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This story is part of our CSC 360 package for February 2023, to view more stories, click here.

Career elevations
Black communicators pave their path in college sports

by Barb Kowal – College Sports Communicators, Director of Professional Development and External Affairs
and Kobe Mosley – College Sports Communicators, 2023 Intern

In honor of Black History Month, here are three stories of Black professionals from within College Sports Communicators who share with us their stories of paving their communications and creative career paths.
 
The trio are at different stages of their careers — one is a former NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women Internship Grant recipient who now oversees new media and student support/success areas for the school he interned at; one has been elevated to Assistant AD and oversees both external relations and diversity matters at his alma mater, a Division I institution; and the third has parlayed student intern experiences and her recent master’s degree work into her new Division II athletic communications assistant position.
 
They are:

• Temi Bajulaiye – Babson College Athletics Marketing, New Media and Student-Athlete Success Specialist
• Harrison Baker – Marist College, Associate AD, Director of External Affairs & Chief Diversity Officer for Athletics 
• Tiffany Jacobs – Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech), Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Bajulaiye, Baker and Jacobs share thoughts and advice to fellow professionals and underrepresented members about breaking through barriers, reflect on who and what helped them along his career trajectory, and discuss their personal thoughts on the importance of Black History Month.
 
Temi Bajulaiye
 
Bajulaiye is the New Media and Student-Athlete Success Specialist in Athletics Marketing for Babson College, an NCAA Division III institution in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Bajulaiye was hired in 2017 through the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women Internship Grant Program and held the role of athletics communications and marketing coordinator. The two-year program aids entry-level administrative positions with funding and promotes the success of ethnic minorities and women at the NCAA D-III level.
 
 
As you think about your career growth, what skills and personal traits do you believe have helped lead to your advancement?
TB: I would say the biggest thing that has helped me along the way has been getting to know people. You never know who knows somebody else. You never know who could open a door for you. And I don't think it was only about me trying to figure out who can open a door for me, I just really like getting to know people. It's happenstance that the people I've gotten to know along my path have been able to get me to the next step or helped me see where I want to go and kind of get me in that direction of what the next place could be or should be.

Do you believe that diversity and opportunities for underrepresented individuals is growing at a good pace within the college athletic industry? Why or why not?
TB: I think it has grown, especially with what I do [on more of the creative side of things.] With more [access] to technology, the ability to create content quickly on phones, with more creators, or sports information directors or just people who look like you in those positions — they have to envision “alright, if they can do it, I can do it. If it's something that they're doing, I want to do it.”

I think one of the hardest things to do was try to envision yourself on a path where no one who looks like you has been. The first person that takes that journey has the toughest path, because you're not really sure what's on the other side. But once someone opens that door, it stays open for the next generation and for someone else that looks like them to walk through it.

Can you name one or two mentors and how did they impact you?
TB: Jeff Smith, who used to work at Penn State. When I [was an intern,] I shadowed him…he was the primary SID for field hockey, men's volleyball, track and field, and cross country. I was the secondary for those sports, and honestly, I didn't even understand the whole sports world until I worked at Penn State. He showed me the ins and outs…let me see what everything was about. I think the biggest thing was that whenever I made mistakes, he was always like "mistakes happen, we'll correct them, we'll problem solve, and we'll move on."

Another one of the biggest things and coolest things about him is he was always trying to help me. It was never "hey, do this so I don't have to do it." It was "hey, you should do this, you can put your name on this" and "you should do this, you're going to learn this skill" and "make sure you talk to this person." Having someone be direct and having this exuberating confidence in me and showing me some secrets to the trade was cool. Now, I have student workers who work under me, and they always ask me "hey, I want to do this, how do I do it?" If I know the answer, I tell them. If I don't have the answer, I try to give them some confidence to help them keep going.
 

What did the Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship Grant Program do for your career?
TB: I think there's this whole perception of working in Division III sports versus working in Division I sports [or] working in professional sports … and that your talent level equates to the division you work in. I don't know why there's that misnomer there.

I applied to work at Babson College after [they were] awarded the grant. I knew about Babson because one of my high school track and field teammates went to Babson and ran track and loved the experience there. Then seeing what the grant had to offer was key. Not much financially, but Babson offered on-campus housing, professional development, and a small stipend for food. Being able to live on campus for two years helps ingrain yourself into the campus culture.

So when I wanted to talk to a field hockey coach after practice, when everyone else was leaving, I could just walk back to where my room was. When I wanted to hop on the bus with the hockey team to go to New York, it didn't really matter to me because I was living with the students and living within the campus community which I thought was cool. I think that made it easier for me to transition into a whole sports grind.

I encourage anyone who wants to get in the (college athletic) door to apply for these types of grants.

Any other benefits to receiving the D3 grant?
TB: I think also being in a cohort was cool. A lot of people in my cohort don't necessarily work in sports anymore or don't work in Division III anymore, but I still talk to many of them from time to time and I'm super close with a few of them. The person who oversaw saw our cohort still works in Division III, so when I go to championships, I'll see her there and catch up with her. It’s just nice knowing that you kind of have people in your corner, people who've either been in your shoes or people who are rooting for you to succeed.

Throughout your career, what are some of the top “aha” moments that have helped you grow as a professional?
TB: The biggest aha moment I had was [learning about] the ability to rely on others. When I first started off, I was like, “alright, I have to do these four tasks.” Therefore, “I - and only I - will do these four tasks.” And you realize quickly that you can't be everywhere, you can't do everything.

The ability to trust people, the ability to ask for help, has become such an important factor to me. My first years working in athletics, I'd never really traveled anywhere because we competed almost every day. I never wanted to be away from the games because I was always like, “well, if I'm not there, my four things can't get done.” Slowly and surely, I started trusting my student workers and started trusting my co-workers, trusting my support system that if I'm not there, they can help. Now I have about 15 student workers and, honestly, they can probably do the job better than I can! They want to be in a position where they can learn these things. Baptism by fire is the best way to go through it. So, my advice is to trust other people, ask for help, and just know that you don't have to do everything by yourself.
 

What can we collectively do in college sports and then specifically in communications, do to enhance diversity in the profession?
TB: There's this whole “how the industry used to be” thought process — how it used to be purely writing newspaper articles, doing stats. Now, the profession has evolved so much, and I feel like, in a sense, the old regime has to be able to come over to new guards. Whether it's the style of writing, the style of creating content, or the style of posting content online, it isn't one size fits all. Content comes in different shapes and forms. I remember when UMBC beat Virginia in men’s basketball; the way [UMBC] was covering the game was so different than the way you're “supposed to.” And I think that people are so used to being like, “this is how we do this job, this is how the job will be done” versus saying “what works well for our audience?”

I think the minute the industry allows people to be authentic and create authentic content, whether it's a story, article, video or photo or graphic, then it allows people who don't look like how the industry looked like when it first started a chance to be part of it. When I first started, I basically did things based on how other people were doing it, rather than saying “let me try something different because I'm a different person and I have a different perspective.” But there’s still a “this is how it was, this is how it is, this is how it will be [mentality].” I think once we get rid of that mentality, then the industry can evolve. And the people within the industry will evolve as well.

What is your advice to those in athletic communications who might face roadblocks in career advancement?
TB: Ask for help and explain to people what you want to do in your career. The people I've come across have been willing to help with any help I’ve needed. People always want to give back to that next generation. The sports community is super tight knit — everybody knows somebody else in the industry.

For the person who wants to be the next “this” or next “that”, just say “hey, I see what you're doing, and I'm interested in learning a little bit more about what you do.” The number of times that I've reached out to people, whether they're younger than me or older than me, in the same position or not, I will say, “hey, I'm going to be in your area, can I come check out your facility and see how you guys do things?” They're super excited to open their doors and show their world. It's such a cool profession because your network is not just people you know. It's anybody in the sports world…anybody in your profession is part of your network in a sense. Reach out!
 
What does Black History Month mean to you?
TB: To me and my perspective, it means a time to reflect. I was born in the United States and both my parents were born in Nigeria. Growing up, my parents always told me stories about things happening when they were growing up or things happening when their parents or grandparents were younger. My brother and I grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and we both ran track and field and we'd go on runs all the time. One time, my brother went on a 10-mile run and it was nine o'clock at night. He gets back and my dad's yelling at him, saying “you can't be doing that, you can't be running around outside.” And [my brother] is like “I don't get it; all my friends do it.” You don't really understand where your parents are coming from at that age. Then years go by, things happen, you see the news, and you're like “that could have been me…that's what my parents [were] talking about.”

So, knowing where they came from, learning about their perspective, learning about why we have the opportunities we have, it's such a powerful thing; being able to honor the past and respect the past, being able to see where we're going, is so important.

I don’t like to say it's seeing the privileges that we have, because I don't necessarily think it’s a privilege, I think it's an opportunity. [We have the opportunity] to be able to empower the next generation, to look back at the generation that came before us to see how we got here. Then, we take what they've done to see how we can get to the next place so that the next generation can say “look at what we can do because of who came before us.”

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Harrison Baker
 
In August 2020, Baker returned to Marist College, his alma mater, to assume a senior leadership role as Associate Athletics Director & Director of External Affairs. A content creator and social media manager early in his career, Baker was assistant SID then social media coordinator at Marist (2014-18) before heading to Tulane University where he served as associate director of graphic design and digital strategy for two years. In Baker's first year, content from Tulane's main social media athletics platforms had an 87 percent increase in total engagements, with a 24 percent in total impressions. As a result, the Green Wave generated a 24 percent increase in total followers. Now in his leadership role, Baker oversees marketing and sponsorship, in-game presentation, and the department's sports information and multimedia staffs.
 
 
What skills and personal traits do you possess that have helped you carve your successful career to date?
HB: I believe I am a good communicator, can mesh well with any type of person in any role in our athletic department, and with people across campus. I feel like my communication skills are huge in that regard. The ability to relate with people has taken me a long way. I am a self-teacher, embrace being a life-long learner, and pick up things on my own. I taught myself Photoshop as a teenager, for instance. I also like to read and write and that’s done me well along the way. Why not keep on learning and see what skills you can pick up?
 
We always talk about a professional having to be a good communicator, and if you want to get ahead, be valued, and recognized, you need excellent communications skills. What exactly does that mean to you?
HB: This is a big one for me. It’s all about the ability to listen. Many people listen to speak, and don’t listen to understand. So that’s a huge red flag for me. If someone is ready with an answer, without thinking about the question being asked or focusing on what another person is saying. You can tell easily when someone has a preconceived notion in their head of what they want their answer to be. It’s a pet peeve, but again, there are ways to learn how to listen. It’s easily correctible. Listen with both ears and give all attention to the person who is speaking. Some people believe communication is how they speak, but it’s not. It’s how you receive information. I learned that a while back. You’ll distinguish yourself if you are a good listener.
 
How can young people, brought up with being immersed in their cell phones and tablets, develop better interpersonal communications skills?
HB: I am of the generation of “all cell phones all the time,” but being 35, I wasn’t on a cell phone 24/7 during my teenage informative years. Today, we all face so many distractions which divert attention from the person you are speaking to or the person you are with. I would remind young professionals that you’ve got to be in the moment. And I call myself out for it often, too. When you recognize your own faults, you can fix them. It’s so important to be present. Stop thinking about what’s ahead. Be in the moment and be the best person you can be in that moment. Be the best listener you can be in that moment.
 
 
What is your take on the direction and pace of developing diverse work forces in college athletics? Is there a big enough focus on DEI in college athletics, and what can we do collectively to enhance diversity?
HB: I come at this important topic from my own perspective. Luckily, I’ve been at places, predominantly white institutions which have diverse work forces, so maybe that might not be the norm. At Marist, we have diverse colleagues – but there always could be more.
 
Diverse working spaces are more efficient – you get diversity of opinions and ideas, and can bounce things off a variety of people. It’s really the most important thing you can have.
 
I am lucky to live here in the Hudson Valley, which is diverse. At Tulane, we had a diverse athletic department in a predominately white university situated in a very eclectic and diverse community. I had preconceived ideas when I moved to the South and couldn’t have been more wrong.
 
Back to our industry. It’s a hard career path to see yourself in, as a minority, because the people ahead and above you don’t quite look like you … or, the people who look like you might not quite be there (in those positions), yet. It’s getting better, but it’s a slow grind. I’ve had mentors with diverse backgrounds and taken a lot from them. My advice is that you must remove yourself from saying, “Oh, I can see myself here because so-and-so looks like me” and focus on what you do and how to get getting better as an individual. From there, you can be the change you want to see and be the leader you want to be.
 
I know there’s a diverse population of college staff members, administrators, multi-media people, communicators, SIDs — but it’s learning and finding out where they are, connecting with them, mentoring them and helping elevate them on their paths and send them to a place where they can make decisions and changes in the DEI space.
 
I know it’s happening. I’m proof of that. How long it takes, I cannot be quite sure.
 
Aha moments in your career? Either a mistake or a lesson learned that have really impacted you?
HB: Tons! Seeing like-minded individuals at my first CoSIDA convention — that was a huge aha moment. When I was at Tulane, I went to a graphic design conference and had the same takeaways. Being around people doing a job like you and doing things differently, those lessons are so important.
 
In my mid-20s, as a part-time SID, I had a boss Travis Tellitocci (now at the Ohio Valley Conference and formerly at Marist) say to me, ‘you know people follow you, right?’ That resonated with me hugely. I was there, just doing my work. So, know people are always watching what you are doing. Lead by example, do things the right way to be seen in a good light. That was a huge one for me and helped shape my path, helped me not cut corners.
 
 
None of us would be where we are without mentors. Who are some of yours?
HB: Starts with my parents, both self-employed artists. They both went to the Pratt Institute. My dad Garin Baker, is a freelance muralist, does oil paintings, and teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. My mother, Jerilyn, does comic book art, children’s art. Very eclectic family! I still do a lot of graphic design and take that art with me. They don’t really know what I do, but they know I am happy working it sports! I learned how to budget time, and experienced months where we were stressed financially and months we weren’t. You see the commitment it takes to stay with it; you learn how to not be complacent.
 
Mike Ferrero, the head SID when I started, gave me a chance. He is a wizard, the quintessential SID to me. He is a great writer, a great planner, and he taught me a lot.
 
Some mentors are outside of sports. While working at a bank, I met Felix Vega, an older gentleman, and we hit it off, went golfing often. He doesn’t quite understand all the work I do, but when I have a problem or issue, he will say, ‘why wouldn’t you do x this way? I can bounce things off him and he steps me back, helping me see things more clearly and through a different lens.
 
If someone says to you, I am facing a career roadblock: my opportunities are limited, I don’t believe I am valued in my position, the salaries aren’t there, how do you respond? How can we help our communications professionals address this?
HB: This is a tough spot we are in. Some can see this as griping and complaining and others can see it as fighting for what you are worth. Most of us are all severely underpaid in college sports. It’s a shame as you see the hard work from your staff and colleagues. It’s also why we have a problem with diversity. It’s a risky career path as there is no stepladder or formula here to follow. The highest-paying individuals are the top coaches and top-level ADs. What about the middle ground? How do you see yourself starting this career, making a family, and staying in? The rest of the staffers can be super-talented and leave early as there is not a landscape to it, of where you can go, what you can do and how you can be paid fairly for what you do. When someone finds that solution, I hope to be part of that solution. We are losing a ton of talented people, and it is disappointing.
 
We need to take care of people who directly impact our student-athletes. I’m learning so much of what athletic trainers do, what compliance does. There must be a way to distribute salaries better. It’s a reflection of our nation — of some things being over-valued and things being too skewed financially. You must build a priority list and then help as many as you can. You’ve got to keep communicating with the senior administrators on this.
 
 
What would we find you doing outside of your Marist role?
HB: It’s all about my family time and golf! My wife Amy works remotely as a loan processor in banking for a company in Louisiana, and we are fortunate she kept the job she had while we were in New Orleans (at Tulane). Our daughter Charlotte will be six in April; she is always on my hip. Our son Jackson is 1½, always by mom right now.
 
Always participating in sports, I now golf a lot, a sport I started after college. I have an addictive personality, whether it is work or outside. Golf is huge for me. I got down to scratch (playing a par level, with no handicap), and I do carve out time for practice and a competitive schedule to compete in local and state tournaments. I love to travel to golf courses. That’s my routine. Family, work, and golf.
 
What is the importance of celebrating Black History Month to you?
HB: The recognition is so, so important this month. It’s great that it is a month to recognize those who came before us and those who are doing the achievements and work now. We’ll do some social media engagement here at Marist with some of our past athletes, and we are looking forward to those activations. 

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Tiffany Jacobs

Hired last semester (September 2022) at Florida Tech as Assistant Director of Athletic Communications in her first full-time role, Jacobs is media relations contact for men’s soccer, women’s basketball, and softball. Her prior experiences included athletics communications internships at the University of Florida, ESPN Gainesville and undergraduate student work while at Saint Leo.
 
 
What is something that you've learned in the past four years since you've been a professional world that wish you knew when you first graduated from Saint Leo a few years ago?
TJ: I learned that once you graduate college, you don't have to have everything figured out. They teach you to have a plan and know what you want to do. I learned when you first get out of school, to not compare yourself and your life path and what you're doing to friends, what you see people doing on social media. Sometimes, it takes a while to get in the right direction. And the plan might not always work out. I took a year off in between graduating from Saint Leo, went back home to New Jersey, re-evaluated, and then decided that I wanted to go to grad school. I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason. Everything will fall in place.
 
When you studied for your master’s at the University of Florida during Covid, what lessons and skills did you learn from your time there?
TJ: First, I lived off campus and commuted every day, and I had a full-time job while going to school. I had two internships during my graduate school days, too, so just juggling a lot of different things at once taught me a lot about time management and organization. I think it really set me up and kind of prepared me for what life would be like after school.
 
As a Saint Leo undergraduate, I was interning as a student doing social media work for athletics, living on campus, and was involved in athletics as a cheerleader. So, things were a little different in grad school, and giving 100 percent to the different things that I committed prepared me for life after school. 
 
My first semester at Florida was done online due to Covid, and it was quite the learning curve to have Zoom classes and not being able to meet people in person and network, which hindered my experience. When I was reaching out to athletic departments about internship experiences, a lot of them weren't allowing people to be in person for internship experiences because of Covid, limiting people in press boxes, at events, etc. Covid-19 certainly impacted my experience in grad school.
 
 
Tell us about working at ESPN Gainesville and how that prepared you for the role you now have at Florida Tech.
TJ: While I was at Florida, there was an email sent out that talked about a shadow opportunity working with ESPN. At first, it wasn't anything that I planned on doing but I took the opportunity to shadow one day, and it was something that really seemed like I would be interested in doing. I got curious, so that is something I’d tell people — be curious.
 
The ESPN Gainesville internship could count as credits towards my degree. I got it in my last semester of graduate school. I really, really enjoyed my time there. Each week, I had to write about a new topic, do research, create audio transcripts. I wasn't told what the topics were before I came in every Monday morning. I would check the information board for new stories that happened over the weekend and look at upcoming events. It really helped me step out of my comfort zone and broaden my horizon on different sports.
 
The first article I wrote was about women's tennis — and I don't watch tennis and knew nothing about it. I would tell young people — step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Not knowing what I was going to have to write ahead of time really helped me adjust on the fly and be comfortable with the different sports.
 
There were some articles that I was more comfortable doing. I wrote about Klay Thompson when he had his return to the NBA. I wrote about Mike McDaniel when he got hired by the Miami Dolphins.
 
The writing aspect really helped me for my current Florida Tech job as I had not done a lot of writing prior to ESPN Gainesville. Having to write about a new sport, a new topic weekly really helped me sharpen my writing skills.
 
With my three sports at Florida Tech — men's soccer, women's basketball, and softball — I’m doing a lot of writing. So, that's a sign that the ESPN internship was a really great experience for my future and it helped me to get out of my comfort zone.
 
Mentors and making connections are important for young professionals. Can you name one or two mentors who’ve had a big impact on you?
TJ: Richard Sherry, the current Associate Athletic Director of Facilities at Nevada. He spent time at Tampa and South Florida and the University of Miami. He graduated from Saint Leo a couple years before me and has helped me network and connect with people that I wouldn't have met. He helped me get my internship at the University of Tampa during my senior year at Saint Leo. When I was graduating from Florida, he connected me with different resources, different websites to check when applying for jobs as he already went through the process and had a couple years under his belt in the career field. He knew how tough it could be and how challenging it could be, he answered my questions, helped with resume items, gave me interview tips and things like that. So yeah, Richard's really been a great mentor for me.
 
 
Let’s switch gears and talk about opportunities for underrepresented professionals and ethnic minorities. Do you believe that diversity is growing at a good pace within the industry? Why or why not?
TJ: I think that we've seen a lot of growth in diversity in college athletics, but I think at the same time, there's still a long way to go. In the last couple of years we've seen a lot of highlights about diversity in college athletics, but I do think we're still behind and could be growing at a faster rate. For instance, a lot of discussion comes up about head coaching positions, specifically in football, and I feel like we're growing at a good rate with diversity — but not in leadership positions, the positions of power. We have coaches who are in offensive coordinator roles or in defensive coordinator roles. But we don't see a lot at the athletic director or head coaching positions. There's still a long way to go in aspects of diversity in leadership roles
 
For those who are looking to break into a college sports career, what is some advice you give to them, especially if they face roadblocks or are having a tough time breaking into the industry?
TJ: When I graduated from the University of Florida, I didn't know what to expect going into the career field. I wanted to find a job right away, didn't want to wait. My advice would be to be patient, but at the same time, be persistent. If you are passionate about what you want to do, patience and commitment to the search are important.
 
I applied to a lot of different jobs in different states, in different areas. You might receive a lot of nos, but it just takes that one person to give you a chance and give you opportunity. I have a lot of family members who told me that it's going to be a while before I found a job in my career field and that maybe I should just take another job, not necessarily my career field, for the time being. But I persisted!
 
 
What does Black History Month mean to you, personally?
TJ: I really had to think about this question. At Florida Tech, we're doing a series with our student-athletes, asking them questions, and having them give us quotes for Black History Month and what it means to them.
 
So, I’m just really reflecting myself on the question. It’s a time to celebrate the past achievements and people who've paved the way and broke barriers to help someone like me be able to put myself in the position that I'm in today. And at the same time, it's celebrating a lot of the achievements that current African Americans have done in the present and those to come.
 
A big topic right now is that Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are the first two Black quarterbacks to meet in the Super Bowl. And it just so happens to line up in February for Black History Month. I think that's something that's pretty cool.
 
Barriers are still being broken; we still have a long way to go. But just celebrating the small and big achievements along the way is very important.

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