The Case for Student Involvement in College Athletics Broadcasting: Student Perspectives
College athletics have been a hot topic in the news lately. But rather than talking (or writing?) your ear off about NIL and the state of sponsorships and money in the NCAA, I’d like to bring attention to another group of students benefiting from college athletics. Communication, or Broadcasting students.
I’d be wrong in limiting the positive reach of college athletics to simply Broadcasting students because there are so many opportunities open to creative students of all kind in the However, for the sake of time and clarity I want to specially talk about the area I have the most personal experience and contact to, Sports Broadcasting.
It takes a lot of hands to make productions happen. For every person you see out at a venue with a camera or cable or microphone, there are easily 1-2 people hidden in some back room or truck trailer working behind the scenes. Even at the lower levels of Division I athletics, it can be hard for schools to acquire or afford full time staff to work the shows.
This is where colleges and universities have the advantage over the rest of the industry.
STUDENTS NEED-REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE, AND PRODUCTIONS NEED DEDICATED WORKERS
“There is nothing better than working hands on in the career field that I wanted to find a job in. Without my time as a student worker for my college broadcast, I most likely would not have been prepared for my current job after graduation.”
Connor Barnett, Graduate - Broadcasting
Connor was a dedicated student in his communication studies, and yet he still learned new skills out in the field. His skillset grew so much over the course of his time with the team that he was able to train incoming students in his last year at school. Connor’s classwork supplemented his work out in the field, and together he built an impressive portfolio and received multiple job offers before he graduated - the ultimate statistic that colleges and prospective students are after.
For employers (especially in the broadcasting/communicaiton field) it’s oftentimes very hard to find students with real-world experience. A lot can be simulated in classrooms and studios, but the pressure of something being real cannot be recreated. Employers understand this, which is why a 2023 employer survey found that 70% of hiring managers said they would be significantly more likely to hire a candidate who had completed an internship or similar college work experience.
So universities should just force every Communication student into a production role with the broadcast team and call it a win, right? Well, maybe. But generally no.
Communication is a broad field. It often encapsulates concentrations across all sorts of digital media like Public Relations and Advertising, Digital Media Production, Interpersonal Communication, Political Communication, Broadcasting, and so on. Not every communication students stands something to gain by working in live production.
Forcing students with no interest in mastering the intricate skills of broadcasting will only weigh down the team as a whole. We can’t expect PR students to be interested in how a live show is directed, the same way we wouldn’t expect a broadcasting student to be interested in how to write a proper press release. The students involved must care about the product, and their contribution to the team.
That said, there’s a lot to be learned by students via these experiences, even if it’s outside the scope of a student’s elected major. As long as they’re willing to commit to learning.
“It has shaped my knowledge of sports and rules that I knew little to nothing about before I started, and has given me a greater appreciation for the inner workings of a broadcast, national and in-house.”
Ross Quarles, Sophomore - Sports Management
Ross has learned and worked the Xpression graphics system for Baseball, Basketball, and Football at the Division I level, and he has gotten very comfortable with it. Even as a Sports Management major! That’s a skill that - in most places, isn’t taught in communication classes, and if it is, is very hard to learn in a semester of hour long classes.
So what’s the best solution then? To leave the jobs completely open and bring in potentially uninterested students, or to keep the opportunities closed and cut off potentially talented and aspiring students? Let’s not make this too complicated. Split the difference. Keep the jobs wide open for any student to apply to. Potentially even incentivize the job by offering partial scholarships. But do not add every applicant to the job. Students should be required to have taken some form of TV Production class, and have a reference from a Communication professor advocating for the student’s work ethic. This sets a minimum acceptable level of knowledge while not pushing away students ready to learn.
College jobs should be easy and welcoming to students looking for expiereice. But overcomplicating the system, or starving it of funding and attention, are great ways to make students feel neglected as well. Real-world experience is a pivotal part of a resume, and colleges are in a perfect position to offer that experience to students looking for it.
