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Lynnea Phillips, Assistant AD of NIL, Student-Athlete Branding, Social and Digital Media at Indiana — and a member of the strategic branding working group — shares what the new name College Sports Communicators means for her.
I'm excited to see the bright future ahead for College Sports Communicators
by Lynnea Phillips – Indiana University, Assistant AD of NIL, Student-Athlete Branding, Social and Digital Media @LynneaPhillips
Sports or athletics? Collegiate or college? Organization or alliance? Communicators or creators?
These are just a few of the words that were discussed at length during the CoSIDA Branding Working Group sessions.
Since the membership-wide vote that took place on Wednesday, August 31st, I've seen a lot of chatter about the newly passed name — College Sports Communicators. It seems as though there is a loud, mighty minority who is resistant to the change. I’m not writing to change minds, but to share my opinion and experience as someone on the fringe of athletics communications.
When I was first approached to participate in the rebranding, I found it to be a welcome inclusion; one I didn’t take lightly. This fall is my eighth year on the social/digital media side of college athletics and I’ve yet to truly find a home in a professional organization. Some days my role is about writing, some days it’s more about research, some days it’s content creation, some days it's analytics, and now (in the year 2022) there are even days when it’s about navigating the constantly changing world of name, image, and likeness. Many of the SIDs who I’ve worked with over the years with have had similar days.
Some have criticized the Executive Board of Directors for unanimously recommending the name change. This was advised only after an intensive branding study that included members and prospective members alike from various collegiate divisions and backgrounds. To name a few, the social/digital media representation included leaders in the space from College Football Playoff, LSU, and Clemson. It also included representation from past leaders of the organization as well as members from Division II and Division III and others. They did not take this inclusion lightly either. After a variety of zoom calls with consultants and peers in the industry one thing was resoundingly obvious — this was an inclusion effort.
The name change to College Sports Communicators goes hand in hand with the attempt to widen the scope of the organization to include all communicators and creatives. CSC’s new All-In membership model for 2022-23 is another welcome initiative for those of us who don’t really have a home within the college sports professional development landscape.
I truly buy in to the idea that the name change is a major step in a larger strategic plan to highlight the association’s evolution and expansion. This move better positions the organization to support members who serve in the college sports communications, digital, and creative space.
Change can be hard, but I hope you will join me in being engaged and excited to see the bright future ahead for College Sports Communicators!
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