Tell Me More: A Talk With Jim Swanson

Jim Swanson is one of the owners and the familiar face behind the West Coast League’s Victoria HarbourCats and Nanaimo NightOwls, two of Vancouver Island’s premier summer collegiate baseball teams. The West Coast League brings together high-level NCAA Division I and Division II players from across North America, giving fans an opportunity to watch talented collegiate players as they continue developing toward professional baseball. Each year, players from Jim’s teams move on through the MLB Draft and into professional baseball. In this episode, Jim talks about the winding path that brought him to where he is today. From hockey and journalism to sports broadcasting, working as an MLB scout for the Detroit Tigers, and eventually helping build two Vancouver Island’s baseball organisations. Over the years, Jim has crossed paths and worked with some of the biggest names in baseball. He shares some great behind-the-scenes stories and talks about the people, experiences and opportunities that shaped his career. But this conversation goes well beyond baseball. Bryson and Jim talk about politics, parenting, raising kids, community, sport and some of the issues facing our communities today. Jim has spent much of his life around sports, media and people. This is a chance to hear some of the stories behind the public face of the HarbourCats and NightOwls and to get to know the person behind it.