Related Content
•
CollegeSportsCommunicators.com/360 Archive
This story is part of our CSC 360 package for March 2023, to view more stories,
click here.
Three Up, Three Down is a Q&A series aimed at highlighting young members of the College Sports Communicators membership, their career paths and what they enjoy in their roles on a day-to-day basis.
Young professionals spotlight: Three up, three down with Tony Venegas — Director of Athletics Communications
by Nick Julien – Finger Lakes Community College, Sports Information Director
CSC Young Professionals Committee
Tony Venegas has been a dynamic member of the Belmont Abbey College athletic department, using every opportunity to advance his career since taking over as Director of Athletic Communications in November of 2022.
With prior experience as communications game day staff for both the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC, as well as a background in sports writing and broadcasting, Venegas has cultivated a distinct perspective on the industry, motivating him to continually strive for excellence.
From overseeing gameday operations for athletic events, to managing the department's social media presence, Venegas is always in motion and eager to tackle any challenge that comes his way. Venegas embraces the unpredictability of his role, and no two days are alike in his pursuit of delivering top-quality content to the public. He also serves on the CSC Membership Recognition Committee and contributed member feature stories to this past January's CSC Membership Appreciation Week.
How did your previous experience as a sports reporter prepare you for your current role as Director of Athletic Communications at Belmont Abbey College?
TV: Being a reporter was incredibly valuable in the sense that a lot of the skills I developed reporting were able to transfer to my current role. That includes everything from writing, taking photos, keeping stats and everything else like that. It gave me a good starting point to move into my current role.
I started as an athletic communications coordinator back in September 2021 and during my time here, I’ve also had the help and support of a lot of great co-workers and colleagues who have been patient with me as I got up to speed on some of the new skills I had to learn. Having to deal with deadlines and getting things done under pressure were some of the other things that I felt I could work on going into my current role and has helped me immensely over the past year and a half since I’ve been here at Belmont Abbey.
What are some of the biggest changes or trends that you see shaping the future of athletics communications?
TV: In the brief time I’ve been working on this side of athletics communications, one of the trends I’ve seen is more being asked of those of us working in the field. Being flexible is important but I believe it’s also essential to make sure that you have the support system to get through the many challenges one faces in a day.
Additionally, social media is taking more of a front seat compared to writing the traditional game recaps. As a former sports reporter, it’s caused me to adjust my thinking in how I write and how I present content.
Finally (and this is an encouraging one), I do see more people willing to speak about mental health and what we go through every day in our field. Being in this position is very rewarding but it also has its days where it can be stressful. Knowing that experience is something that we share with others is crucial and may help a lot of people who are dealing with many different challenges.
What advice would you give to students or young professionals who are interested in pursuing a career in sports communications and what qualities do you think are essential for success in the field?
TV: Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and network. That’s one of the biggest things that’s helped me. You never know where your network can take you. I can say those connections have helped open doors for me that I would never have envisioned.
As for the qualities, I would say be versatile and open to doing a lot of different things that at first may be out of your comfort zone. Being able to stay calm under pressure is another key one because there will be a lot of other things going on around you. Finally, I would say don’t be afraid to take chances. Case in point, I came out to Belmont Abbey from West Texas having never been to North Carolina prior to taking the job. If the opportunity is good and you have a good support system to help guide you in a new environment, you will be able to thrive in whatever school you end up at.
Talk about these stories on the
Slack Community.