WNUR’s Tara McManus explains how WNUR Sports has positively affected her Northwestern experience as part of WNUR’s Sportsathon. If you would like to contribute, click here, select “WNUR” under “Give to Other Northwestern Areas,” and thank you for your help.


I grew up in a family that loved football. Every weekend in the fall, as far back as I can remember, was spent sitting on the couch and cheering with my mom and dad. My dad and I talked football whenever we had the chance.

As a result, I knew a bit more about football than most girls, and many guys too. I didn’t want to go away to college and lose the chance to talk about football, especially now that I had two teams to talk about! Stumbling onto WNUR Sports gave me that outlet. I’d never even considered being on the radio before, but it didn’t matter: I was hooked. I’ve gotten to work the sidelines on games and get right in there for all the action. I’ve gotten to go on air and just TALK ABOUT SPORTS (the dream, people) on the SportsVoice. I’ve hosted football pregame shows. And WNUR Sports gives me the chance to talk about other sports when I want to (get back to me after football season and I’ll let you know).

Being able to call myself a part of WNUR Sports will always be one of the highlights of my time at Northwestern. Even if I leave campus and never do anything outside of football on my couch, being a part of a group of so many people who are so passionate about sports, broadcasting, and just about everything in general has been worth every second. This is only possible because of donations from our awesome listeners. Please, please support us and give all us girls and guys a place to do what we love!