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This story is part of our November 2021 CoSIDA 360 package, to view more stories,
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Do ADs and Commissioners Value Athletics Communicators? YES! Just ask them.
by Laurie Bollig – CoSIDA Director of Membership Engagement @LaurieBollig
When someone says college athletics is a small world, believe it.
I worked at the NCAA for nine years. My co-workers were fun, smart and competitive. We played intramural sports, had talent shows, organized community service events and enjoyed chili cook-offs while the office was in Overland Park.
When the headquarters moved to Indianapolis in 2000, we scattered but never lost that connection to each other born in the office building on College Boulevard. I see these friends regularly at conventions and championships.
They are rockstars. I respect them. They were the first people I thought of when I wanted to ask senior-level administrators their thoughts on the value of athletics storytellers. Sure enough - they delivered.
Robin Harris, Executive Director
The Ivy League
Robin is one of the smartest people I know. She was the NCAA’s first director of the Committee on Infractions (ick) and joined our lunch group from time to time. She LOVED to talk about her Duke Blue Devils.
What is the single most important thing the athletics communicators at The Ivy League do that helps you do your job better?
RH: Our athletics communicators serve as the ambassadors and developers of the Ivy League story. They are the conduit to our stakeholders and can recognize the impact of commentary and stories they see and hear. They also determine how to proceed. In some cases, commentary might necessitate simply keeping me informed and aware. In other cases, it requires more action, including working together to adjust a content plan or crafting a direct response. In each case, I rely on our communicators as the experts that help me keep our messages clear and focused.
How does having a strong group of storytellers in your conference help raise the profile of the conference, its schools, the athletics programs and student-athletes?
RH: Our storytellers across the conference play a critical role in reinforcing the Ivy League model for intercollegiate athletics. Our league is built around four trademark pillars —world-class academics, consistent national athletics success, unmatched campus opportunities and a path to lifelong success. Our communicators understand our league and champion the promotion of our conference to prospective student-athletes looking to thrive in that same experience, as well as to our fans, various constituents and external stakeholders.
Kirby Hocutt, Texas Tech University
Director of Athletics
Kirby was an intern in the marketing licensing and promotions department at the NCAA. He was also an absolute stud football player for Kansas State. I don’t really like the Wildcats, but I like Kirby.
What is the single most important thing the athletics communicators at Texas Tech can do to help you do your job better?
KH: I’m not sure there is one single thing they can do but rather just an overall way they conduct their business. I want them to always be transparent and keep me informed of things I might possibly miss. But I also want them to dedicate themselves to telling the stories of our 400-plus student athletes.
How does having a strong group of storytellers in the athletic department help raise the profile of Texas Tech, its athletics program and its student-athletes?
KH: I think anytime you can give stakeholders a look behind the curtain it helps to raise your profile. We have so many outstanding student athletes at Texas Tech and each and every one of them has a story to tell. It’s incumbent on our communicators to tell those stories and show the human side of our student athletes. I think the more people learn about our student athletes then the other things, such as raising our profile, will become natural byproducts.
Outside of their regular duties, what can athletics communicators do to advance the mission of the athletics department?
KH: These people are our first line of contact outside the athletic department. There is a line in our school song that says “bear our banners far and wide.” This group sets the tone for our entire staff of always bearing our banners and telling our story.
Like many other people in the department, athletics communicators work sometimes double their normal hours during seasons. What is your advice for your communications staff for how to work smarter, not harder?
KH: We’re in athletics and sometimes young administrators forget to rely on their teammates. Sometimes their drive and enthusiasm kicks in and they try to do too much and lose focus on their personal lives, etc. We preach creating a balanced work and home life. I realize that at times that becomes harder to do, especially when your sport is in session, so I encourage them to take advantage of the times when it is possible to relax and take their foot off the gas. It’s easy to get burned out by your hours; this is a lifestyle not a job. Most of our communicators are very well versed in new technologies so we encourage them to use what’s at their disposal to make their work lives easier.
Shane Lyons, West Virginia University
Director of Athletics, Associate Vice President
Shane spent a whole lot of time on the phones at the NCAA as part of the membership services staff, but he always had a smile on his face. He’s a really big guy with an even bigger heart. He married Emily, one of my coworkers in the marketing department.
What is the single most important thing the athletics communicators at West Virginia can do to help you do your job better?
SL: Keeping a strong pulse on the fan base and the media of the hot topics. Trying to be proactive on issues and not reactive. It helps me in my job as AD for the athletics communications staff to tell our story and not let others tell the story for us.
How does having a strong group of storytellers in the athletic department help raise the profile of West Virginia, its athletics program and its student-athletes?
SL: As noted above, they get to tell our story to our fan base, locally, statewide and nationally. Our stories go far beyond our success on the courts and fields. The stories are about our history, the academic successes of our athletes, the community involvement of our athletes/staff and the triumphs that some of our athletes have overcome from injuries or from their backgrounds.
Outside of their regular duties, what can athletics communicators do to advance the mission of the athletics department?
SL: Our athletic communicators can develop some of the strongest relationships with our student-athletes. They are part of the overall experience that our athletes will remember when their eligibility is exhausted. They may be able to help an athlete develop leadership skills or provide guidance to an athlete who may be struggling with academic or other personal matters.
Like many other people in the department, athletics communicators work sometimes double their normal hours during seasons. What is your advice for your communications staff for how to work smarter, not harder?
SL: The time commitment to be in athletics communications can be enormous during the season. I think what we learned during COVID is that we have technology that has helped our communications staff understand that they don’t have to travel to every away contest with their teams. With live streaming they can stay at home and watch the games and be able to do the stories and stats without leaving town. We also encourage our staff to use flex time. The normal office hours are from 8-5, but if our baseball SID has a game that night and will be at the ballpark until 11 pm, we encourage them to start work in the afternoon. We have to get away from “the office is open from 8-5 so you need to be present during the business hours.”
Bernard Muir, Stanford University
The Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics
Bernard is the nicest and most accommodating person I know. He was on the men’s basketball championship staff at the NCAA, which was kind of a big deal, but Bernard was always one of the guys - just like the rest of us.
What is the single most important thing the athletics communicators at Stanford can do to help you do your job better?
BM: Tell the individual and unique stories of our 900 student-athletes, representing 36 varsity sport programs under the guidance of our invaluable coaching leadership.
How does having a strong group of storytellers in the athletic department help raise the profile of Stanford, its athletics program and its student-athletes?
BM: It allows us to spread the message of our institution, which embraces this notion of scholar-athleticism and being excellent without compromising one area over another.
Outside of their regular duties, what can athletics communicators do to advance the mission of the athletics department?
BM: Stay connected, show interest and enthusiasm for all facets of the department and the university community at-large. It is important that our athletic communicators be integrated into the broader campus community, especially having great interaction with the central University communications office.
Like many other people in the department, athletics communicators work sometimes double their normal hours during seasons. What is your advice for your communications staff for how to work smarter, not harder?
BM: Attempt to think strategically about how you can be most effective. The pandemic has taught us that not all work must be done in the office. It requires us to think what can be done remotely, via Zoom or in another efficient way. At the same time, it is important to take opportunities to promote your physical and mental health.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two more people whose paths have crossed mine in this small world and who represent NCAA Divisions II and III.
Rob Mallory, Missouri Southern State University
Director of Athletics
Rob and I went to the same high school - not at the same time because that would mean I was a whole lot younger than I am. My mom worked at Mater Dei High School and she thought Rob Mallory was the coolest kid there. Years later, I met him at a convention and we’ve kept in touch ever since. Roy Pickerell was Rob’s SID when he was the AD at Kentucky Wesleyan. Who taught who, I wonder?
What is the single most important thing the athletics communicators at Missouri Southern do to help you do your job better?
RM: They tell our story. The work that they do is the lens through which many of our constituents regularly view Missouri Southern athletics, whether that’s our website, social media channels, or game broadcasts. When I’m out in the community talking to alumni, fans, sponsors, and donors the message that I’m trying to convey is the same as what our communications staff is doing through their work on a daily basis. That synergy is important to effective engagement.
How does having a strong group of storytellers in the athletic department help raise the profile of Missouri Southern, its athletics program and its student-athletes?
RM: Athletic departments like to say we are the “front porch” of the institution. If the department is the front porch, then our communications staff provides the curb appeal that makes people want to walk up and knock on the door. For a lot of people, their initial exposure to Missouri Southern is going to be through the work of our athletics communications staff, so having strong storytellers allows us to put our best foot forward from day one. On a more granular level, they are producing the content that is often getting seen the most and by the broadest audience. That means every story and every social media post is an opportunity to raise our profile.
Outside of their regular duties, what can athletics communicators do to advance the mission of the athletics department?
RM: I’ve found that athletic communicators are often the best administrative staff members at building genuine relationships with student-athletes. Because of that, they often have the pulse of the student-athlete better than most. That is just one more reason why it is important as an athletic director to appropriately position your communicators within the department. So while it may not be in the job description, I think encouraging them to be intentional in building those relationships can provide a valuable feedback tool for the department.
Like many other people in the department, athletics communicators work sometimes double their normal hours during seasons. What is your advice for your communications staff for how to work smarter, not harder?
RM: Realize that you can’t be everything to everybody. It’s important to set boundaries, develop priorities, and communicate both effectively.
Sarah Otey, Commissioner
Ohio Athletic Conference
I participated in a Women Leaders in College Sports leadership institute a year ago. As an alum of the program, Sarah was assigned as my mentor. She was at the NCAA at the time so we bonded over national office stories. She moved on to become the commissioner of the OAC and recently promoted her communications staff member to associate commissioner.
What is the single most important thing the athletics communicators at The Ivy League do that helps you do your job better?
SO: Having a great group of storytellers is the difference-maker between conferences that are nationally visible and influential and those that are not. I have always known that all of Division III has great stories to tell and I have always known that our sports information professionals are among the hardest-working people in our athletics departments. Until I joined the OAC, I don’t think I realized just how hard they work and how difficult it is to ensure that the Division III stories are told.
How does having a strong group of storytellers in your conference help raise the profile of the conference, its schools, the athletics programs and student-athletes?
SO: As a former Division III student-athlete and lifelong Division III advocate, I am so grateful for our DIII (and specifically OAC) sports information professionals. They have, at times, a thankless job. And they have to fight for the general public’s attention amidst thousands of other sports teams and stories and amidst the general chaos of the world right now – but the job that they do is so important because they get to tell the positive stories. So many of our OAC student-athletes are doing incredible things and our OAC institutions are providing our student-athletes with life-changing experiences – and it’s evident how much our OAC storytellers care about those schools and those student-athletes because they do that work without getting near enough appreciation for the hours they put in.
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