Jarom and Banksy: The voices of new W Nation

Salt Lake City — In any professional sports league, there is more to a team than just matches on the field or practices off the pitch. Every team needs their own distinct voice. Jarom Jordan and Jared “Banksy” Danielson are that voice for the Utah Warriors organization and have shaped the way that fans interact with Major League Rugby in Utah.

Most Warriors fans know the duo from their banter on the community podcast formerly known as “Warriors Cast”, or their lively play calls during the season. However, their connection to the Utah Rugby community runs deeper than the screen.

Jarom Jordan is bringing his talents from 14 years as a sideline reporter, host and producer for BYUTv, as well as a more personal connection to the Warriors and the Utah rugby community. 

“I got to know rugby by living with roommates at Brigham Young University,” Jordan said. “Warriors assistant coach Shaun Davies was one of them, [and] they taught me the game before I called a couple of matches [for BYU rugby] in 2009 and 2010. I called the first live college rugby game on national TV in the United States in 2009 between BYU and Utah State.”

So, when Major League Rugby and the Warriors organization came to be, Jordan was quick to hop on board. 

“CEO & GM Kimball Kjar and I knew each other at BYU, while he was an assistant coach there, and that connection translated to involvement with the Warriors,” Jordan said.

Aside from being one of the first to broadcast Utah rugby to a wider audience, Jordan brings a level of expertise to a newer league, making the Warriors play calling some of the best in the MLR.

“Sports broadcasting is what I do and to a great degree, who I am,” Jordan said. “Doing a daily show like BYU Sports Nation and producing the Sitake and Pope Coaches shows each Tuesday keeps me fresh on presentation, writing, discussion points, etc. that help me stay sharp. I love calling games, discussing storylines, providing context that enhances people and situations, and I’m so happy to be a broadcaster with the Utah Warriors.”

The second half of the iconic duo, Jared Danielson, is no stranger to both the physical and broadcast sides of the Rugby world, although his connections to that world might be more physical than Jordan’s.

Danielson was born in California but raised in the rugby hotspot of New Zealand. He began his rugby journey while attending Kelston Boys High School and continued to travel and compete in the sport with Park City Haggis and Misfits Rugby after returning back to the United States.

Between matches, Danielson fell in love with broadcasting and quickly became a household voice on stations in Utah and Florida. Nominated for three ACM awards, four CMA awards and a Crystal Award for excellence in broadcasting, he takes the Warriors broadcasting team to an elite level and is a large part of the success of the Warriors podcast.

As the Fall 2020 Selects series comes to a close and preparation for the 2021 MLR season begins, Jordan and Danielson will become the main source of team updates for Warriors fans. In past seasons, the duo could be heard on the podcast known as the “Warriors Cast.” This offseason, the show got a rebrand.

The rebrand brings new changes, most notably a name change to “W Nation.”

“The Dub Nation Podcast was really just dumb luck,” Danielson said. “Kimball [Kjar] and Jarom [Jordan] talked about relaunching our team podcast and wanted to rebrand it. The team slogan is ‘For the Nation’ and the Dub, short for ‘W’, was easy to combine. It was literally the first suggestion I threw out, and we all liked it.”

The new W Nation format widens the scope of the show from podcast to production. Instead of just being distributed on traditional podcast platforms, the new format will make the show available through traditional audio and video. The new production value leaves potential to one day move to radio and television, as the league continues to grow and establish itself.

As fans patiently wait for the Warriors to get back onto the pitch in these uncertain times, Danielson and Jordan keep the Warriors spirit alive and fans informed.

“I’m very excited about the rebrand of our Warriors podcast ‘W Nation,’” Jarom said. “There are so many stories to tell with the team. Warriors fans are the best in American rugby, and what this team is building is going to last and result in championships soon.”