For the New England Patriots team, the road to the Super Bowl began in training camp. However, for Patriots radio play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci, his road began many years ago.

“As long as I can remember, this is what I wanted to do,” Socci said.

I met Socci about eight years ago at a 98.5 the Sports Hub event. Ever since then, he has been an amazing mentor to me for my aspiring broadcast career. Socci understands the impact mentors can have.

“A big part of [being successful in this business] is reaching out to people you respect and admire, and getting as much constructive criticism as you can,” Socci said.

As he began his broadcasting path through Minor League Baseball, Socci received a lot of feedback, and much of it was overwhelmingly positive. He was told that he belonged in the Major Leagues, and this was something that stuck with him. He found himself thinking back to these comments when he listened to MLB games. However, in his early years, this ultimately served as a distraction rather than as a source of motivation. Another piece of advice he received helped him make a mental shift that he feels was critical to his success.

“If you start thinking about where you’re not and where you want to be, and it distracts you from where you are and enjoying where you are, then you’re doing a disservice to yourself and it results in diminishing returns,” Socci said, reflecting on parts of his own journey. “When it comes to how you handle disappointment, there is a way it can ultimately come back and help you, just as there’s a way that it can come back and haunt you.”

His rise through the sports broadcasting industry went hand in hand with improving himself and overcoming his early career mindset. Over time, he continued to gain experience in Minor League Baseball and eventually earned opportunities in other sports.

“Once I got into college football, and I started to gain experience and eventually get close to where I am today, I put a lot of these regrets behind me,” Socci added.

In 2013, Socci was hired into his current role as the voice of the New England Patriots on 98.5 the Sports Hub. The stars aligned for both Socci’s broadcast career and the Patriots team over the course of the mid 2010’s. During Socci’s first six seasons as the play-by-play broadcaster, he covered four Patriots Super Bowls, three of which the Patriots won.

This year’s Super Bowl came as a bit of a surprise for everyone. It wasn’t until late in the season that Socci strongly believed the Patriots could have a deep playoff run.

“Toward the middle of the season, there was a sense that the way the season was going for the Patriots, they were headed most likely to a playoff berth, and I think looking at the landscape in the AFC, there was a realization that it was pretty wide open,” Socci said. “It was obvious pretty early that the Chiefs were not as good as they’ve been, and we saw firsthand in week five that the Bills were not unbeatable. But it really wasn’t until the final fourth of the season, for me anyway, that there was a real conviction that this team is not just a pleasant surprise, but they might be complete enough to have as good a shot as anybody. Back in August, and certainly after week three, I never foresaw this.”

When it comes to Socci’s Super Bowl game preparation, it’s really no different than preparing for any other game. However, the biggest differences stem from the additional time between games and increased availability of players and coaches to the media in the leadup to the Super Bowl. 

While there is an additional week between the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl, the on-site media availability throughout the week leading up to the game motivates Socci to get the bulk of his spotting boards and research out of the way during the first of those two weeks. Essentially, Socci treats the first week like any other game week, leaving time for himself to take full advantage of the increased media availability and truly enjoy his time in the Super Bowl host city (Santa Clara this year). Come gameday, there are also additional challenges that present themselves due to the vast amount of media that cover the game.

“Super Bowl Sunday is a long day,” Socci stated. “You have to be there early because of security and the game takes longer because of the halftime show; there’s a lot of things to get acclimated to. There are tons of people in the stadium including in your broadcast booth and on the sidelines, because there’s so much activity.”

Nonetheless, with a few years to reflect on his previous Super Bowl experiences, Socci is heading into this year’s big game calm and collected.

“It all comes down to the same nuts and bolts,” Socci said. “It’s still 4 downs for 10 yards, it’s still 15 minutes in a quarter; those things don’t change. Your job is still to call the play and try to stay on top of all the details the best you can. Over the course of time, you go into it still excited and still appreciating it, but at the same time not making it more than it is.”

While Socci refrained from making an official prediction, he does feel that both teams have a very fair chance to win this game, so long as they play clean football.

“I’m confident that it’s going to be a great game, and I’m confident that they can win the Super Bowl, but I’m also confident that Seattle could win,” Socci said. “I don’t predict games, but if you’re asking me who’s going to win, I would say it will be the team that makes the fewest mistakes.”

In terms of what happens on the field, everyone has to wait until Sunday evening. However, given the preparation Socci’s putting in and his experience on big stages like this one, Socci is ready to have an excellent broadcast, regardless of the game outcome. He is proud to be here and grateful for every step of the journey.