If you're reading this, you probably have a group of friends you talk sports with all day long. Being in such a passionate sports town with a deep, rich history is a blessing - but as you watch sports on a national stage from different parts of the country, you probably wonder what that environment would be like? Would it measure up to Citizens Bank Park in October, or Lincoln Financial Field in January?
You may have even planned a sports trip or two with your friends or family. The one question that always comes up when planning these trips - where should we go, and what else should we do while we are there?
That's what four best friends from the Philadelphia area are on a mission to uncover. Rob Czyzewicz, Dan Koob, Rudy Mezzy, and Patrick Rosenbaum - all Temple University alumni - are the core crew at SportsTown, a travel show centered around sports. Not only will you see sports across the country in a different light, but you will also learn what the towns surrounding the teams outside the Philly area have to offer - from traditions, history, and even the little intricacies that make each region unique.
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SportsTown finally came to life earlier this year. The idea, however, is over a decade old - birthed in the television studios at Temple University. As reporters and producers for Temple Update and OwlSports Update on TUTV, Temple's student-run television station, the four friends had opportunities to travel and cover Temple sports in some of the biggest college towns in America. Mezzy, a producer on the show, was a reporter in Grand Island, Nebraska and did extensive production work for the Little League World Series. Koob, the host of SportsTown, worked in Nebraska, Green Bay, Louisville, New York, and Philadelphia as a reporter.
Both of them spoke about how much history and excitement lived in the towns they worked - both big and small. Eventually, they found their way back to Philadelphia where Czyzewicz and Rosenbaum's production company, 20/20 Visual Media, has lived since its inception.
Once reunited, that passion for the dream that was never burned brightly once again. Philly Sports Network spoke with the show's host about the journey that turned their passion project into a reality:
"The origins of SportsTown go back to like 2010 with the guys," Koob explained. "Rudy, Patrick, and Rob had decided back then, 'let's try this idea, ' and they shot the pilot in Tuscaloosa in a very different media environment. Unfortunately, while the show was great, it didn't really go anywhere; nothing really happened with it.
"So fast forward to late 2023. I had been talking to the guys for years about trying to restart this idea, but at that point, everybody was in their 30s, people have jobs, people have responsibilities, and unfortunately - I was laid off from a job and had some free time. I went to the guys and I said: 'hey, like, you guys know I'm really passionate about the SportsTown concept. I know you guys would shoot it really well and I would host it really well. So if I could get a town and a team on board, would you guys shoot it with me? And to their credit, they said yes."
Through connections made at a previous job, the first team on board was the Kentucky Wildcats. The crew packed up their gear and headed from PA to KY with one question in mind—is Lexington the BEST sports town? A crew of only four friends from Philly stepped out of their element, and the result was stunning—a Netflix-quality look into one of the most historic college basketball programs and the environment surrounding the university.
Their goal was not to be a stodgy travel show, and the quality produced by the creative minds behind 20/20 Visual Media was a big selling point when the friends reached out to get this journey started. Koob hopes that the friendship is a selling point for viewers.
"It's authentic. We legitimately are four friends who like traveling the country and making a show. We literally enjoy the act of producing television. That's what the four of us know. We're all in production, who just happen to love sports and be friends."
In episode 1, the camaraderie jumps through the screen, showing the entire crew at various times. They aren't afraid to keep things loose. Heck, a teaser for the first episode shows Dan Koob being bitten by a horse!
https://twitter.com/SportsTownShow/status/1889791082927440066
This is truly a skeleton crew, pouring their own money, time, and effort into making something they love - while having other jobs and responsibilities - and bringing a unique view of the sports landscape to viewers everywhere. Knowing how much work goes into it gives you another level of appreciation for the show.
"The pre-production process is different for every place, but probably like 6-to-8 weeks, and each locale carries their own separate complexities that we just try to work through as best we can," Koob told me. He expanded: "Part of the secret sauce of the show is, we really try to work hand in hand with people on the ground in the cities. We don't have money or time for scouting, like a traditional production might. So we really try to work hard with people who live there to get honest recommendations."
SportsTown goes Bananas!
The newest episode debuts tonight, and these former Owls are going Bananas! SportsTown went down to Georgia and partnered with the Savannah Bananas on a great episode. Koob told me the team was on board almost immediately and told them, "You can do anything besides play in the game." Czyzewicz and Mezzy both expressed to me their excitement about how different this episode is and how it will show that every episode will be truly unique.
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For this episode, a crew of about five guys traveled to Savannah, with the host driving over 500 pounds of equipment down in his truck.
"We have 4 or 5 cameras, tripods, dollies, microphones, boom mics, light stands, light kits... I mean, there's just like a lot of stuff that we haul around. It's a full-scale production, it's just not a full-scale staff."
From tricks in the field to song-and-dance numbers and everything in between, if you've heard of the Bananas, Koob tried it all alongside them. You will get an authentic behind-the-scenes look at the phenomenon of the Savannah Bananas through the SportsTown lens. That means going beyond the ballpark.
I won't give too much away, but they dive into the deep history that Savannah has to offer. From food to simple southern confections, and even something spooky, the friend group that started it all back at Temple, dives into the heat to bring you a look at a town you might have never dreamt of going to, with access to the Bananas that you haven't seen before.
Where will SportsTown go next?
I'm sure you're wondering when four guys from Philadelphia are doing a Philly-centric episode. Well, the wait won't be long. They recorded social media content during the Eagles' Super Bowl parade, and followed up by securing a partnership with one of the biggest teams in the city.
While you'll have to watch tonight's episode on YouTube to get more information via a teaser at the end, let's just say that SportsTown will be painted red just in time for October. Make sure you check out the latest edition on Friday to support four friends from Philly, just like you, on the journey of a lifetime - one sports city at a time.
