George Balekji
Sports Anchor/Reporter
Madison, WI
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Born and raised in New Jersey, the Midwest is nothing new to George as he joins the NBC 15 Sports team after two years as the weekend sports anchor and MMJ for KODE in Joplin, Missouri.
With the unique location of being nestled in the “tri-state” area of Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma, George earned multiple awards from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. His first coming in 2017 earning Honorable Mention for Best Sports Cast, then finishing second for Best Sports Feature of 2019 for his story on Brooke Bearden’s return to the softball diamond after suffering a life threatening stroke.
From covering high school state championships, to some of the top ranked junior college football, baseball and softball programs in the country to multiple division two basketball post season runs and the Kansas City Chiefs magical 2018 season, his favorite memories always tie back to the local communities.
“Being on the sidelines to capture such special moments in local athletics is what really makes me love my job. From practices during summer to championships in the school year, to be there from start to finish covering sports in its purest form is unmatched anywhere else. You truly get to know the people you cover and to me, winning is fun and championships are what it’s all about, but covering good people is why I love what I do and take pride in bringing you your local sports.”
A graduate of Seton Hall University in 2016, George held multiple internships during his years as a Pirate with Westwood One radio, the New York Giants, Fox Sports 1 in Los Angeles for production of MLB Whiparound and HBO Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. He also juggled those responsibilities while serving as the Assistant Sports Director for 89.5 FM, covering all Seton Hall Athletics along with being an executive producer and host of Seton Hall’s student-run TV station’s inaugural sports programming, “Hall Talk” to also serving as an executive producer and on-air talent for Pirate Sports Network.
When not at work, you can most likely find George working out at the local gym, hiking or kayaking and paddle boarding on the numerous lakes in the area (before they freeze over) and checking out any and all the best food Wisconsin has to offer, especially the cheese curds.
Follow George on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and if you ever see him out shooting a game or story, make sure to say hi! You can also email George at george.balekji@nbc15.com
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The program goal is to donate 100 sets of ‘starter hockey kits’ to deserving families across the 10 local youth hockey organizations each year.
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Members of the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XLV winning team continued their tour across Wisconsin by visiting American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison on Saturday. James Jones, Morgan Burnett, Ryan Grant and Nick Collins were the four Packers alum stopping by to get to know children staying at the hospital.
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“Sometimes we go to the lake and we’re out either kite boarding or surfing and I feel like its this secret that we have. You try telling people and some people just don’t believe it.”
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The Snappers closed out 39 years at Pohlman Field with a 5-4 win over Cedar Rapids.
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will miss Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday, as listed on the Bucks injury report on Saturday.
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The Beloit Snappers are counting down the days until they can open up the brand new ABC Supply Stadium along Rock River in Beloit.
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Patrick McBride recounts his memories as a ballboy for the 1971 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks along with working as a batboy for the Milwaukee Brewers and locker room attendant for the Green Bay Packers in his upcoming book, the Luckiest Boy in the World.
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The Home Talent League has provided amateur baseball to southern Wisconsin since 1929 and just like any other league, professional or not, it took a hiatus. Moving past the pandemic the Home Talent League brought a tradition back, playing baseball on the 4th of July.
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For the first time in 47 years, the Milwaukee Bucks will play for an NBA Championship. With a game six win over the Atlanta Hawks the Bucks punched their first ticket to the NBA Finals since 1974 and will play the Phoenix Suns for Milwaukee’s first NBA title since 1971.
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Defeating Prescott 5-3, the Dodgers earned the Division 3 state title after previously finishing as runner ups in 1994 and 2000.
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Former Badgers starting guard and La Crosse native, Kobe King ends a two year journey searching for his next basketball home by committing to Valparaiso for the 2021-2022 basketball season.
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In 1994 Dodgeville softball was apart of history, by being its first ever team to make it to state. 26 years later Regina’s daughter, Annika who is a senior for the Dodgers is keeping the tradition alive as her team prepares to compete in the state tournament in Green Bay.
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As the NCAA athletes await the debut of the new name, image and likeness policies that go into effect on July 1, Wisconsin quarterback, Graham Mertz revealed a personalized trademark logo on twitter on Monday.
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DeForest native Logan Michaels stepped up to the plate in his first College World Series appearance with his father, Jeff in the stands on Sunday. Then Michaels took a 2-1 pitch and sent it over the left field wall in the top of the third for his first home run of the season, giving UVA a 1-0 lead. An amazing feat for his father, Jeff to witness in-person, even more special for it to occur on father's day and three years after Jeff was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
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WIAA girl’s soccer Sectional Championship Saturday made its return to the pitch as teams punched their tickets back to State. McFarland defeated Belleville/New Glarus 4-0 in the Division 3 Section 3 championship thanks to two first half goals from Stella Blau and Jaelyn White for their first state championship berth since 2008.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are heading back to in the Eastern Conference Finals after a 115-111 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Giannis finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds while Khris Middleton followed up with 23 points of his own hitting big shot after big shot in the fourth quarter and overtime after struggling for much of the night.
As WIAA State Boys Golf wrapped up on Tuesday in Wisconsin Dells a trio of golfers from southern Wisconsin won the state title in their respective division. Middleton’s Jacob Beckman won the division 1 title finishing four-under, Edgewood’s Ethan Arndt took first in division 2 with a score of +3 and Noah Kirsch finished three-over in division three to claim the first individual state championship in Lancaster boys golf history.
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For the fifth time in his career, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named All-NBA which also ties a Milwaukee Bucks franchise record.
Through the first round of the WIAA boys state golf tournament Jacob Beckman of Middleton leads all of division one with a score of -4. Ty Mueller of Homestead is two strokes behind Beckman at -2 while Bennett Swavely of Hudson sits third at -1.
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Former UW-Madison football star and UW Athletics hall of famer Tom Burke faces first-degree child sexual assault charges, according to the Duluth News Tribune.
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Jerry Kelly defended his crown as the king of American Family Insurance Championship with a six-under final round to finish -14 and AmFam champ on Sunday at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.
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Jerry Kelly once again played some of the best golf on Friday.
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For 32 years golf has been Billy Mayfair’s life, 26 of which he spent on the PGA Tour. A winner of five PGA Tour events including the 1995 Tour Championship title and the only golfer to ever beat Tiger Woods in the a playoff hole, the 54-year-old from Arizona has quite the decorated career. A discovery in 2019 changed everything for him on and off the course.
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For the first time in Dane County the Miracle League has a field to call home at Bakken Park. The Miracle League is a national organization that builds fields made out of rubber for children with disabilities to be given the same opportunity as everyone else.
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Forward Madison was defeated for the first time in 2021, 2-1 against Union Omaha at Breese Stevens Field on Sunday.
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The Milwaukee Bucks had a golden opportunity to steal game one in their playoff series against the Nets in Brooklyn but Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving rose to the occasion for a 115 - 107 win and 1-0 series lead.
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UW Athletics officially announces Chris McIntosh will take over as athletic director following a 31-year tenure by Barry Alvarez as head football coach and athletic director.
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University of Wisconsin volleyball start Dana Rettke announced on Wednesday that she will return to Madison for a fifth season with the Badgers. Rettke, a 6-foot-8 middle blocker who is a four-time first-team All-American announced on her twitter on that she will use the bonus year of eligibility granted to student-athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In two seasons playing for Dabo Swinney at Clemson, Mellusi averaged 6.0 yards per carry on his way to racking up 427 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. The 5′11″, 200 pound running back also caught five passes for 38 yards and one score in his career.
Forward Madison gutted out a 2-2 draw at Fort Lauderdale thanks to two second half goals by the Flamingos on Tuesday.
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The Athletic is reporting that the University of Wisconsin is promoting Chris McIntosh to athletic director.
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The Madison Mallards returned to the Duck Pond for the first time in 20 months with a 7-2 victory over the Lakeshore Chinooks on Monday.It was Madison’s first game since August of 2019 since the Mallards could not play last season due to local health restrictions.
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UW-Whitewater baseball will compete for a regional championship after a 9-4 win over Texas Lutheran on Saturday. The win sets the Warhawks up with a rematch against one-seeded Adrian on Monday at 11 AM for the Whitewater Regional title.
Three second half goals led Forward Madison to a comeback win and its third straight victory on the season at Georgia Tormenta FC on Saturday night.
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The Milwaukee Bucks completed a dominant series sweep over the Miami Heat with a 120-103 win on Saturday.
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Milwaukee Bucks starting guard Donte DiVincenzo will miss the remainder of the NBA playoffs with a torn ligament in his left ankle, the team announced on Friday.
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or the first time since reports emerged that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay, the three-time NFL MVP made his first public statements in a SportsCenter interview with Kenny Mayne.
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The Milwaukee Bucks opened the first quarter with hot shooting from three and never looked back en route to a 132-98 win over Miami and a 2-0 series lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
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fter one year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Casting For Kids fishing tournament made its return to the Madison area. Organized and founded by UW-Madison men’s hockey associate head coach, Mark Osiecki, Casting For Kids donates all its net proceeds to the American Family Children’s Hospital and UW Carbone Cancer Center.
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Scott Dixon slammed the brakes on IndyCar’s current youth movement by winning his fourth Indianapolis 500 pole by a mere 0.03 seconds on Sunday.
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A Khris Middleton fadeaway jumper is what the Bucks needed to get off on the right foot in the playoffs. With Milwaukee and Miami tied at 107 and six seconds remaining in game one of their first round series, Middleton knocked down the eventual game-winning bucket to secure a 109-107 victory against the Heat inside the Fiserv Forum on Saturday.
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Ryan Callahan will take over as UW-Whitewater's director of athletics after serving the interim AD role the last two years.
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Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard has filled out his coaching staff with the addition of Sharif Chambliss as an assistant coach.
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Middleton native Jarrett Horst is no stranger to spring workouts. He’s been doing to prepare for football in the fall for the last 11 years. Just this season will bring a new challenge, playing in the Big Ten. As a 6′6″ 320 pound redshirt junior, Horst is set to play offensive tackle for Michigan State.
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Madison Memorial beat Madison La Follette 12-1 Monday night while Middleton beat Madison West 16-4 in baseball.
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Freddy Peralta struck out eight over six scoreless innings, Avisail Garcia homered and the Milwaukee Brewers blew most of an 8-0 lead before holding on to beat the Atlanta Braves 10-9 on Sunday.
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With the Brooklyn Nets beating the Cleveland Cavaliers right as the Bucks game tipped tonight, Milwaukee knew their postseason seeding as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Third times the charm is the cliche people always say and it became literal for the McFarland boys soccer team as the Spartans won their first ever state championship, 6-1 over Notre Dame on Saturday.
Due to local health guidelines throughout the pandemic, Forward Madison fans had to wait 601 days since the 2019 season for their first FMFC match back at Breese Stevens Field. The roughly 1,500 fans that did attend Saturday night had to wait another 92 minutes for the first Flamingos home goal which also was the game-winner as FMFC beat North Carolina FC 1-0 in Madison.
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After one year off due to COVID-19 the Englewood Open is returning to Fall River, Wisconsin as a Farm will convert to the mountain biking hub of North America.
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