It started out with a GoPro on the backstop to improve his game.
Today, baseball fans from across the world tune in and watch his livestreams. But becoming baseball broadcaster was never part of the plan.
John Reimers never set out to be in the live streaming game.
He was content watching his favourite video games play out online. In fact, if you ask how it all started, the answer is surprisingly simple if not a little cheeky.
“It’s my wife’s fault!” he jokes.
There was no grand plan to invest in equipment, no career mapped out to enter sports media, and certainly no intention of becoming the person to bring baseball to the world.
Instead, it started with the kids trying out a new sport. As many parents do, Reimers turned from passionate sideline supporter at his kids t-ball games to coach.
Reimers real passion was for golf, with a guilty pastime watching video games livestreams on Twitch and Youtube.
“I wanted the kids to play golf,” he admits.
“It was my sport of choice at the time.”
Baseball, however, quickly became a much bigger part of family life as the community at Surfers Paradise Baseball Club welcomed them in with open arms.
“I was ‘coaching’ my kids’ team in a sport I hardly knew how to play,” he said.
What began as a way to support his children soon introduced him to a community that would change the direction of his sporting life.
With a little encouragement from the people he met along the way, he became increasingly involved with the club, eventually deciding to step out onto the diamond himself.
“I was eventually convinced to give baseball a go myself, and I was instantly hooked.”
A few seasons into playing, he wanted to find a way to improve.
Enter the era of the GoPro.
Like many a baseballer, Reimers started recording his games.
He would watch them back, analyse what he was doing and better understand the game. His first set up was about as simple as it gets, a single camera on the backstop.
But if sitting through a seven innings game isn’t long enough the first time, sitting through it again led to hours of extra work long after the final out.
“I’d have to go through the footage, edit everything together and then spend many hours uploading it, sometimes overnight.”
There had to be a better way.
Where two unlikely worlds collide, the influence of watching video games proved to have the answer.
“Being able to broadcast the games live meant I could take away all that post production and uploading time,” he says.
What he didn’t realise was just how deep a rabbit hole he had just created. Soon, recording a baseball game wasn’t simply a matter of putting a camera behind home plate.
He began researching cameras, streaming technology, connectivity, and production techniques, constantly looking for ways to make the broadcasts better.
That eventually led him to Sydney-based live-streaming professional Matt Jeavons.
“I came across a very knowledgeable guy from Sydney, Matt Jeavons, who runs a live-streaming business and has filmed a lot of baseball broadcasts.”
After seeing Jeavons ask on Facebook whether anyone was interested in baseball live-streaming, he reached out.
“He was a massive help in teaching me the ropes and showing me what was possible with live-streaming.”
From there, the setup evolved. Year after year, new equipment was added, technology improved and the production has become more sophisitcated.
But the most important lesson he learned wasn’t about expensive cameras or complicated equipment. “You really don’t need all the fancy equipment to get started.”
His advice to clubs, parents and baseball enthusiasts who might be considering live-streaming their own games is straight forward.
“You can literally start with a phone, a battery pack and a way to clip your phone to the fence and you can livestream a game.”
Of course, making it look professional is another matter.
For Reimers, the pursuit of better production has become part of the fun – and occasionally the frustration.
“Technology is advancing so quickly that it’s amazing to see how far live-streaming has come and how accessible it has become.”
The learning curve has also come with its fair share of disasters.
“There have been livestream crashes, lagging, buffering and plenty of moments where I’ve wanted to throw the equipment in the bin!” he admits.
Yet despite the setbacks, he has never been willing to lower his standards.
“I’ve always set the bar VERY high for the quality I want to provide.”
That standard isn’t about the equipment for equipment’s sake. It is about the people watching.
“Whether someone is watching from the other side of the world or sitting at home unable to make it to the ballpark, I want them to have the best viewing experience I can possibly give them.”
And people are watching.
What began as a way to record his own games has grown into a broadcast that reaches far beyond the local Surfers baseball community.
“I’m blown away by how many people look forward to tuning in to watch my livestreams,” he says.
“From France to America and people from nearly everywhere in-between have tuned in.”
That international audience is perhaps the most unexpected part of the journey.
A local baseball game, played at a local ballpark, can now be watched by someone thousands of kilometres away. Family members who can’t attend can still follow the action.
Supporters can watch from home. And people who may never have visited the ballpark can experience the atmosphere of the game.
For the person behind the camera, that’s where the real reward lies.
“It combines baseball, technology, creativity and being part of the club and its community that brings people together.”
What started as a practical solution to save time has turned into a genuine passion.
“If I could make a living doing live-streaming and spend my days around sport, cameras and technology, I’d be a very happy man.”
For now, he continues to learn, experiment and find new ways to bring baseball to audiences wherever they may be and wants the rest of the baseball community to join him. https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CS4pN1BoG/
Reimers is the driving force behind Baseball Queensland’s latest community of practice. A media community designed to knowledge share, support and grow coverage of baseball across our state.
While he may have entered the sport thanks to his wife signing the kids up for t-ball, what began as an unexpected detour has become something much more meaningful.
One GoPro became a livestream.
A livestream became a global audience.
And somewhere along the line, a reluctant baseball dad became a passionate baseball broadcaster.
“That’s my dream,” he says. “And I’m slowly working towards it.”
Oh – and don’t forget to subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/@spbctv