The Potential of Networking

 Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Sports Information Networking Conference at George Washington University in Washington D.C. SINC was held over two days in the Public and Media Affairs building on the GW campus. What I was looking forward to most was networking with professionals. My goal after graduation is to attend graduate school for sports management or obtain a job in sports marketing.

At the conference I was able to connect with professionals that have jobs I aspire to have one day. I was able to meet Garrett Klassy, Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations at George Washington Athletics. Mr. Klassy and I were able to talk about his role at GW Athletics, my duties as an intern at Tech, and what to study in graduate school. It was nice to get advice from someone who is in the business and has traveled the same path I’m currently traveling. I was also able to meet Linda Thomas, Director of Digital and Social Media for the Philadelphia Eagles. Talking with Ms. Thomas was an incredible experience. I would love to have her job one day. The job that she holds didn’t exists 10 years ago. Ms. Thomas was able to mold and shape social media for the Eagles. How awesome is that?! I would love to work with social media in the sports industry one day.

What I’ve been hearing the most is that making connections is everything in the sports industry. The connections that I’m making right now through work and conferences are hopefully going to help me in the future. People say it’s not what you know but whom you know that helps you out. I like to think that you need to be on the top of your game with what you know to fully value whom you know. Networking is something that can’t be avoided in life. It is crucial to network to find jobs for the ultimate goal of obtaining the dream job.

Carolina - Duke: One of the best rivalries in college basketball history.

Tonight is one of the biggest rivalry match ups in  college basketball history! UNC will take on Duke at 9 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium. This is one of the oldest match ups dating back to 1920. These two teams have amazing programs that recruit the best of the best players throughout the country. This match up has never been a disappointment. Fans are never really sure what to expect when tip off arrives. Will it be a blow out? Hopefully not, a close game is always good for the nerves. Will it be close? You better believe it! Will blood be shed? Have you not seen previous games??? I always look forward to these games when Carolina and Duke meet, whether it’s a regular season game or in the ACC tournament.

@ESPNCBB tweeted today, “UNC leads the all-time series with Duke, 133-105. This will be 73^rd meeting when both are ranked. #UNCvsDUKE, 9, ESPN”. Even social media gets excited for this game. Social media plays a more active role in sports media, fans now have access to content they wouldn’t have before. I like how I can follow UNC basketball, ESPN, and other sports accounts on Twitter. My timeline usually blows up on days with big games especially during rivalry week. If you want to hear my thoughts about this great rivalry and game updates be sure to follow me, @KaitReese. I hope you will become part of history tonight and watch the UNC Tar Heels take on the Duke Blue Devils!

What do you know about the NCAA?

This past week in Sports Communication we talked about the NCAA and the commodification of sports. I grew up watching sports and playing volleyball in middle and high school. It wasn’t until my sister, Paige, decided to play college golf that I took a deeper look at the sports industry.

Once Paige hit high school that was when my parents started to look at the NCAA rulebook and guidelines for what she needed to do to play in college. I am pretty sure that my mom read most if not the entire rulebook. Have you seen this rulebook? It is huge! We found out that Paige needed to be considered an amateur, which means that she could not accept money as a prize for winning golf tournaments. This rule is true for all sports and all athletes.

College athletes are not allowed to make profit off their performance for the collegiate team that they represent. There are two sides to this argument in whether or not they deserve to be paid. Some say no, that they should not be paid. They receive a superior education and have access to the best tools such as professors and material that they would not receive without their scholarship.

The other side of this argument is also complicated. Former players, current players, outsiders, and insiders believe that yes, college athletes should get paid. The college and NCAA profit off their performance. This includes athletic wear, pictures, and video games. Some athletes believe that they should make money off the video games that use their likeness. They can’t collect this money because of the contract they signed binding them to their school and the NCAA.

This is a very controversial topic in the sports world right now. If you’re interested in sports become informed and develop a stance to this issue. 

Is it March yet?

During this time of year I eat, sleep, and breathe basketball. My days revolve around which ACC teams are playing each other and the time of the games. This only gets worse when March Madness arrives after Selection Sunday.

I didn’t grow up playing basketball; in fact my love for basketball didn’t really start until the 8^th grade. My mom grew up watching sports and passed her love of sports to me. My grandparents would allow my mom and her siblings to get out of school early during the ACC tournament. They would even have multiple TVs playing to show different games. This tradition was passed down to me when I was in high school, although I didn’t have multiple TVs on at the same time. 

My mom is from North Carolina and attended East Carolina University. One of her brothers and her sister attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her other brother attended North Carolina State University. This influenced the majority of the teams I pulled for growing up. I hated Duke with a passion (still do today) and would always pull for UNC and N.C. State.

The first basketball game I remember really watching and getting into was the Duke vs. UNC game in 2007. Tyler Hansbrough (one of my favorite players) received a broken nose from Gerald Henderson. Hansbrough’s face is forever etched in my mind with the pain-stricken expression and blood running down his face. UNC beat Duke 86 – 72 and Hansbrough was the leading scorer with 26 points. Since that game I have always enjoyed watching the Tar Heels and pulling for them season after season. Basketball is my favorite sport and I continue to look forward to each new season after the last piece of confetti is cleared from the national championship court.