Dan Shulman
The calm, authoritative voice that has narrated some of baseball's biggest moments for a generation of North American fans.
Born 1967 (age 59)·Canadian sportscaster·Birthday: February 9·Generation X
Biography
Dan Shulman’s voice is a fixture of the North American sports soundtrack, a steady and insightful presence that bridges the border between Canada and the United States. The Toronto native’s career began on local radio, but his deep knowledge and effortless delivery quickly made him a national treasure in Canada for his Blue Jays coverage. His big break into the American consciousness came with ESPN, where he became the network's lead baseball play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Baseball, calling World Series games and perfect games with equal parts clarity and quiet excitement. Shulman possesses a rare dual citizenship in sports broadcasting, maintaining his role as the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays for Sportsnet while also being the go-to narrator for ESPN's marquee basketball coverage, including NCAA Final Fours. He earns respect not with hyperbolic calls, but with preparation, precision, and an unmistakable sincerity.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Dan was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Dan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the lead play-by-play announcer for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, the network's flagship MLB broadcast.
- Has been the primary television voice for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet since 2016.
- Called multiple NCAA Men's Basketball Final Fours and championship games for ESPN Radio and television.
- Won the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence in 2024.
Did You Know?
He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, where he studied actuarial science.
Shulman called the perfect game pitched by the New York Yankees' David Cone in 1999.
He initially pursued a career as an actuary before switching to broadcasting.
“The best broadcast is when you set the scene and then get out of the way.”
