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CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CoSIDA membership during the celebration of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week for 2020-21. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
Ed Bailey – Prairie View A&M, Assistant Sports Information Director
by Mary Gasior – Eastern Michigan, Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations
“I’m here for those moments of being able to sit down and talk with student-athletes about their stories and who they are on and off the field or arena. I'm not in this field to go work bowl games; if I get to work bowl games that’s great … I do this for a story. I do this for human connection and to connect student-athletes to their audiences beyond what it is they do every weekend or on game days. So for me, the most rewarding thing … is for a student-athlete to trust me to tell their story.”
- Ed Bailey, Prairie View Assistant SID
Ed Bailey is in his first season at Prairie View A&M University as an Assistant Sports Information Director. Prior to arriving at PVAMU, he spent four years at the Southwestern Athletic Conference where he served as the primary media contact for women’s basketball, volleyball, softball, track and field, and tennis. Before his career in sports information, Bailey was the sports editor for Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. in Alexander City, Ala.
Hear more from Bailey about his career journey, advice for younger professionals, and more.
Bailey with past members of the SWAC Conference Office during the league's annual Hall of Fame Ceremony.
What made you want to get into Athletics Communications?
EB: Honestly, I kind of found this field at the midnight hour. During my undergraduate studies at Troy, a requirement for a bachelors in journalism is doing an internship. I went to the sports information department at Troy and talked to Ricky Hazel - he's at Stetson now, but he was the lead Troy SID at the time. He basically gave me an opportunity. Before that point, I was thinking ‘I’m definitely going to be a sports writer.’
But once I had that sports information experience it was one of those ‘Okay, at some point in my professional career, I need to come back to this’ and I was able to do so. It took a little, a couple curveballs, but I was able to get back to it.
You recently changed jobs, moving from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to Prairie View A&M. Describe the process of when you knew it was the right time to move from a conference office to a university.
EB: It was one of those deals where honestly felt like I needed a change and a different perspective. Being at the conference office has a whole different set of challenges and benefits, and pros and cons compared to the university side. I had a pretty good relationship with LaTonia Thirston at Prairie View A&M. I had been helping her out with some work and when an opportunity opened, she said ‘you are one of the first people on the list.’
The moment came and lucky, for me, it was something that needed to happen when it did. I needed to rediscover my passion for the field. Because, as you know, this is a grind that isn't for everybody. So when this opportunity came along, I appreciate the different perspective that it's given me.
Bailey during the SWAC Basketball Tournament.
What is one of the biggest career lessons you’ve learned as an SID?
EB: I actually have two; one actually was reinforced during this pandemic. The first lesson is that you've got to be willing to do any and everything, even if it's outside of your comfort zone. You've got to be the one that typically goes the extra mile - and you know sports information tends to attract those types of people.
The second lesson is to find your “why”, and it needs to be something that can stay, even when everything else is taken from you. When this pandemic hit last March, sports stopped and I know a lot of sports information people were stir crazy. They felt a bit incomplete. The past few months have taught me what's really important and what I truly care about in this profession, and what makes me get up and go in the mornings. It's not about the games or the road trips. With athletes, you want to build those relationships, but athletes come and go. Coaches come and go, unfortunately. For me, it's all about the art of storytelling and one of the things that this pandemic forced me to do was try to find a way to continue to tell stories.
What has been the most memorable and/or rewarding moments for you in your career?
EB: Honestly, just being told thank you by people you don't expect to actually follow your work. Sports information is not a job you want to be in if you're the kind of person that functions on needing gratitude or words of reassurance. However, you never know who's watching your work, and you never know who's paying attention, whether it’s a student-athlete, a parent or coach.
I’m here for those moments of being able to sit down and talk with student-athletes about their stories and who they are on and off the field or arena. I'm not in this field to go work bowl games; if I get to work bowl games that’s great, but that's not why I’m in this. I'm not in this to travel with people and go to championships and get rings and hats. I do this for a story. I do this for human connection and to connect student-athletes to their audiences beyond what it is they do every weekend or on game days. So for me, the most rewarding thing anybody can ever do for me, honestly, is for a student-athlete to trust me to tell their story.
With close friends during a wedding in San Diego.
What is a professional development tip that you could share with someone that's just starting out in our field?
EB: The number one tip that I would share is to understand and realize the importance of networking - and one way how to do it is to learn as much as you can about social media. In order to advance in this field your peers need to know what you're capable of, and your peers need to be able to go to bat for you when something comes up.
And I encourage people to use social media to do that because social media nowadays is the gateway to everything. I found it to be one of the most effective tools I’ve ever had in terms of networking, because you know there's weekly sports information chats, two or three times a week, and most sports information people are very helpful because that's just how we're wired. In this industry, it attracts people with servant’s hearts.
I would encourage people to use their resources, don't be afraid to try something different. If you can stay ahead of the curve and the trends, then you'll be ready for whatever this field throws at you. And adaptability might be one of the most underrated things, so sports information professionals need to understand that in order to succeed.
Would you say that social media is the one communication/PR tool you can’t live without?
EB: In terms of professional success and just where everything's going, yes, but me personally I’m always going to be partisan biased to the written word. For me that's what I care about. But for people who are trying to advance and trying to grow, you've got understand social media. You've got to understand how it works.
How do you work in your office setting?
EB: It's kind of difficult to do right now, because the way our schedule is set up with us trying to be mindful of health and safety and things like that. What I try to do in the office is just make sure people know that they can come to me with anything. What also keeps me going is music podcasts I listen to those as I work.
What is one quote you live by?
EB: “Simple done well wins ball games.”
I was told that by high school softball coach Kim Vickers in New Site, Alabama. The way she promoted culture on her teams was stressing the fundamentals, situational ball. And one thing she would always tell me after was that simple done well wins ball games and it’s especially true now during this pandemic.
When we are either short-staffed or time is squashed (with duties), you have to understand exactly what's essential. It's not necessarily about being the flashiest or the most cutting edge. If you know who you are and what you're about, you can manipulate most situations to your favor. And, whatever it is that you do, just do it well.
An avid wrestling fan, Bailey shows off the view from one of the "holy grails" of the sport: WrestleMania 34 in the New Orleans SuperDome.