Blog

Social Media Persona

My approach to creating my social media persona was simple. After my internship with the Philadelphia Eagles this summer, I was more prepared for this season than ever before. I was so excited for the season to begin, and the Eagles organization did a fantastic job promoting their team before the start of the season. They accomplished this with hype videos, team media day pictures, and press conferences after practice. Seeing everyone on the same page was inspiring, and their 4-0 record is the result. Before the social media persona was an assignment, I began retweeting the Philadelphia Eagles hype videos, and it slowly grew on my feed. I became increasingly invested in the team and its social media platform. Win after win after win, my social media persona was created without intent. Honestly, my idea was to express and prove how my excitement in week one channeled the same energy to week four. I captured emotion from various organizational stakeholders within the Eagles aesthetic on my Twitter feed. From a tweet of the Philadelphia Eagles shouting out the “Best fans in the world!” to Merrill Reese on the headset, they both carried the same energy in the media, the thrill of winning. Another one of my favorite posts on my persona is the Spongebob Squarepants meme that the Philadelphia Eagles posted. All these individual posts have one thing in common… winning. Of course, my aesthetic might come off strong and aggressive. Still, if I weren’t reflecting that vibe, then my social media persona wouldn’t be an accurate representation of a Philadelphia sports fan. The feeling of confidence going into the season all started with the first post of the Eagles hype video, and now we are seeing tweets from die-hard fans, radio announcers, and starting quarterback Jalen hurts. My social media persona tells a story and represents the timeline of a team on the road to victory. 

Sport Journal Blog Prompt #3

After being a COMM 462/562 Sport and Strategic Communication student, I can easily say that I have developed professional skills, built new connections in the sports world, learned to operate sports media, and improved my research ability. Each class discussed a new and exciting topic which simulated how things in the sports world are constantly changing every day. No day is the same when working for a sports organization; weekly collaborations with our Co-Teacher, Gianina were the perfect example. Hearing from different professionals she brought in each week was exciting, and I benefited tremendously from hearing about each of their positions in the professional world. Learning more about what their job entitles offered me a better understanding of what I want to do in the future. A key takeaway was learning to build relationships with other professionals and how it can affect you and your company. Specifically, the Sport Professional Penpal assignment pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to expand my network with other professionals. 

The Social media Persona also expanded my knowledge of the sports media world. I enjoyed diving deeper into social media platforms (such as Twitter) and being able to dissect what specific posts were trying to convey through target stakeholders, the team’s goals, and creative storytelling. Each of these factors has changed how I view sports media today. Lastly, with our semester-long assignment, the NIL Knowledge Hub was an exciting project that cultivated my research, teamwork, and public speaking skills. Seeing this project develop over a few weeks was very rewarding when presenting to the student-athletes. With the help of my classmates, this project was a great success and a necessary experience I can carry with me into the professional world. Overall, I have developed many versatile skills from this class that will be vital when applying for jobs in the future. 

Blog Prompt #2

Ashleigh Johnson

In 2016 Johnson was the first African American woman to make the US Olympic water polo team and win gold. Johnson was considered one of the greatest water polo goalies in the world. Her journey began at Princeton, where she held the record for highest all-time career saves at the university. Johnson used her potential as an athlete in the sport to push her further along in her career. Her talent opened the door to impact future athletes in her culture. She stands not only for her culture but for other female athletes in sports. Her social media continues to retweet and highlight athletes featured in various sports, from Olympians to African American swimmers at all levels. Johnson encourages young athletes to continue proving themselves as swimmers and reminds them not to let discrimination stop them from swimming and overcoming. Simultaneously, Johnson continues to train and push the limits while prioritizing mental health. The media responds well to Johnson’s winning and the positive energy she brings to the team. Recently in the media, Ashleigh was posted on Twitter in honor of black history month. The media graciously thanked her for inspiring many future athletes in her same position. She is not only changing the culture of water polo in the United States, but she is changing the world’s view on the sport. As she began playing for the national team, she knew her impact was more significant than ever imagined. Since then, she has served as a sports representative of an organization that spreads awareness about diversity and equity in the sport. The organization’s mission is to elevate voices in the African American community and their involvement in aquatics. This organization encourages unity and involves sharing experiences in a safe environment. The goal is to allow voices to be heard about being an African American in aquatics. This ultimately results in staying true to themselves throughout their experiences in the swimming world.

Blog Prompt #1

Within the past few years, we have seen a change in sports media and how it is streamed to fans. Popularly, many baseball and football fans have access to a shortened game film only displaying important clips and highlights, excluding all unnecessary interruptions. Now that sports fans can watch the game in 30 minutes, I believe that will continue to evolve. Besides watching the games, my social media diet consists of Twitter and Instagram posts from all Philadelphia sports teams. Unfortunately, I do not invest time into other opponents’ media pages or trends because of time. In the next five years, I can vision social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram to have specific accounts that Livestream plays directly after they occur. The stream might look like Facebook live only; it plays instant clips when the play clock is on or when a pitch is being thrown. The specific stream idea would be to engage the viewer in only the essential parts of the game. This targets an audience of anyone who is already preoccupied with a busy schedule. I can also see a platform/ app where game footage from injuries to plays under review will be accessible to all sports watchers at any time.

Professional Penpal

Jessica Cashin

I am excited for the opportunity to be working with Jessica Cashin as my professional Penpal this semester! Jessica is a marketing manager with the Philadelphia Eagles organization and is driven by her passion for sports. 

When I first spoke with Jessica, she indicated that she realized early on that she also had a love for the advertising industry. Jessica has a unique career path that began with the Trenton Thunder (when they were AA Yankees) as an academic intern. She also had early experience in a post college graduate position with the Valley Iron Pigs (the Phillies AAA minor league affiliate) where she was a seasonal ticket office representative. Having experience with the Trenton Thunder allowed her to develop great friendships which ultimately drove her to work in the sports industry. 

After her hard work with the minor league baseball team, she took a step into the basketball world by joining the Philadelphia 76ers customer experience team. Jessica spent two years with the Sixers taking a vital role in “the process” campaign. Moving forward, Jessica landed a career-altering job as a Senior Account Executive/Media Buyer, Marketing & Event Services for Crane Communications Inc. Jessica was in love with the pace of her position as well as the female-run environment. Jessica explained how her job with Crane Communications was where she gained the experience that makes her such a successful asset to the team at the Philadelphia Eagles. What brought her back to working in sports was her decision to start a family and ultimately the love of Philadelphia sports teams. Jessica uses her ability to effectively buy media to separate herself from her coworkers.  

Having Jessica as my professional pen pal will not only expand my knowledge in the sports marketing industry but also learn more about her organization’s campaigns and upcoming projects!