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CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CSC membership during the celebration of College Sports Communicators Membership Appreciation Week for 2022-23. See more features at CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC.
Tyler Geivett – Stanford University, Director of Communications
by Mike Robles – California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), Director of Communications
CSC Membership Recognition Committee member
Tyler Geivett is the main athletic media relations contact for Stanford women’s soccer, men’s gymnastics and baseball. He was promoted from associate director to director of communications a few months ago (in November 2022). Prior to Stanford, he spent 11 years at Loyola Marymount University (2007-2018), beginning as media services assistant before holding the title of Assistant AD-External Communications in his final years there. He began his sports communications career at his alma mater, UC Santa Barbara, serving as SID for three years.
Geivett with his daughter Peyton after Stanford earned the 2022 NCAA men’s gymnastics national championship.
Describe what led you to a career in athletics communications and anyone or anything that inspired you to follow that path. How did your previous career stops lead to your current position?
TG: I got started as an undergrad at UC Santa Barbara. I was hoping to play baseball in college, but my skillset wasn’t exactly up to standard, so I decided to find another way to stay in sports. I walked into the sports information office and met with Bill Mahoney to see if I could intern in his office. Bill was instrumental in getting me started in the business, and I can’t thank him enough for the guidance he’s provided me over the years.
I eventually worked my way to being the baseball SID at UCSB as a student and then graduated early to try to get a job in Major League Baseball. I got the chance with the Oakland A’s and spent the 2007 season as an intern in their PR office. After that season, I was looking for full-time jobs and was fortunate to get an opportunity to work at Loyola Marymount under John Shaffer. Like Bill, John was an amazing boss who demonstrated how to lead an office and how important it is to be somewhat of a swiss army knife in our industry. He was incredibly versatile and hard-working, and I am a much better SID thanks to the 11 years I spent at LMU – the majority working under John.
At the tail end of my time in Los Angeles, I was able to lead the communications office as an Assistant AD, allowing me to build my own leadership skill set and look at the job from a different perspective. That experience prepared me well for my transition to working at Stanford the last four-plus years.
Where were you when the world came to a COVID-19 halt in March 2020? What were those first few weeks like while facing unprecedented circumstances?
TG: I was in my second season as the softball contact for Stanford and we were on the road at Tennessee. I remember talking with then-Tennessee SID Akilah Laster in that final game of the tournament and thinking we needed to get it over with so I could get on a flight before they potentially started cancelling travel plans. In all honesty, I thought we’d be shut down for maybe a couple weeks and then everything would just continue – and I have never been more wrong in my life.
Once it became clear that collegiate athletics would be halted entirely, I really started thinking about the student-athletes who would not be able to finish their seasons. Our men’s gymnastics team had won the national title in 2019 and was the runaway favorite to win again in 2020, but the season was cut short with just about a month left to be contested. It really felt like we started to shift our focus toward how to make sure those athletes – especially the seniors – still had the best experience possible at Stanford. I was fortunate to be able to work on the virtual graduation ceremony for our athletes that year, which was one of the more rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on.
Geivett (left) with Dominic Simons, Stanford Athletics director of digital media, at the 2021 NCAA College World Series in Omaha.
What did the pandemic teach you about how to approach your job?
TG: The pandemic brought about a new way of thinking about day-to-day work. We had to be extremely creative with social content, shift the direction we took as far as features, and really redefine what we were promoting and doing when sports were not happening. There were some great features produced about former and current athletes who were on the front lines in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. Some of the outside-the-box thinking (especially on social) has continued to carry over into our workflow even now that sports have resumed.
Virtual press conferences becoming common practice stands out to me as one of the biggest shifts in our industry following the pandemic. In my opinion, the convenience and accessibility they provide is something that has improved our industry greatly. I think the pandemic also has helped shift the narrative of what it means to be a successful SID. For a long time, it felt like our industry gave out badges of honor for working 80 hours a week and coming into the office every day. Now, I see more of us working remotely when possible and finding a way to carve out some time to recharge while still performing at a very high level.
Looking back over your career, what experiences stand out the most? Are they events? Places? Game upsets?
TG: I’ve been fortunate to work with three national champion teams, make two trips to Omaha for the College World Series, and watch my programs win a handful of conference titles, so the success I’ve witnessed is certainly something that stands out. I also had the opportunity to visit The White House in 2019 with our national champion teams from Stanford, so that’s a highlight that comes to mind right away.
With that said, the people I’ve been able to work with stand out the most. In my last season at LMU, I was invited to play in a dads vs. daughters women’s volleyball match. My daughter was two at the time, so I qualified on a technicality, but that night was so memorable because it allowed me to interact with the student-athletes and coaches in a way that I had never been able to before. Another highlight was getting a jersey of former LMU baseball player David Fletcher and attending a game to watch him play for the Angels in Anaheim. Being able to be there when he lived out his dreams was so amazing. I’ve also been invited to a handful of former athletes’ weddings. That might be the biggest highlight of them all. Creating relationships and connections that are meaningful enough to continue after student-athletes graduate and start their lives is something that makes this job rewarding.
With the Stanford women’s soccer coaching staff at a Halloween practice.
As a veteran of our profession, what two or three pieces of advice can you pass along to others entering our field.
TG: I alluded to it earlier, but be willing to learn new skills and constantly evolve. We are asked to do so many different things in our industry, and being able to wear many hats makes you extremely valuable. On a related note, I encourage others to attend and learn how to stat/run and manage new sports. Being a member of a team is so vital in our line of work, and it’s a very rewarding feeling when you are able to help a co-worker (or SID from another school) out in a pinch.
I’ve gotten better at this over the years, but finding a work-life balance is critical. It’s not easy, but it has to be a priority if you want to avoid burnout and get through those long weeks/months. Find something that allows you to shift your brain away from work. Collecting baseball cards has always been a hobby of mine, and I’ve found that it relieves so much stress when work starts to overwhelm me.
In 2019, Geivett was among the Stanford student-athletes and staff members honored for national championships with a visit to the White House. Here, they are in the Oval Office.
Geivett with D1Baseball sportswriter Shotgun Spratling at a West Coast Conference Baseball Championship.
Attending former Loyola Marymount baseball player and now MLB infielder David Fletcher’s wedding. Fletcher is second from right next to Geivett.
At a Stanford football practice.