By: Josie Ransley
For the last year and a half, I have been involved in Central Michigan University’s Athletic Communications department. Since the beginning of my sophomore year of undergrad, I have spent my time interning under the creative side of A-Comm.
During my time with CMU Athletics, I have been involved in a multitude of projects. Whether that’s creating graphic packages for gymnastics or running in-game social media for volleyball, there are a lot of different responsibilities I take on within the department. However, on a day-to-day basis I find myself in the office working on graphics.
Going deeper into what I do, I spend a lot of time getting to know teams and their personalities. Understanding the atmosphere of the team helps create content that markets the team to potential incoming athletes. My public relations background aids me in this process by providing me with an understanding of how to communicate effectively on social media. Connecting with the fans/public is an integral part of athletic communications, especially in today’s competitive social media setting. Providing content that reaches specific audiences and knowing what to post on which social media all comes into play at my job.
Within my integrative public relations major, there are many classes that have helped me get to where I am in CMU athletics. My integrated major gave me the tools necessary to find this job and excel within it.
Overall, this job has been an amazing opportunity and taught me many things. The main lesson I have learned from my time in athletics is how vital a communications department is. Without a department focused on communicating and connecting to the public, many schools athletic programs would fall.