Being Both an Athlete and Sports Media Creator

Most people experience sports from one side, on the field and in the game or telling the story of the game from the sidelines. Being a college athlete and intern for the athletic media department at two schools has given me experience in both roles.

The Athlete Side:

When I am on the field, everything moves so fast. I am focused on making the right pass, my next run, getting in good positions to support my teamates or driving at defenders to then get a shot off. Ultimately, cameras aren't the focus, my team is and making sure I am putting my best foot forward to make a difference on the field.

I have learned the importance of the little things that make college athletes successful. It is all the little details and work that goes in before the whistle on gameday blows. Whether that is the simple routine of showing up everyday, making sure I am fueling properly or putting in extra work on my own.

The Sports Media Side:

When I am behind a camera, I get to see other athletes who have the same priorities and intentions that I do. I have recorded games for ESPN+, videos for highlight edits, recorded voiceovers recapping games, and interviewed players and coaches.

I have learned so much about other sports as i have gotten more experience behind the camera.

In the early days, when I was just starting out, I missed a lot of good moments. Now I can really anticipate what is going to happen next or where I should focus my shot on just by gaining more knowledge of sports and players mindsets. When I am at games or practices capturing live footage, I am always so focused on getting the best angles and telling the story in a unique way, whether thats the typical highlight edit and read, edits for the team or posts for my own creative instagram account.

But how has being an athlete inspired me to dive into sports media as well?

It starts off with my passion for my own sport. Knowing how much time and commitment is put in to training and being the best version of yourself is inspiring and as I continue to be in sports media, I really want to focus on telling stories. Each athlete has a unique path and background that has gotten them to where they are today. I just recently started interviewing players and coaches and trust me, there is so much work to do in getting better at coming up with quick game revolving questions, actively listening to ask follow up questions, getting more comfortable with gear and being confident in my own voice.

Being an athlete as well gives me the advantage of relatability among other players and knowing what good and bad moments feel like, the stress of everyday preparation and recovery, and the toll it takes both mentally and physically. With my career in sports media, I want to dive into what it is truly like being an athlete and experiencing these things first hand. I want to create content that showcases the dedication of athletes, inspires younger athletes to compete for what they love and also show the hardships different athletes have overcame throughout their journey.

My experience of being an athlete has made me fall in love with the thrill of exciting moments in sports. It makes me happy to edit these moments together and collaborate with other athletes on social media so they can relive the exciting moment too and share it with their friends and family.

It starts with taking Initiative and putting yourself out there:

I am extremely grateful for the oppurtunities being an athlete has given me. Since I play soccer at my school, I built great relationships with the staff just by always saying hi and being present at events all before launching my career in media. Networking is such a huge part of creating online content, and who you know can really help create great oppurtunities.

College athletic media departments are usually always looking for more students to get involved with creating content and if you are a college student interested in working in sports media, try to get involved now. I have gotten so much hands on experience and oppurtunities to try new things. Don't be afraid to fail because everyone does when they are first starting, but each experience truly allows you to grow and get better.

At Umass Lowell, I got experience filming for hockey which was so incredible. I also had such great mentors apart of the staff and other students with more experience than me really helped me out. I learned so much about camera basics, setting manipulation, how to set up gear for braodcasts and good positioning for different sports (every sport has different angles that work and require different settings and preparation techniques).

Now being at Southeastern Louisiana University, I am also working for the athletic media department and taking with me everything I learned at Lowell. I am way more confident in putting myself out there and taking challenges. Interviewing coaches and players is so scary to me but it is something I am so passionate about. I have only done a few so far and I stumbled over my words, had to look at my index cards for my questions and was definitely giving off rookie vibes, but I am so grateful for the oppurtunity and to grow. Even only doing it a few times, I know how to better prepare for next time because I can see now what worked and what did not. With that being said, put yourself out there, take challenges.

At Southeastern, the communications program has so many valuable assets. The classes I am taking have assignments that are exactly the kind of things I want to do professionally in the future. I am currently in a TV Sports Show Production class where I had to go to a sport event, film the game and interview a coach and player right after. This required research on the teams standings in conference, specific player stats and resarch on the coach and player I was planning to talk to after the game. Even though it was my first time setting up an onsite interview and asking questions, I was required to do it all by myself. Was it stressful? Absolutely. But I see my mistakes and nervousness as something I can learn from and only get better at.

My professors are so willing to answer any questions I have and give me feedback on all my projects. Your professors of your communications classes are people who have experience in the field because many of them have done these kinds of things. It is so important to pick their brains and soak up as much knowledge as you can from them to better prepare you for when you try these things out on your own.

At Umass Lowell, I definitely did not take the fullest advantage of the knowledge of my professors, but after transferring to SLU I don't take a single moment for granted. I pay attention in all my classes, take notes, ask questions, send versions of my edits for feedback so I can produce the best version possible and ultimately grow as a sports media creator. Don't hesitate to ask your professors questions and build relationships with them because for me that has given me so many more oppurtunities to cover different events and work for even more people as "side gigs" I guess you would say.

Make the Most of your Opportunities

When given the opportunity to create content for a team, player or any organization, always do the most you can. For me this means not waiting right before deadlines to submit my projects, content to our athletic team or other organizations I have created content for. When creating content for the athletic media department, if I filmed at the game yesterday, my edit of the game is done within 24 hours, and my best clips are named for easy navigation on their part and sent to the drive. I do this with any organization I work for, even if I have a week to submit things. Showing you are proactive and eager to be efficient and create your best work is exactly the type of personal reflection you should want to create for yourself. I do my best to show inititave.

If it is a class project I am working on, I don't wait until close to the due date. Since I am new to creating packages, I have met with my teachers in offic Ihours to get a better understanding of the assignment and how to execute it the best way so that I am better prepared before I go out and film. I also do my best to create an initial version of my edit or script and send copies to my professors for feedback and ideas on how to make the little things better.

Recap:

Being an athlete has given me a passion for capturing exciting moments in sports and telling athletes personal stories. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a better understanding of who I am as an athlete and sports media creator.

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