David Wasson: the voice of Southwest Florida sports

If you’re craving more Southwest Florida sports than you get here on WINK, a local sports talk radio host has your fix.

Born and raised in the 239, David Wasson is an expert in all things Gulfshore Sports and takes over radio waves every weekday afternoon.

WINK News sports reporter Sylvie Sparks went behind the scenes with Wasson to discover what makes the magic happen in the booth.

There’s not one right way to cover sports in Southwest Florida.

“This market is so unique in that almost everybody is from somewhere else, so being able to put your finger on what to talk about on a daily basis is like stapling jello to the ceiling a lot of times,” said Wasson.

Wasson has been trying to engage the melting pot that is Southwest Florida since January.

“This show came up completely out of the blue, Sylvie. They said, ‘Wow, this is a guy who knows how to speak eloquently on sports, who always has an opinion on everything, we know this person, why not give him a test? Let’s see if he can do this.’,” he explained.

And Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson was born; Wasson’s own radio show after decades in the industry.

Wasson referred to local athletics as the show’s north star, with state and national storylines also a part of the constellation.

And you’ll find him broadcasting live from high school football games on Friday nights.

Wasson said he has always been a sports radio consumer with big ideas of what he would do as a host.

“If I saddled up to a bar here in town and ordered some wings and struck up a conversation with you, that would be the same conversation that we might end up having on that day. That, to me, was good sports talk radio,” he said.

That’s his goal every day when that on-air light turns red.

Wasson said, “I love talking to people. I love having people call me and tell me I’m wrong. I love having people call me and tell me their opinions.”

That’s what gets him out of bed in the morning.

“There are a lot more people out there who do a lot more important work than I do. Part of the reason why I think they’re able to focus on their job is that they have the distraction of people like me,” he explained.

WINK News sports reporters Sylvie Sparks and Zach Oliveri join the show every Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. to talk about local athletics with David.

Gulfshore Sports, with David Wasson, broadcasts live from the Fort Myers Broadcasting Center every weekday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on 94.1, 103.3 and 105.9.