Found: Why Jason Benetti loves radio

By Benjamin Burrows

When behind the microphone, the play-by-play announcer for the Syracuse Chiefs says he starts with a blank canvas and carefully paints a picture for his listeners. Jason Benetti does so in his signature calm and confident voice.

But what Benetti says truly makes him a fit for radio is that he has cerebral palsy.

Benetti, who walks with a limp, says it was the reason he chose radio.

“What I think is interesting is I didn’t realize it at the time,” Benetti said. “But anybody looking back would say, ‘Of course you did that. Nobody sees you on radio, so you pick the thing where nobody sees you.’”

Benetti says he doesn’t notice it anymore — except when other people notice it.

“What’s funny is, it’s not really that big of a part of my life,” he said. “I don’t even notice how I walk. I’m walking, and I notice people’s reactions to me, but unless there’s a full-length mirror at my side, I don’t even really notice how I’m walking.”

The combination of cerebral palsy and skill as a broadcaster has made Benetti a talent that has drawn interest from publications such as The Syracuse Post-Standard and The Washington Post.

The exposure doesn’t get old to Benetti, though, as he says he understands that people will show an interest in him.

“My friends think it’s hilarious, because they don’t see it anymore,” he said. “But that’s life for me. People that know me don’t see it. People that don’t, do — at first. But that’s fine. I can’t have met everyone in the world so it’s going to be new to someone. And if it’s new, I’d rather explain it. So, no, it doesn’t get old at all.”