CoSIDA president Rob Knox, Associate Director of Athletic Communications at Towson University shares his thoughts in this monthly blog — "Perspectives from the President." A 1996 graduate of Lincoln University (Pa.) and native of Chester, Pennsylvania, Knox is the second African-American president in CoSIDA history, and the first since 1987. Knox was named the 2011 CoSIDA Rising Star Award winner, was previously a member of the CoSIDA Board of Directors prior to entering the officer rotation and was president of BC-SIDA. He was inducted into his alma mater's hall of fame in 2015. Knox graduated from the distinguished NCAA Leadership Institute and completed the NCAA's Effective Facilitation Workshop training program in 2016. He also has spent time at Coppin State University, Lincoln, Kutztown University, ESPN and the Delaware County Daily Times. He is married to Trudell Knox and they are the proud parents of son, Robert, IV (‘RJ”) and daughter, Drue Monae.
Perspectives from the President: A Blog by CoSIDA President Rob Knox
June 3, 2019
All good things must come to an end including my time as the 2018-19 CoSIDA President.
Serving this awesome organization of talented professionals was a blast and everything that I imagined. This opportunity would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the support from my family, the CoSIDA Board of Directors, close friends and my colleagues at Towson University.
I'm excited to celebrate our deserving award winners, see familiar faces, laugh and enhance my tool box at our annual convention that begins on Sunday, June 9 in Orlando. I am hopeful you’re already registered because this year’s convention promises to be one of the best in a long time. The pool is also open this year!
The speakers and topics are dynamic as always. Kudos to Wendy Mayer, Sam Atkinson, Barb Kowal and the rest of the programming committee for planning another awesome schedule packed with industry influencers and impactful athletic administrators. I am super pumped.
Before looking ahead, let’s look back at some highlights and key numbers that make our organization special.
- We set a new membership record this year and are in excess of 3,000 members for the sixth consecutive year.
- We are now investing over $100,000 in convention scholarships and grants, but more importantly, we are investing that back into the membership.
- We had more than 18,000 nominees in the AAA program during 2017-18, a record, and looks like we will continue on that pace this year. We added a new division – college division – for two-year schools and Canadian schools while giving the NAIA its own division. We are in the second year of our agreement with Google Cloud as the title sponsor of the program.
- We have a balanced board with eight members from the college division and eight members from the university division. In two of our next three years, the CoSIDA president will be a college division member. We’ve added a Mentorship Committee and Advocacy Committee this year.
- The board has made diversity and inclusion a priority as we address a deficiency in our profession. Last month’s blog were takeaways from myself and Jess Poole following our attendance at the NCAA Inclusion Fourm. Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee has come forward with new concepts and will continue to address this issue in the future. Two major must-attend events during our convention are Dr. Derek Greenfield’s opening session on Sunday, June 9 (4 p.m.) and the Fireside Chat with Katrice Albert on Wednesday, June 12 (8 a.m.).
- Membership Recognition Week continues to be a positive for the organization and profession on the advocacy front. We see that effort continuing to take more positive steps forward in helping enhance the perception of our profession.
- Projects on the drawing board that will be discussed in Orlando include discussing development of minimum criteria standards for staffing SID offices at all levels to help our members better advocate for larger staffs, evaluating our professional development approach, taking an in-depth look at our governance structure and, perhaps, find ways to create more leadership opportunities. We are also going to look into the most efficient and effective ways of doing a membership wide salary survey.
These are tangible ways that we’ve elevated CoSIDA during the 2018-19 school year.
I'm looking forward to returning to my roots at the ECAC-SIDA convention this week in Framingham, Mass. My first professional development experience was ECAC-SIDA in Valley Forge in 2004. My first CoSIDA convention was in Philadelphia in 2005. ECAC-SIDA provided me a foundation of success as well as providing the opportunity to meet some of the giants of our profession that have helped me grow.
Also, in case you haven’t heard, this will be the YC finale as well so it’s important to support my friends in making this event memorable. You can contact Jamie Weir and Scottie Rodgers for more specific information.
My hope is that during this past year, the board of directors have helped to elevate our organization and the way other athletic administrators perceive our memberships. In addition, I want to be remembered for representing our membership with distinction, humility, integrity and passion.
So let’s enjoy a memorable week and please be sure to speak to me.
I want to cherish my final two weeks leading this organization before handing the gavel to Herb Vincent on Wednesday, June 12. Thank you for trusting and believing in me to lead you all. I’ve also hoped you’ve enjoyed my book recommendations this past academic year.
It’s been a pleasure working with a talented, passionate and awesome group of professionals that make up the CoSIDA Board of Directors and I thank them for always putting the organization first.
Most of all, thanks for the memories.
Monthly Book Recommendation
Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
I just finished this book and it’s terrific. In my opinion, this book is worth adding to your library if you don’t have it there already. I got this as a gift in 2016 for completing the NCAA Leadership Institute and I just opened it in 2019. It’s one of the most famous success book of all time. The premise of the book is simple: Riches begin with a state of mind. If we want to get rich, we must first change our minds so that we become, as Napoleon Hill calls it, money conscious. He says that we must literally THINK ourselves rich. The term
riches by the way could mean any form of wealth like money, happiness, healthy relationships, business success etc. It’s helped me improve in significant ways in all aspects of my life.
CoSIDA Diversity and Inclusion committee chair Jessica Poole and I represented CoSIDA at the eighth annual NCAA Inclusion Forum in Atlanta last month where we were honored to share sacred space with over 600 attendees including student-athletes, athletic administrators, faculty members and college presidents.
The experience was transformational, impactful and terrific. NCAA Executive Vice President of Inclusion and Human Resources Katrice Albert and her staff did a phenomenal job with the planning and programming.
Our attendance at this event is another stride to our commitment to diversity and inclusion for our organization and its members. It would be great to see more CoSIDA members attend in the future.
There were heavy topics and discussions ranging from homophobia, LBGTQ, gender disparities, bias, race and mental health. The engaging dialogue along with the practical takeaways empowered everybody to return to their campuses ready to make a difference, and that was certainly the case for Jess and I.
As athletic communicators, we play a critical role in supporting the NCAA’s goals of diversity and inclusion with our ability to shape messages, tell stories and support our coaches, student-athletes and administrators.
Here are a few takeaways Jess and I found most impactful and that we believe can help you in your day-to-day role on your campus. The theme of the weekend was “Dreaming Out Loud: Transforming Passion to Action.”
- Learning and listening to your student-athletes is a great way to ensure you are doing your best to create an inclusive atmosphere and supporting them.
- Creating inclusive environments on our campuses and in our departments is everyone’s responsibility. Our world is a better place because of diversity of thoughts, identities & backgrounds. Being inclusive and intentional is a mindset.
- Yes, moving the needle occurs by being uncomfortable, having difficult discussions and acknowledging bias. Each day we arrive to campus, we should always look for ways that we can contribute to building structures that make diversity and inclusion work pervasive and holistic. Remember, intent doesn’t equal impact.
- Diversity is being invited to the party. Meanwhile, inclusion is being asked to dance – to the music you like. Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP, CPAE shared during her “Turning Barriers Into Bridges by Disrupting Bias” presentation that “inclusion is about creating safe spaces for you to show up authentically.” Those spaces create opportunities for cultural dialogue.
- Words matter. What we call each other and what we call and think about ourselves is important. As communicators we need to make sure we are using the correct words to describe out student-athletes, coaches and administrators. We need to really understand that by using the right name, it helps shape and create positive identity.
- We need to make sure we are addressing the whole student-athlete. We should be taking a holistic approach to making sure their needs are met not just from an athletic or academic standpoint but also from a health and wellness standpoint. We need to see each other and really see each other for who each of us are and what makes us unique. We need to celebrate all that makes us unique and different.
- Achieving inclusive excellence is an on-going journey and something that won’t occur overnight. However, once we pledge ourselves to creating an inclusive mindset, great things will happen. Each of us can be a leader in making sure we are being inclusive on a daily basis. A leader inspires and powers others by being an example. Not by titles.
Look for additional thoughts from Jessica in a future CoSIDA Connect post.
Felicia Martin (NCAA) &
Kristene Kelly (Dartmouth)
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ESPN's Michelle Steele.
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Dr. Derek Greenfield.
A must-attend session at #CoSIDA19.
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The weekend ended with a tremendous closing presentation from Chris Norton, a quadriplegic with a three percent chance of walking, who took 10 steps on his college graduation day. Playing for Division III Luther College, his life changed in seconds in 2010 when he became paralyzed while making a tackle during a kickoff in a game against Central College.
His motivational message resonated with every attendee. He ended his presentation by rising from his wheelchair and standing to deliver his closing statement. Here’s a few inspirational nuggets from his session that can help us daily as well as those lives we touch on regular basis.
- “You all have the ability to make a comeback and beat the odds. But, come back not as what you were — but stronger, more determined, empowered to make a greater impact than ever before.”
- “Your future will take care of itself, when you take care of today.”
- “Who is counting on you? Who is watching you that will be influenced by you? People need you to be at your best.”
- “Life has a better plan for you than what you have for yourself.”
- “We can change our attitude. We can go from panic to positive.”
- “If you always focus on what’s wrong, you’ll never see what’s right.”
As we prepare to gather in a few weeks at the Orlando World Center Marriott, we need to remember that diversity will never sustain itself without inclusion. It’s our job to make everybody feel like they fit at all times.
Learn all about the
#CoSIDA19 Convention here and if you haven't already
register now.
I’ll close by reminding you to “walk in your greatness” all the time and be the change that you want to see.
Jessica Poole contributed to this month’s presidential blog.
Monthly Book Recommendation
The Soul of Basketball: The Epic Showdown Between Lebron, Kobe, Doc, and Dirk That Save the NBA by Ian Thomasen
With the NBA playoffs in full swing, this is the perfect book to read. This terrific book by Ian Thomasen neatly weaves the stories of four personalities that dominated the 2010-11 NBA season after LeBron James’ infamous Decision. This book is a must read or all basketball junkies. The stories about Dirk Nowitzi and Doc Rivers are amazing as well as the vulnerability displayed by LeBron James during his first season with the Miami Heat. I remember hating LeBron and the Heat during the 2010-11 season. They were humbled and LeBron changed his narrative in my opinion. Relive how Dirk helped end the two-year reign of Kobe and the Lakers and beat the Heat’s Big Three in the Finals. One of my favorite books about the NBA all time, this is an underrated gem that you’ll enjoy.
April 2, 2019
“If you talk about it, it's a dream. If you envision it, it's possible. But if you schedule it, it's real.” – Tony Robbins
For 10 memorable days, I experienced my own version of "March Madness" as part of the athletic communications team that helped document the Towson University women’s basketball team’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in school history.
I was also blessed to witness the Tigers win the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) postseason tournament, also for the first time in program history. That was a fun moment to witness and see the joy on our players' faces.
Of course, in the midst of all this excitement was a leaked bracket that forced everyone involved with the Division I women’s basketball selections to scramble and adjust plans, including us. I had the added challenge of facilitating our monthly CoSIDA board of directors’ conference call while sitting on the bus as we prepared for the 45-minute drive to practice.
We had a selection show viewing party scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Food. Media. Cameras. Balloons. Yes, it was going to be a grand celebration as we awaited our opponent. ESPN’s Bracketology had us as a No. 15 seed projected to visit Iowa.
However, around 3:30 p.m., the women’s bracket made its way onto social media, which forced the NCAA and ESPN to move up the selection show two hours earlier than scheduled to 5 p.m. That was tough on everybody. Our women’s basketball athletes hustled from hair appointments and woke up early from naps so they could be present and enthusiastically react when Towson’s name officially appeared on the screen, which it did at 5:04 p.m. Eastern.
We were in place to capture the excitement of the momentous occasion thanks to our dynamite women’s basketball athletic communications contact Nicole Curtin, who was awesome in communicating with the rest of the office and directing coverage traffic.
In situations like this, communication is crucial to ensure information gets out timely. Even though her phone was dying, Curtin and Airis Thomas handled social media. I was instructed to take photos and work with Dave Vatz and John Stark to prepare a quick and basic press release as well as the splash page for the website.
Being prepared ahead of time made things easier as we navigated the adjusted selection show with the knowledge that we would playing 11-time national champion Connecticut. Stark had the splash page already built earlier in the day. He was waiting on time, opponent and location to finish it. By 5:15 p.m., we had the splash page and a quick press release posted on our website and social channels.
We still had our celebration and it was still festive because of the presence of the numerous television cameras, media members, player parents, women’s basketball alumnae, administrators... and food.
The takeaway here is to always be prepared. Even in a one-person shop or one without many resources, you can control being prepared ahead of time.
Aside from that, it was a blessing to share my passion for women’s basketball and work with Curtin as we traveled with our team to Storrs, Connecticut, to capture every moment of the experience. I am appreciative of the wonderful people at Towson that allowed me the opportunity to share my love for women’s basketball during the week.
Pinching myself every 10 minutes, this was by far one of my highlights of my professional career.
By the way, walking into Gampel Pavilion is like being in a women’s basketball museum with all the championship banners and jersey numbers in the rafters of some of the biggest names in the sport like Rebecca Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti, Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart. Lobo and Rizzotti also are members of the CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-America® Hall of Fame!
My goal was to work with Curtin to find the stories and write 'em up. Have a point of view. Tell people something they don't know while bringing them inside our program and on the bus.
I conducted an interview with one of our players in Times Square. That was fun. Being able to raise awareness of our young ladies and women’s basketball program through feature stories, photos, videos and tweets was amazing. It was the perfect blend and as usual Curtin directed everything superbly.
While Curtin stayed in the locker room for the open media access portions of practice and postgame, I attended the press conferences.
Another tip in a situation like this is when there’s more than one media relations contact on a trip, it’s best to let the primary contact guide the direction of the coverage. I suggested ideas but at the end of the day, whatever she wanted is what we did. There must be significant trust which helps provide the best possible coverage possible.
The Tigers were a great group to be around, which made being part of this journey even more special. I got to know our head coach Diane Richardson, a phenomenal woman who has touched lives and made a significant impact in the world with her wonderful ability to lead with purpose, empower and educate.
While Towson’s dreams of shocking the world were interrupted by the reality of Connecticut’s talent, experience and white-hot first half shooting, it doesn’t take away from the experience of watching our young ladies compete with heart on women’s basketball’s biggest stage against the premiere program in the country and represent Towson well.
Following the game, there wasn’t a tear to be found as everybody, myself included, savored the entire week.
So often as professionals, we get caught up in what’s next, preparing graphics, updating game notes, checking boxes, and focusing on our imperfections that we really forget to enjoy the moment. I made sure to do that and then some.
The final takeaways from here is to be prepared, communicate, and take time to enjoy the moment.
Best. Week. Ever.
Monthly Book Recommendation
The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed College Basketball by Gene Wojciechowski
Hands down the best book on the greatest NCAA Tournament game of the modern era. Christian Laettner capped a perfect shooting night with a buzzer beater that lifted Duke to a memorable 104-103 overtime win over Kentucky. It’s amazing that a good portion of our profession was born after this game was played. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
I’ve read this book twice as it takes you inside of how Duke and Kentucky came to share the Spectrum floor in Philadelphia on the night of March 28, 1992. It’s an awesome look at all of the players, announcers, arena personnel and media members who were part of the night. It gives unique insights to that special game and how reporters handled the game on deadline. They were prepared, communicated and enjoyed the moment as well. Seth Davis had this to say about the book: “A compelling narrative about the people who produced the most spine-tingling moment in modern college basketball history.”
March 1, 2019
“In helping yourself, you prove you are strong; in helping others, you prove you are compassionate; in helping many, you prove you are generous; in helping everyone, you prove you are enlightened.” – Matshona Dhliwayo
As I typed the email message, my fingers trembled with nervous anxiety. I decided to step out on faith to offer my expertise in networking, branding and LinkedIn for a program sponsored by our academic advising department.
I’m not going to lie, I was scared and fearful of rejection.
Even though I knew they probably had their speakers lined up, I figured I would reach out not knowing what to expect. The response was better than I could’ve imagined. While the presenters for that workshop were already confirmed, the organizers asked me if I would share my knowledge with our student-athletes in the near future. I immediately said yes and was thrilled with the opportunity.
This chance wouldn’t have happened if I decided to stay in my office with my head buried in my daily tasks, using a lack of time to justify not offering my talents and skills to make a difference on my campus.
I’ve written multiple times on networking, participated in the NCAA Leadership Institute where we benefitted from the guidance of Dr. Bernard Franklin on the topic, and in my role as CoSIDA president I’ve been doing plenty of networking over the past year. I’ve even been designated a LinkedIn influencer for the pieces I’ve written on that social platform including this one on
Impactful Networking Tips. The tasks I’m responsible for as the SID for Towson athletics are important, but there is more I can offer our community.
By now, you probably know where I'm going with this blog. We all have gifts. We all have talent and unique experiences that make us a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Share them with others. Offer to participate in panels, advise a student group outside of athletics or pick somebody’s brain outside of your area. Don’t be afraid to speak up. These are wonderful opportunities to demonstrate our value to our administrators and supervisors.
Participate in programs offered by NCAA Leadership Development such as the Effective Facilitators’ Workshop. Contribute to CoSIDA Connect. Exit your comfort zone.
We all get it. It’s crossover season and March Madness. There are track recaps to write, lacrosse games to score, hit and error debates to decide during baseball and softball games. We’re busy and at times overwhelmed with endless deadlines and demands.
My charge to you is to identify that thing you’re passionate about or have a lot of knowledge in — something that’s important to you — and offer to contribute, whether it’s in your athletic department, elsewhere on your campus or in your community. It will make you feel like you’re making a difference and is a great getaway from the hustle-and-bustle of spring sport crossover season.
With humble hearts and cheerful spirits, share your blessings of time, talent, wisdom and knowledge. After all, true happiness comes from pursuing your passions and contributing meaningful value to others. By investing in others and sharing our talents, we are making our campuses a better place and enhancing the culture of our athletic departments. You should feel empowered to use your voice to make a difference.
Offering to share your talent is a proactive way to improve yourself professionally and enhance your reputation. Our student-athletes are watching us too. If they see us in our roles doing only those things we were hired to do — which are important things — it may or may not make a huge impact. However, if we lead by example through expressing our talents, work ethic, integrity, passion and pouring into others, our influence can change somebody’s life.
I’ll close with another quote from Dhliwayo: “Bless the world with your mind, heal the world with your heart, lift the world with your soul; elevate the world with your life.”
Monthly Book Recommendation
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Best book I’ve read in a long time. It felt like I was speaking with my next door neighbor. Mrs. Obama does a wonderful job of sharing in vivid detail her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House. I hope everybody reads it. That book has already done wonders for me mentally while making me re-evaluate my purpose and bringing clarity to what it is I am truly passionate about. It's a great read. The writing is amazing and if you want to improve your ability to produce prose then this book is for you. It’s an inspirational tale, a love story, an emotional roller coaster, raw and transparent. You’ll laugh, cry, shout and more.
She drops plenty of gems throughout the book that are applicable to our everyday lives now. Some of them include:
- “Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”
- “There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others.”
- “Am I good enough. Yes I am.”
Scrolling through my Instagram stories late one recent evening, I discovered this quote. A powerful, yet simplistic gem.
It sums up perfectly the amazing experience I had in being blessed to represent CoSIDA — joining our board officers, divisional leaders and staff — at the NCAA Convention in Orlando; and then with Doug Vance and Will Roleson of the CoSIDA staff at the NACDA Mid-Winter meetings in Marco Island late last month.
From a big picture perspective I was in awe of the magnitude of the events, but certainly proud to see our national organization represented at an assembly that includes the most powerful and influential leaders in the NCAA. The opportunity to interact with school presidents, athletic directors, conference commissioners and other key administrators is a meaningful opportunity that helps elevate our advocacy efforts each year.
I came away from the experience feeling that as an organization we command widespread respect at the upper levels of college athletic leadership. I believe it’s a respect that is deserved.
The six days attending the two meetings in Florida were inspiring, rewarding and productive as leaders of CoSIDA strategized about ways we can better serve our membership and advocate for the profession. We discussed concepts that will allow us to be more proactive as a profession, supporting one another in an evolving athletics landscape and strengthening our brand with athletic administrators and those at the NCAA national office.
Each year, NCAA president Mark Emmert carves out time of his demanding schedule to meet with the CoSIDA leadership at the convention. It was stressed to us by Erik Christianson, NCAA Managing Director of External Affairs, that meeting with CoSIDA representatives is a priority for President Emmert.
He stressed to us how much he values our support of student-athletes through the Google Cloud Academic All-America program while welcoming our thoughts and questions on pending NCAA issues. We also had the opportunity to meet with governance leaders from NCAA Division II and Division III along with a combined gathering of student leaders at the Student-Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Several times over the course of the week, I heard the message from administrators outside our profession that CoSIDA is everywhere. Clearly, we are!
This is one of many ways we are advocating for our membership and educating others on the value of our roles. While we don’t always have the ability to specifically save jobs and fight for specific people, we do have the opportunity to share the impact we have as a profession and organization.
CoSIDA has been present this year at the
CALS Symposium in Pittsburgh,
Women’s Leaders Conference in Atlanta,
LEAD1 (Divisions IA ADs) in Washington, D.C.,
NACDA Fall Forum in Columbus, Ohio,
College Football Playoff Championship game in Santa Clara along with other assorted bowl games including the semifinal games at the Orange and Cotton Bowls. We also were present at the
National Football Foundation Hall of Fame ceremonies and ACC and SEC events in New York.
We’ll have representation at the
NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Final Fours.
I’m excited to report that, for the first time, CoSIDA will have representation at the
NCAA Inclusion Forum in April in Atlanta. This is an important and positive initiative for our organization as diversity and inclusion is one of my presidential pillars as well as a CoSIDA core value. Diversity and inclusion is also a priority for President Emmert as he mentioned it during his opening address to the membership during the NCAA Convention.
Our upcoming CoSIDA 360 magazine is dedicated to diversity and inclusion. It features many terrific stories including a phenomenal column by Katrice Albert, Executive Vice President of Inclusion and Human Resources at the NCAA. It’s this type of collaboration and commitment from influential leaders in athletics that helps move our organization forward. So, while some of you may experience day-to-day challenges, just know that we understand and are doing our part to improve our organization.
I believe this in my heart and it was reinforced for me while in Florida, that our talented and passionate CoSIDA members are respected, trusted, valued and are integral to the success of many athletics departments. Among our on-going challenges is how we continue to innovate, be proactive and adapt to the changing landscape of college athletics.
I want to close with a tweet from my friend and ardent CoSIDA supporter Sean Frazier, the Director of Athletics at Northern Illinois University, following the NACDA Mid-Winter meetings, “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where the puck is.”
An inspiring nugget of wisdom that we should all keep in mind in the months ahead.
Monthly Book Recommendation
Wilt 1962 by Gary M. Pomerantz
“Tell me were you in the joint the night Wilt scored 100 points.” That iconic line is from Kurtis Blow’s anthem “Basketball.” This is a phenomenal read of arguably one of the greatest performances in the history of athletics, regardless of sport. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points on March 2, 1962 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Making this feat larger than life is
no newspaper reporters covered the game, there was no television footage and of course no social media graphics were produced, unless you consider the iconic image of Wilt holding the “100” as the mic drop of postgame graphics. Wilt, 1962 is a fantastic read. It demonstrates how you can capture a historic moment with quick thinking, creativity and passion.
January 2, 2019
“No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart.” – Unknown
I recently celebrated a birthday, which allowed time for reflecting on 2018, my purpose, and vision for 2019.
Scrolling through all of my social media accounts in 2018 made me realize that I am part of the problem and am just as guilty as many others in that I posted what I wanted the world to see — my numerous happy and fun moments. Social media has everybody thinking we’re all out here living our best lives all the time.
We don’t showcase our struggles, insecurities or regrets. Why would we? They don’t get likes or retweets.
However, I am human and I experienced my share of disappointments and heartbreaks in 2018 like many others.
In between taking the gavel to become CoSIDA’s 64th president and being honored with a proclamation by my hometown of Chester, Pennsylvania, I didn’t receive a promotion that I was hopeful for, I mourned the death of my aunt and had many additional frustrating moments.
I share these moments to let you know that I am still thankful for everything that happened in 2018.
The biggest victory is how you overcome adversity and setbacks. After all, we chronicle these stories of our student-athletes and teams all the time in our roles as athletic communicators. When you experience disappointments, you have three choices: You can let it define you, destroy you or let it strengthen you.
Let’s use the Boston Red Sox in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox lost an epic 18-inning third game and then fell behind by four runs late in the fourth game. With a tied series seemingly realistic with each Boston out, the Red Sox roared back to win that game and ultimately their fourth championship since 2004 by showcasing resiliency, tenacity, character and commitment.
Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain, teardrops and laughter, pleasure and pain. Remember there was never a cloud that the sun couldn’t shine through. This is a great reminder that we can’t succeed without failure and we can’t keep failing without eventually succeeding.
We have so much to be grateful for each and every day. We have jobs and opportunities to make an impact on somebody’s life, get to travel to cool places and enjoy learning from each other regardless of position title. Sometimes, we allow disappointments to distract us from our true purpose.
In 2019, continue to keep your eyes straight ahead and focused on others. You’ll be amazed at the rewards you reap with this mindset.
Speaking of which, this is a perfect opportunity to take time to nominate deserving colleagues for
CoSIDA Special Awards, participate in our
CoSIDA Kudos program and encourage others to apply for
convention attendance grants. Make sure to enter the
Publications & Digital Design Contest (first deadlines are Jan. 31), the
Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest and submit applications for the
CoSIDA Scholarship and Grant program.
The deadline to nominate deserving colleagues for CoSIDA Special Awards is Jan. 27. You have until Feb. 8 to apply for one of the 22 convention attendance grants and Jan. 11 for the NCAA Ethnic Minority convention grant.
No matter what happens, we get to choose how we react.
In closing, a happy person is happy not because everything is right in his life. They are happy because his attitude toward everything in his life is right. The power of gratitude releases the grip our struggles have over us.
Happy New Year and make 2019 your greatest one yet!
November 30, 2018
“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” – Unknown
As the calendar flips to December, let’s celebrate because many of us have survived crossover season.
We’ve been grinding hard since August churning out graphics, furiously making sure our statistics were accurate and updating websites with bios and more.
For much of the year, we’ve rightfully focused on others since we provide dedicated service to our athletic departments and universities. Our recently completed Membership Recognition week was a success. I'm hopeful you’ve felt the love and appreciation from our organization as well as from colleagues on your campuses.
Now, I have a request; more like a demand.
At some point during this holiday season as schedules slow and become manageable, take some time for yourself. I understand we all have work to finish, projects to complete, tasks to begin, graphics to create, media guides to update and much more. Our work is never ending. I get it and respect that.
However, we can’t enjoy ourselves, others or the holidays if we’re focused and preoccupied on all the things we have to do. December becomes the most important time to take a step back from the pull of obligation and breathe for a moment. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s critical to protect your time and space.
There’s a reason why airline attendants tell you to place your oxygen mask on first before assisting others. We can’t be useful to our families and can’t serve others until we put on our oxygen masks on first. So we need to focus on nurturing ourselves. I’ve learned that self-care should always come first. Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s therapeutic and critical to our survival in this profession.
Use the down time to take some time away from the office, laptop and phone. Focus on you. Do those activities that make you happy like getting a massage, sleeping, reading, cooking, shopping or spending time with your family unbothered by frantic text messages or urgent emails. I love watching the Hallmark channel or a romantic comedy on Netflix. It’s a nice escape from reality and is peaceful.
As one of my mentors, Greg Goings of Bowie State, has always shared on a regular basis, “the work will be there tomorrow.”
No matter how many hours we put in, how great our work is or how faithful we are, if something were to happen to us and we weren't able to return, our jobs will be posted tomorrow and life will continue. That’s just the reality. Our schools were here before us and will be there after us. There's no use in stressing ourselves when we have an opportunity to take time for us.
Utilize your vacation time and personal days if you’re able during the holiday season. Leave the office a couple hours early if you’re able.
Solitude is the soul’s holiday. Time spent on you is never wasted. Enjoy this holiday season and make it the best one yet for you, your loved ones and friends.
Anne Lamott said it best: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
November 1, 2018
“Do what you love, give it back in the form of service and you will do more than succeed. You will triumph.” – Oprah Winfrey
While randomly getting lunch following a coaches’ staff meeting at Towson University recently, our men’s lacrosse head coach Shawn Nadelen, who’s one of the best coaches in the country and an even better person, casually said to me out of the blue, “Our SID does a great job for our program.”
Those who are familiar with Towson men’s lacrosse knows he was speaking of John Stark, a veteran in the field who I am fortunate to work with everyday. I get to witness his dynamite design skills, social media excellence, passion, dedication and enthusiasm for Towson’s student-athletes and the athletic communications profession in general.
In my four years at Towson, I have learned plenty from John, who just recently completed the Baltimore Marathon. I'm also fortunate to work with a great staff of talented and dedicated pros like Nicole Curtin, Dave Vatz and Airis Thomas.
As we embark on the Third Annual CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week from Nov. 7-13, this is one of the best times of the year where we shine light on our talented, selfless and dynamite professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes for their respective colleges.
CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week is proof to never doubt the ability of a focused organization to change the world. Our love for our institutions and student-athletes is the fuel flowing through our veins, which lights our soul on fire to share unique and special content with the world.
Athletic communicators are thrilled with the opportunities everyday to uplift, encourage and inspire others through words, actions and graphics. Being able to use our gifts and talents for a purpose bigger than ourselves is a blessing.
This week makes me realize how special working in this profession is despite all of the demands on our time, long hours, pressbox pizza and the never-ending workload.
Being a part of any student-athlete’s story is an accomplishment. Having the opportunity to connect with such amazing student-athletes and help enhance their experience is so rewarding.
The purpose and goals of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week are to show appreciation for athletic communications and sports information directors. It’s a weeklong platform to showcase their efforts and accomplishments while bringing positive recognition to them and to their work in promoting student-athletes and their institutions/conferences throughout all levels of intercollegiate athletics.
This year’s celebration will feature the following: Profiles of CoSIDA members on CoSIDA.com, outreach to athletic departments, campus communications offices, conferences offices, related professional organizations and student-athletes, national media integrations and a social media blitz again centered on the hashtag #ThankYourSID. You can find it all at
CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
The contributions, leadership, hard work and impact on intercollegiate athletics is appreciated and that’s why this week is critical. The week also comes at a time when many in our profession are overwhelmed and stretched thin because of crossover season.
A positive word or random act of kindness goes a long way for those in our profession during this hectic time. Remember this quote from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
Here’s my big thank you to everybody in our membership for all the terrific work, long hours you spend in the office, in hotels, in press boxes, and on buses, and most of all being excellent ambassadors for our student-athletes. Enjoy the week and allow yourself to be recognized for a moment.
Monthly Book Recommendation
Breaking the Line: The Season in Black College Football That Transformed the Sport and Changed the Course of Civil Rights by Samuel G. Freedman
This treasure is a hidden gem. While it tells the story of the competition for the 1967 black college football championship between Florida A&M and Grambling through stunning first-person accounts of a pair of legendary coaches, great writing and terrific imagery, it’s much more than just a sports book. It’s a powerful narrative framed against race and civil rights in the South. It took me five days to read all 336 pages. This is a highly recommended read. You won’t be disappointed.
October 1, 2018
On behalf of the CoSIDA officers, Board and staff, we send our best to all the members and hope you are finding successes in your fall seasons!
This month, I’m going to focus on what it means to hold a CoSIDA membership and explore some of the benefits you may or may not be aware of.
Being a CoSIDA member gives you an unlimited passport to numerous benefits.
I encourage everybody to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities of CoSIDA membership outside of participating in the Google Cloud Academic All-America® nominations and voting. While recognizing highly deserving student-athletes for their academic and athletic excellence is an critical component of being a CoSIDA member, there’s so much more offered that helps us grow professionally and personally.
In addition, there are a numerous membership-only useful tools that can make a difference in your day-to-day duties.
I invite you to take a few minutes to read about these significant membership values we all enjoy.
- A multi-level professional development program. In addition to our well-received annual convention, we have a monthly continuing education webinar series – Teachable Tuesdays – where we offer live and on-demand webinars sponsored by Capital One and NAIA-SIDA. If you cannot commit to the live 40-45 webinars on Tuesdays, they are available on-demand each Tuesday evening, housed in our member-only CoSIDA Connect online community.
Look for more professional development programming in podcasts, Twitter chats and blog posts all year long! The CoSIDA Continuing Education Committee and the NAIA-SIDA leadership are hard at work to deliver timely and informative information. Check out the professional development/continuing ed schedules here and here.
- CoSIDA social media and communications platforms: Our @CoSIDAnews twitter features plenty of terrific helpful articles from around our profession. Follow our CoSIDA general Facebook and Instagram accounts, plus make sure to look at our Twitter feed and Facebook page for the Google Cloud Academic All-America® program. When the CoSIDA staff redesigned our website, they added a section called “Roundup: Latest Tips and News” where lots of great info is shared.
Want to get your CoSIDA information sent via text? Sign up for the member-only text messaging service here.
Have you been keeping up with the CoSIDA Behind the Curtain blog? These are blogs written by CoSIDA staff and leaders in the membership, taking you behind the scenes of what the CoSIDA staff and volunteer leadership is working on for its members.
- Let’s talk about CoSIDA Connect! We got off to a great September start with member questions, advice and information being shared in this online community. Being a member allows you to contribute and post on CoSIDA Connect. This is an awesome community in which tricks and tips are shared among colleagues. In addition, lots of the critical thinking occurs on many different topics that impact our profession in this community. I know I’ve picked up things from reading comments that have helped me significantly during my career. Please check out the Connect Resource Library, our archive of articles, blogs, how-to’s, and strategies to help advance your career.
- Speaking of podcasts … Podcasts from the Young Professionals committee and upcoming Continuing Education committee podcasts profiles many members of our awesome profession. Learn more about this awesome new resource and subscribe via SoundCloud, Stitcher or iTunes here.
- As a member, you will receive timely email blasts with key information of upcoming programs, deadlines and more.
- There are several programs that support and advocate for our members. They include the CoSIDA Mentorship program, Goodwill & Wellness Committee initiatives like the annual 5K run/walk and service project during our convention, our CoSIDA After Hours social events (you can host one in your area!), the Volunteer 15 program, annual CoSIDA Recognition Week (coming up in November!) and CoSIDA U.
Please contact Laurie Bollig (
lauriebollig@cosida.com) if you want to host an after-hours event in your region. The best part is CoSIDA chips in to cover some of the costs.
And, please send any thoughts, ideas, suggestions you might have to our Board and staff at any time. You’ll find all our information
here – please bookmark it and reach out to us anytime!
Membership enrollment and renewal is open now until October 15. Late fees begin on October 16 so make sure you get your membership in so you can take advantage of all of these benefits.
Monthly Book Recommendation
Since the Major League Baseball playoffs begin soon, I am going to recommend an October must-read. Of course this could go on forever because there are amazing books about the magic of October. (Actually, that could be a Connect blog!)
Down To The Last Pitch – by Tim Wendel
This wonderful account of the greatest World Series of my lifetime between the Braves and Twins is splendidly done. Four of the seven games were walk-offs and games six and seven both went extra innings. A great book especially for our younger generation who want to learn what made this magnificent series special. It’ll help put the recent compelling World Series between the Cardinals-Rangers, Royals-Giants, Indians-Cubs and Astros-Dodgers into perspective.
What’s your favorite baseball postseason book? I’ve got a long list myself! Email me at
rknox@towson.edu or hit me on Twitter @knoxrob1.
Enjoy October baseball, your fall sports and events, and don’t forget nominations for the Google Cloud Academic All-America program begin on Oct. 16 with men’s and women’s soccer! Our Teachable Tuesday webinar on October 9
th will be on the Google Cloud AAA program –
register here and find out about the nomination and voting enhancements.
August 31, 2018
With the arrival of our student-athletes back to campus, let’s have an “I get to” mentality instead of an “I have to” thought process during the 2018-19 academic year.
As athletic communications professionals, we get to make an impact in the lives of our student-athletes. We get to have a busy day. A lot of times, we refer to our
opportunities as
stress when in fact, they can be blessings. We are dynamic, talented and creative game changers, and valuable resources for our respective athletic departments.
Listen to Rob Knox on SIDcast Podcast.
Most of us are in this profession because we have a caring spirit, love sharing the stories, celebrating accomplishments, telling others about milestones of our student-athletes and supporting the missions and strategically enhancing the brand of our schools.
We also enjoy creating visually appealing content that resonates with our fans, getting to know our student-athletes during road trips and watching our teams succeed.
On the flip side, it’s sometimes easy to get frustrated by the lack of appreciation, additional responsibilities, a complaint about an errant statistic or someone noticing one thing wrong out of the other 10 items that are correct, the price increase in statistical services ... yet, it’s important to keep in mind that these things DO come with our positions, and we need not dwell on these.
I would challenge all of you, as we enter the new academic and athletic year, to focus on the amazing opportunities our profession offers. Many of us get to travel to nice places, interact with student-athletes, document athletic achievements and magnificent milestones, tweet funny things and engage with many fans who care and crave the content we produce. Someone is waiting to read that men’s golf recap or men’s basketball feature, view that women’s lacrosse photo gallery or watch the softball video highlights.
We work in an awesome profession and I encourage you to enter your workdays with a spirit of gratefulness, positivity, purpose and passion. Arrive in the office each day with an intentional mindset of providing excellence and service.
In our external roles, as we move about our daily responsibilities, someone is always watching, whether we realize it or not. Make sure you smile and remember to be someone else’s sunshine. Be the reason someone smiles every day.
As the late American radio speaker and author Earl Nightendale once said, “Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”
Here’s to a successful 2018-19 academic and athletic year!
August Book Recommendation
I’m a big reader on a variety of books – motivational, leadership, biographies, sports annuals, you name it! Each month in this column, I will review a book that I’ve read that has made an impact and share the reasons why.
It’s All About The Glory – by Carolyn W. Smith
This book is the perfect pick me up if you are in need of motivation, inspiration and encouragement. There are plenty of relevant themes for our day-to-day lives. It was easy to digest and filled with numerous suggestions on serving others. I believe this book will uplift your soul and put a smile on your face. The thought questions at the end of each chapter allows you to fully digest and think about the direction of your life, as well as your purpose.