Reality-style competitions have been all the rage in popular culture this millennium.  We’ve even seen them crossover to sports with ESPN’s Dream Job several years ago.  (In fact, the winner Mike Hall is doing quite nicely for himself at Big Ten Network.)

But now AOL is taking the competition to the next level by giving you a chance to become a real-live sportscaster.

The America’s Next Great Sportscaster competition will have tryouts in both New York and Los Angeles on Monday November 17th.

Alex Flanagan of NBC and NFL Network will be co-hosting a live-stream of the audition from Los Angeles, and says she’s excited to play a part in making someone’s sportscasting dream become a reality.

“I’m asked so often, ‘how do I do what you do’ and this is a great opportunity for somebody interested in sports broadcasting to work with a major player in our business and develop a show together.  I wish I had something like this in the business when I was coming up,” Flanagan said.

But if you can’t make it to either coast by then, have no fear, anyone can submit entries online through Monday at Noon. You’ll be able to submit auditions through Vine, Instagram, and Twitter using the hashtag #AOLSportSearch or by submitting a video to AOL.com.  And this truly means anyone.

Even if you’re just a fan with a far-off dream and no formal broadcast experience or training, your audition will be viewed just the same.  (You’ll have the same experience as most of us bloggers!)  In that regard, this is truly like American Idol for sports fans.  If you have a passion and knowledge for sports and a desire to get into sportscasting, this could be your chance.

“That’s what I’m looking for – someone who has untapped potential.  It has to be someone who has passion for sports and knows their stuff,” Flanagan said.  “It’s not for somebody who wants to be an actor or wants to be on TV, it’s somebody who knows sports and can compliment that with a personality.”

“This is a little bit more like a Voice or American Idol where you’re identifying a talent.  You’re not going to be locked into doing SportsCenter, this is cool because it’s pretty open and they want to develop a show around a person and with a person.  There’s so many different directions we can go with this.  It’s a great opportunity,” Flanagan said.

The competition will move quickly.  On Tuesday November 18th, top social media entries will be chosen to compete with the live audition finalists in New York.  The winner will then be crowned on Wednesday November 19th.

As far as advice to potential candidates, Flanagan encourages prospective sportscasters to be themselves.

“Be different.  Show your personality.  And know your sports,” Flanagan said.

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