I have gained so much insight in this Sport and Strategic Communication class pertaining to the growth of sport media throughout the years as well as the various forms that are used to reach different audiences. Sport media has increased its efficiency by providing people with news at a faster rate and making it easily accessible through popular social media platforms. Newspapers and even many magazines were once popular but are now out of style due to the advancement of technology seen through social media.  

Social media has become the NUMBER 1 way to spread messages fast and assist organizations in building positive brand equity. Sport fans can go online or check a sport news page on Instagram to get more updates on popular topics.  As a graduate student that received my bachelor’s degree in marketing and am currently pursuing my master’s degree in sport management, I know how vital communication is in promoting someone’s brand. Forms of sport media like interviews, podcasts, trendy social media posts, and blogs can be used by athletes, sport organizations, and fans to boost their brand image and/or connect with other sport fans.

There are many components from this class that will be valuable in my own aspirational sport marketing career. Facets like “Broadcast Media” which is on the decline, “Athlete Activism” which has become more popular, and the “Strategic Communication Process” which shows how social media has changed sport media, are all helpful in creating solutions on how to find the most beneficial ways to market to a specific audience.

 Although WordPress was not easy to navigate, it helped me become more familiar with how to create a blog/website and think of innovative ideas when making my weekly submissions. It also showed me how accessible the resources are to start my own personal blog if I ever decide to. The “Sport Media Consumption” assignment gave me a greater understanding on how social media really has changed the game since that is the main way I receive news about sports. I enjoyed this class and look forward to utilizing the things that I have learned to make a difference in the sport marketing world!

My Penpal Mikayla is big on giving back to her community, and just recently held a Community Day with the help of her alma mater Hampton University. She has used her influence to help those around her which is why a “Youth Fest” at Hampton University would be another fun event that she could help host! The event would be completely free with donations being accepted to help support the youth in the Hampton Roads area. I created the flyer ( below) with Mikayla’s Sport Xposure Podcast, and Hampton University’s brand colors in mind. Athlete graphics from different teams are also displayed to appeal to various sport fans. The event would be perfect during the spring because there is nice weather, and it could be outdoors, allowing more people to attend.

 Mikayla partnering with Hampton University makes the event even more special since she played basketball and graduated from the institution. There would be special guests from the sport industry, food, competitions, prizes, and networking opportunities that could help propel the youth toward their college/ career aspirations. It was important for the flyer to state that there would be free food, and other fun activities since expenses tend to affect the number of people that attend certain events. Now that sport podcasts have taken off, there are youth that would be interested in hearing what it takes to build a successful podcast.  Why not here from Mikayla Sayle herself since she has built her very own from the ground up; amassing 20.8K followers on Instagram?! Since the event would take place from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Mikayla could speak to the youth for about 30 minutes at the beginning of the event and answer any questions that they would like to ask her.

Marketing Strategy

This event would be marketed as the “Hampton Roads Youth Event of the Year.” Marketing would begin in the fall so everyone has adequate time to prepare for the special occasion. Mikayla would post the flyer on her podcast and personal Instagram page. We would leverage more publicity by creating a social media giveaway that would require all participants to follow her podcast Instagram page, share the flyer to their Instagram story, and tag three people in the comments. On her podcast, she would talk about the event at the beginning before interviewing her guests. Hampton University would also be able to collaborate with her on her posts like they did for her recent Community Day event, and repost her content. Paying for ads on Instagram and other social media platforms would also be an easy way to reach more people. Explaining the reasoning behind the event, and how it will be used to make a difference for the youth in the community would also be beneficial in creating awareness, and possibly finding more partnerships. Mikayla would provide more details about the event on various local radio stations to get the word out, and appeal to the youth by creating trendy videos on TikTok using the hashtag “YouthFestHR.”  The amount of media attention behind the event will create a lot of excitement within the community, and lead to a great turnout!

Colin Kaepernick is a popular former NFL athlete that was blackballed because of his decision to take a stand against police brutality with the heinous murder of George Floyd; by kneeling during the national anthem. Within a matter of seconds after his peaceful protest, he was hit with so much backlash. Although many people understood exactly why he chose to protest the way he did, several people accused him of disrespecting the flag, and thought that he should be less worried about protesting during the games. Social media was in a frenzy with everyone explaining their views on whether he should be able to protest. The idea of “freedom of expression” was starting to be analyzed, and ratings were starting to decrease. Following Kaepernick’s bold statement before the game, other athletes took suit by kneeling in solidarity with him.  Most media outlets enhanced the impact of the silent protests by showing how it was becoming a chain reaction with more athlete’s (even from other leagues) speaking out on issues faced by minorities.

The silent protests made every news station as the National Football League was becoming one of the biggest platforms for players to express their disagreement with what was happening within society. Press conferences were also used to promote awareness for victims of police brutality. Nike made a big leap by deciding to endorse Kaepernick after all the controversy. The advertisement generated $43 million worth of media exposure that changed the game for companies engaging in corporate social responsibility initiatives. Athletes showed that their platform is greater than just being a player on a team. Social media catapulted the player’s platforms by reaching broader audiences and starting the conversation about the problems with police brutality in the black community.

Kaepernick made other players more comfortable to speak about their beliefs.  The individuals that participated in the protests did not focus on how they were perceived by the media because they did not stop their protests in spite of the negative backlash. Kaepernick was noticeably blackballed from the league which could have caused others to want to resort to other forms of protesting due to worrying that their livelihood would be impacted. Colin Kaepernick is currently working on projects to promote change!

This infographic displays Mikayla Sayle’s journey through sports. She spent her basketball career at Hampton University and was vital in their success during the 2014-2018 seasons. In 2015, the women’s basketball team won a Regular Season Conference Championship, and in 2017 the team competed in the MEAC Basketball Tournament Championship. After her basketball career, Sayle would work as a part of the Athletic Marketing Team at Hampton University where she assisted in the development and implementation of marketing strategies.  She later worked with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference as a Marketing Intern helping to create a marketing strategy for various events. She also worked with MEAC as a Marketing and Corporate Partnerships Intern where she played a huge role in increasing MEAC’s brand awareness among its corporate partners. Working with the MEAC presented Sayle with the exciting opportunity to assist the NFL during Super Bowl LIV. She was involved in the successful operations of the NFL Player Engagement Programs as well as game day activities. Today, she uses her journey through sports to help other student-athletes navigate through their journey as well. Her podcast, “Sport Xposure” is very impactful in the world of sports. In the podcast, she interviews various people in the sport industry who share their stories and provide knowledge that will help the next generation of athletes and others pursuing sport careers. You can tell how influential Sayle’s podcast is by looking on Instagram @sportxposurepod. “Sport Xposure” currently has 20.8K followers and counting on Instagram!

Below is my post:

The sport industry has found great ways to grow their audience through different media outlets that were not as popular in promoting sports five years ago. Television used to be one of the greatest ways to stay up to date with sports whether it was through shows like “Undisputed” or the news having sport topics explaining what had occurred in the life of sports. Although I still do not watch sports all the time, I consume more now than I ever have. The different sport media platforms provide accessibility, convenience, and short clips that have changed the game in the world of sports. I consume a small amount of sports every day now through Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. TikTok tends to have more interesting content, and funnier videos that catch my attention more than any other platform. I have also become more interested in learning about other sports like softball, football, etc., that I would not have cared about five years ago. In the next five years there will be more innovation pertaining to the way sport media is used on social media. I believe that rarely anyone will be using television to watch sport content because of all the available resources that are more cost effective. In the next five years my consumption will increase even more, and YouTube and TikTok will continue to be the most popular platforms for me to watch sport media. If I could make one change to the sport communication landscape, I would change the amount of subjective information being broadcasted. A lot of times the media will give a certain narrative to certain stories and make that narrative seem like facts when it is only an opinion. Unfortunately, I think that the sport media landscape will become even more subjective in providing information due to certain connections that the reporters and broadcasters may have in the industry.

Social media has allowed the world of sports to develop at a quicker rate.  Television was once a popular way to show sport content and learn more about different organizations. Popular channels like ESPN catered to a wide variety of sport fans through its different shows and interviews on the platform. Social media is now taking over since popular features like streaming and short video clips can be utilized to reach audiences with shorter attention spans and who value affordability.  Social media is imperative to a sport organization’s strategic communications campaign. Different social media platforms can be used to spread certain messages. Platforms like Instagram, X, and YouTube can be used to connect sport organizations and players with their supporters; allowing them to provide the consumers with more insight into what happens on a day-to-day basis. Players also can show their personalities and create engaging content for their fans to view. The platforms that sport organizations use can help form and change the way they are perceived.

Social media is used by many organizations to paint a positive perception in the minds of the consumer. Media relations has always played a big role in sports, and promotional content such as advertisements, marketing, and public relations. Strategic communication continues to develop as social media grows. Television, which was once a popular platform to use in strategic communication campaigns is now not as popular, and social media is taking over due to its short video clips and affordability. Word travels fast on social media forcing organizations to quickly think of strategies and statements to combat any negative publicity. Sport organizations can utilize strategic communications to create exclusive value in their content. A sport organization developing exclusive posts helps them to stay on top of any problems as well as create a competitive advantage that differentiates them from many other organizations.

It is important for technology to be innovative and cater to the consumer’s needs. Fantix.com is a sports app that has done just that. It once was a messaging app and has grown to become a platform where fans can engage and stay up to date with new information regarding their favorite sport organizations. One recommendation from the reading that I thought was critical to a successful sport campaign was ensuring that social media continuously evolves. The NFL created an exciting campaign that used social media to produce a highly anticipated Super Bowl LVIII. Elements like location, and performer were great ways to entice consumers to purchase tickets and stay up to date with everything. The NFL also incorporated a countdown to the Super Bowl to keep their brand in the consumer’s mind. Social media posts asking followers who they predicted would win the Super Bowl were also implemented to create more engagement. The NFL has continued to use innovative features on different social media platforms to reach a wide array of people.

 I was a student-athlete up until I started college. My love for sports was one of the reasons I played on the university’s Volleyball Club Team. It also helped me to stay active while working toward my undergraduate degree. Even though I have been ingrained in sports all my life, my social media does not consist of much sport content. My approach behind creating my social media persona was to display my love of sports through different media styles. I also wanted to implement the type of content that interests me the most as well as what I would be likely to post.  When I do post sport related content on social media, I attempt to make it very engaging and fun. I tend to repost more basketball content on my social media and like posting my own sport videos like shooting around or blocking the volleyball from when I was on the Volleyball Club Team. My content helps the viewer get to know more about me and my sport interests. I believe that sport content can be more appealing when it is not posted too frequently. I chose to use the social media platform “X” to post my content. I have been using the app for my assignments and want to utilize it more while creating content for the class. In one of my posts, you see me in the Student Recreation Center shooting around. I still love shooting around for fun because it is a great way to stay active as well. My other post, also taken in the Student Recreation Center, shows me blocking a volleyball during one of the Volleyball Club games. My last post was more engaging and leaves room for viewers to give their opinion on the potential outcome of the Warriors vs. Clippers game. I have always liked the Golden State Warriors because of the excitement that they bring to the game, so I had to incorporate a design with a Warriors theme.

I was very interested in the connections that I knew I would be able to make from my Sport Communications assignment. I am currently a Student-Athlete Support Services Marketing Intern at Old Dominion University, and one of my roles is to create fun and informational content for our student-athletes. When I originally thought about the pen pal assignment, I immediately knew that I wanted to focus on finding a sport professional that specialized in marketing or media. After receiving my master’s degree, I plan to join a professional sport organization as a sport marketer while utilizing various forms of media to reach a vast amount of people. Over the last two years I have grown increasingly interested in sport media: Interviews, podcasts, and shows. One podcast that I have really enjoyed watching is Club Shay Shay on TikTok which consists of Shannon Sharpe interviewing various celebrities and athletes. Since I knew there could be a potential connection made through my job, I decided to ask my supervisor if he knew of any possible connections for my assignment.  I asked if he knew of a sport professional who excelled in sport media, and right away he thought of Mikayla Sayle. In my initial message to her, I explained that my supervisor thought of her for the assignment, and I told her that I was a graduate student interested in learning more about sport media. After messaging her, she agreed to be my pen pal for the semester!

Mikayla Sayle is a sport professional working in media. Before she became a popular Podcaster, she played basketball at Hampton University where she majored in sport management with an emphasis in marketing. While she played at Hampton University, she was All-Academic for all four years. Later, she worked with the marketing team within Hampton University Athletics where she helped with the development and execution of the marketing plan. She has also worked as a Marketing/Corporate Partnerships Intern with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Present day, she has a podcast called “Sport Xposure Podcast” with over 20,000 followers on Instagram, and over 6,000 subscribers on YouTube. She asks various athletes about their journey in sports and what they have learned over the years. I know that I will be inspired by her journey through the sport world and gain more knowledge in the process of completing my assignment.

My name is Jaira, and I am a graduate student majoring in sport management. I graduated in Fall 2022 with my undergraduate degree in marketing with a minor in management.  I plan to use my marketing and sport management degree to work in sports marketing with a professional sports organization. Sports have always been a big part of my life. I finished off my high school career playing basketball, volleyball, and running track.  I am taking this class because I understand how important it is in marketing to engage with your audience. This course can provide me with more strategies on how to reach more spectators and increase fan engagement. I like how sports can be used to bring people together and provide exciting experiences for everyone involved. Tradition and history are a big part of sports as well and allow spectators to enjoy the social aspect of the game.