When Sam Panayotovich ’07 packed his car and drove from Chicago to Las Vegas in 2018, he wasn’t chasing a guarantee. He was betting on himself.
“I decided to, I guess, gamble. No pun intended,” he says.
Today, Panayotovich is a betting analyst for FOX Sports. He appears weekly on the FOX Sports show “Bear Bets,” and also writes weekly betting analysis for a national audience. But his path from Mount Carmel to national sports media wasn’t carefully mapped out. It was built on repetition, timing, and a willingness to bet on himself before sports betting became mainstream.
Before he became known for betting analysis, Panayotovich followed a traditional sports media route. He had an internet radio talk show from his parents’ basement while attending MC. After attending the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and graduating from Columbia College in Chicago, he also covered the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, White Sox, and Blackhawks for WGN Radio and called UIC basketball and baseball games.
His long-term goal was simple: host his own show on a major outlet. But that opportunity wasn’t going to come from the Windy City.
“I wasn’t getting that opportunity in Chicago because I was too young,” he says. At 26 years old, he was told he needed more experience to stay in Chicago.
But the sports world was changing, and he was ready to change with it. All of a sudden, the PASPA law, which blocked sports betting in most states, was overturned. When a Las Vegas-based network came calling, Panayotovich answered on the first ring. They offered him a full-time sports betting radio show, but there was a catch: he had to move to Vegas.
Three months later, sports betting began its rapid expansion across the USA.
“We went from one state to ten states in my first year,” he says.
Today, sports betting is legal in 40 states. Sam’s risk paid off.
“I kind of went from a degenerate to an expert overnight,” he jokes.
From Vegas, he moved to Boston for a television role at New England Sports Network and eventually joined FOX Sports.
Before the national platform and the television appearances, there were long days for little pay. Panayotovich called UIC basketball games for $100 and baseball games for $50. He was working multiple jobs on top of UIC just to stay in the industry.
“I just really wanted to be on the air,” he says.
The early grind taught him lessons that he still uses today. One of the biggest came from working as a weekend radio anchor delivering one-minute sports updates every half hour.
“You only got a minute,” he explains. In sixty seconds, he had to give scores, key performances, and headlines. His ability to be concise with words defines his betting analysis, where information moves quickly, and clarity is key. While many of his college friends left sports media within two years, Panaytovich stayed. “I was never going to quit,” he says.
Panayotovich credits MC with shaping his confidence and work ethic. He arrived knowing only a few classmates and left with friendships he still holds.
“You go there not knowing anybody, but you leave knowing hundreds.”
He remembers packed car rides to school, waiting in the Alumni Gym for freshman basketball practice, and messing around with his friends all day. That experience of stepping into a new environment at 14 years old helped prepare him for bigger transitions later, like transferring colleges and relocating to Las Vegas. He also believes high school is a time that students shouldn’t take for granted.
“Enjoy being a kid,” he says. “Once you walk out that door at graduation, you are an adult.”
Years into his career, Panayotovich returned to the classroom, this time as an instructor at the Illinois Media School. At just 28 years old, he was teaching play-by-play broadcasting and helping students call live games. “I enjoyed seeing the growth,” he says.
Watching students improve over a semester reminded him of his own early days. To him, effort and consistency matter more than natural ability, a lesson he learned through years of jobs, and he was able to teach kids about that in just a semester.
Panayotovich says if he could give himself advice as a senior at MC, it’d be simple. “If you know you want something, just go for it.”
He originally enrolled in college as an undeclared business major at the University of Illinois before transferring to Columbia College Chicago to pursue a career in broadcasting. But looking back on it, he wishes he started with sports from the jump. At the same time, he stresses the need for balance. High school is about friendships, experiences, and growth. Not just resumes.
More than ten years into his career, he believes his experiences are ones that few people can truly claim. “Since walking into Columbia in 2009, I’ve never worked a day in my life because I love what I do.”
Sam Panayotovich’s journey from MC to FOX Sports wasn’t built on guarantees. It was built on grinding, timing, and one major leap of faith. Before sports betting became a billion-dollar industry, he planted himself at the center of it. Before national television, there were small paychecks and early morning shifts.
And before Vegas, there was a kid at Carmel who loved sports and radio. His story proves that sometimes the biggest opportunities come from taking a chance, even when you don’t know the outcome.
And sometimes, the smartest bet you can make is on yourself.
