Bio Blog:

My name is Troy Aikman Wickline, and I was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. After being named after the NFL legend Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Troy Aikman, I’ve always known that I have an interest in sports. Growing up, sports media has always had a strong effect on me because it allows you to connect and relate on a different level. Some of the most inspirational life quotes originated from sports, such as “there’s no I in team”. I was athletic growing up, and it felt good that I could connect with different groups of people no matter what sport we were playing. Basketball and football always had my interest the most though.

I have noticed that athletes often get put under a different kind of microscope than normal civilians. There is so much concentration on physical shape and abilities that their mental health can be mistakenly ignored. My goal is to help athletes work on their mental and communication skills. I would like to pursue a position as an athletic councilor/sport psychologist. I enjoy helping people, which is why I am currently studying communications, psychology, and sociology at Old Dominion University. I also received my associates degree at Tidewater Community College in 2024. I know that I can make a positive difference in mental healthcare with athletes that are currently playing sports. My ultimate dream is to be a psychologist for the Dallas Cowboys football team. With my name I will feel right where I belong, while helping people!

I started this blog to start the connection from the website to real life. Creating a website allows room for individual creativity to express ourselves with others. Upon making this website and learning the different cool features, I decided to express what I want in my future career and why. I hope this blog becomes a resource for other students to find information and to open more eyes as to why sport psychology and other athletic mental healthcare positions are so important. Recently, an NFL Dallas Cowboys player was secretly struggling with his mental health and ended up losing his life. Between the added pressures and the skills required, I know things can become difficult for athletes and I want to be in a position to where I can help them with their inner battles. I also hope this blog will be a starting point to my communications resume for a career in sports mental healthcare.

Sport Journal Athlete Activism Submission:

On February 26^th, a teenager named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, who was at the time a neighborhood crime-watch volunteer. Over time there has been a lot of controversy about this incident. For starters, the teenager was unarmed and was carrying snacks in his hand, candy and an iced tea to be exact. George Zimmerman claimed that the shooting was in self-defense against the teenager Trayvon Martin. Due to this notion, some people at the time saw Zimmerman as the victim. Some people were firm believers of using their gun rights. NBA players like Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, along with many others, felt completely differently about the situation. They were only a few miles away at an NBA All-Star Game when this incident happened. Upon hearing about the situation, Dwyane Wade posted on his social media accounts a selfie picture in solidary wearing a black hoodie. Lebron James posted on his social media accounts a team picture of them all wearing black hoodies bowing their heads down with the caption saying “WeWantJustice”. This made a huge statement, not just in the NBA, but all around the world. That sparked additional controversy of the viewpoint that the teenage was only shot because he was a black boy wearing a hoodie and was automatically assumed to be trouble. It is an issue that has been continuing throughout centuries and many thought that it was time for something to be done about this racial injustice.

The Miami Heat players scratched Trayvon’s name into their game sneakers, other players wore custom made hoodies in honor of Trayvon Martin as well, some high schools did walkouts in order to protest. There was even a petition created to seek justice with over a million signatures. The NBPA declared for Zimmerman’s “prompt arrest,” along with a review of the Sanford Police Department. Media played a huge role in Zimmermans arrest when a poll surfaced stating that over 75% of society wanted an arrest. Geraldo Rivera from the Fox News Channel stated on ‘Fox & Friends’ that the hoodie Trayvon Martin wore when he was shot was as much responsible for his death as the man who shot him, Geroge Zimmerman, was. He later disclaimed his comment, confirming that his statement was “politically incorrect”. NBC News Channel edited the recorded conversation numerous times of Zimmermans phone call with the police, which slightly manipulated the conversation by leaving out the operator asking about Trayvon’s race and clothing. The news channel led the audience to believe that Zimmerman mentioned seeing a black guy wearing dark clothing and feels in danger, as if he was profiling him. This could have been a biased action on their part, but the networks issued a public apology and claimed the conversation edit was not intentional. Some networks will toe the controversy line for ratings and viewers.

The jury ultimately found him not guilty of this crime for lack of evidence. It could not be proven that it was not self-defense, so they could not convict him. With all the tragic racial events that has happened since this incident, such as George Floyd being killed by a cop in 2020, it has opened many more people’s eyes on how race hugely played a role in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. As time goes on, I hope that as individuals we can continue making positive uplifting statements regarding any injustices around the world until there is no more injustice.

Sport Journal Reflections Submission:

Sports continue to evolve overtime. In module 2’s lecture History and Evolution of Sport Communication and the Sport Media Diet assignment in this course was an eye opener. We used to have to catch the game live on television, but now we can stream the games through various streaming networks. Even social media is quick to have updated highlights of a sport. This is a huge difference from 20 years ago when there was barely any social media and most streaming services haven’t been created yet, which provides a huge change with the communication of sports. It makes you wonder about the changes to come with sports.

In module 4 of this course, I found the podcast from Ed Miller regarding aspects of journalism very informative. The lecture videos throughout the modules were very helpful and entertaining to watch. It helps keep the activity fun even when watching/listening to the assignment instructions. I’ve also come to realize just how effective social media can be and the powerful voice that it can have for the users. I tend to use more social media to help raise awareness to athletes’ mental awareness, and to also try to make positive changes.

 My time in a virtual sport communication classroom has been extremely interesting, informative, and very engaging. I enjoy creating blogs for potential viewers to read. It makes my voice feel more powerful and influential, and it can also be an addition to my resume for future careers. It is an honor to be able to google your name and see your own blogs created on your own website. My mom was very proud when she seen this and I hope that other people find the information helpful, because athletes’ mental health is important and there needs to be more awareness towards it. That is my goal with my blogs, along with my quest with my pen-pal of hosting campaign meetings at the sports arena she works at to address the importance. These blogs helped me put together the website and helped with the advertising. Both my written blogs and The Quest assignment are what I find the most valuable from this course towards my career because they can really influence change and there is no limit to this positive change. I enjoy helping people and my biggest goal in life is to make a difference.