Senior Joey Bonadonna visited Journalism I for a feature interview.  Here are two stories by two outstanding freshman writers about NDA’s sports whiz.

Joey Bonadonna, a Notre Dame Academy senior, is well on his way to his goal: becoming one of the prominent names in sports broadcasting.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Bonadonna provided commentary for the many NDA families who could not attend their children’s sporting events in person.

Bonadonna worked diligently at every sports game to build a sense of community during a time of isolation.

“[He] really connected the whole school,” reflected faculty member Carolyn Brown.

Bonadonna’s program Joey’s Sports Corner airs every week on the Notre Dame Academy Morning Show, and his love for sports broadcasting has presented him with extraordinary opportunities. 

So far, Bonadonna has earned a job at the Green Bay Blizzards and become one of the youngest play-by-play commentators in professional sports history. 

“My dream is to one day work for an NFL team,” Bonadonna shared.

And his efforts have already earned him a job at the Green Bay Packers, where he works in the Sports Box.  

Bonadonna has also had the opportunity to interview the eminent sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan, whom he cites as a source of inspiration as a graduate of Premontre, for the Triton Sports Network

Bonadonna looks forward to his future in sports journalism and hopes to attend UW-Madison next fall, where he plans on writing sports for one of the university’s acclaimed student newspapers.

                                                                                                           –Cassandra Garrison

Joey Bonadonna is the voice of Notre Dame Academy athletics, and the glue that keeps the sports program live and well. 

Bonadonna, senior at NDA, is the manager of varsity football and basketball, serves as the sports editor for the Tritonian, and is deeply involved with broadcasting NDA sports to the public. He has a segment on the NDA Morning Show called ‘Joey’s Sports Corner.’ He also attends practically every sporting event on campus and is in charge of updating the social media accounts. 

Bonadonna is a commentator for the Green Bay Blizzards and is the youngest professional sports commentator in history. 

Bonadonna also works at the Green Bay Booyah and just started working for the Green Bay Packers. 

“It’s kind of cool working for the team you grew up rooting for,” said Bonadonna. And although he has such a passion for sports, he said that he, himself, was never one meant for playing. 

“I love sports, but I’m just not athletic. I’ve tried every sport. Any sport I tried playing did not work out for me,” said the senior.

Bonadonna has many exciting career aspirations ahead of him, too. His dream is to one day work for the NFL as a commentator, preferably the Green Bay Packers. He hopes to attend University of Wisconsin-Madison’s journalism program next year and get involved with sports there. 

“It’s always been my plan to go to college and work in college sports casting. I always knew that I wanted to go into journalism school,” said Bonadonna. 

A more recent career aspiration he’s had since turning 18 is traveling with the Green Bay Blizzards more, saying it’s much easier now to attend out-of-state games. 

Bonadonna is to thank for keeping us all updated on NDA sports during the pandemic. He single handedly spearheaded the livestream broadcasting for sports events, so that parents and fans were still able to watch their kids play. 

–Frannie Wied