ronde Barber, Fox: When they’re assigned to a Cardinals game you know it’s only a matter of time before Barber gets a name wrong.

Tim Ring, Channel 15

Favorite: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, CBS: I gave strong consideration to Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth here but at the end of the day I really enjoy the fresh perspective and unorthodox style Tony Romo has brought to the booth. Romo’s been an acquired taste for sure but he’s prepared, knowledgeable and isn’t afraid to criticize when needed. His predicting of plays beforehand and breakdown of plays afterward are both informative and entertaining. Jim Nantz has been at the top of his profession for 30 years for a reason, and Tracy Wolfson gets a thumbs up from me — just because she’s had to deal with Nick Saban all those college Saturdays.

Least favorite: Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber, Fox: Sorry Kenny, it’s not you, it’s me – and Ronde. Kenny Albert is a pro and is perfectly fine in the play-by-play chair every Sunday. Being a Cardinal follower, though, I’ve had a strong dose of Barber over the past few years and the mistakes are tough to ignore. Too often it sounds like he just rolls into the booth and starts talking. For example, how many times is he still going to call Larry Fitzgerald, “Larry Johnson”? Moments like those pop up far too often when Barber is calling a game. To be fair, I really don’t “dislike” any NFL announcing teams but if you’re asking for a least favorite, Ronde Barber’s mistake-filled broadcasts give his broadcast team the nod.

Jude LaCava, Channel 10

Favorite: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, CBS: There is no doubt when Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are doing NFL games they just might be the best combo going when it comes to insight, understanding and even predicting plays. Romostradamus has an uncanny knack of seeing plays before they happen. If you want intelligence and a great feel for what teams are strategically attempting to do then you want Tony Romo. But CBS doesn’t come close to the production part of the broadcast that Fox does consistently well. (OK, so I am a little bit biased.)

Least favorite: Don Criqui, Al DeRogatis, NBC: I really enjoyed the old AFL days but certainly a lot o progress has been made when it comes to insight, observation and entertainment value in the NFL broadcast booth (pardon the old school reference).

(Top photo of the ASU band at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale: Focus on Sport / Getty Images)