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By Iris Serrano
Photos by Jack Moody and Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm’18)

Britney Garcia knows how hard it is to break into sports media.

The aspiring journalist realizes the competition to get work in the field is harder than ever, but took heart at last month’s Sports Media Summit at the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder.

“It's really just about trusting the process, having that thick skin and continuing to stay motivated,” said Garcia, a junior majoring in journalism.

Garcia was one of nearly 300 people to register for the daylong event, which featured 15 speakers—mainly alumni who brought extensive industry experience to the summit. Their range of careers—journalism, public relations, sponsorship, marketing and events management—showed the variety of job opportunities in the sports media industry.

‘Don’t overplan it’

Panelist John Branch (Bus’89; MJour’96), a Pulitzer Prize-winning sportswriter at The New York Times, showed that the path to careers in this industry is rarely straightforward. He was working as a manager at Costco before returning to ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder for his master’s degree. And his break at the Times came from a connection from his network.

“Don't overplan it—do it. Just keep your head down, and keep doing it and meeting people, and you just don't know where it's going to turn out,” Branch said. “God only knows where I'd be without serendipity and connections.”

  “The speakers’ diverse backgrounds and roles hopefully helped students realize that these very successful people were, just five years ago, exactly like them.”
Marina Dmukhovskaya, teaching assistant professor and associate director, sports media minor

Many of the panelists have stories similar to Branch's, including Kate Reed (StratComm’18), a communications coordinator for the Milwaukee Bucks. Only it took her less time to get her dream job.

She said one of the ways that helped her get ahead of the competition was reaching out and keeping in touch with the right people.

“It's helped me throughout my career, which would have never happened had I not been able to put myself out there and just feel comfortable with potential rejections,” Reed said. “Anytime you have the opportunity, offer yourself up.”

Panelists took questions from the audience, which included a sizable group of high school students, members of the Boulder community and CMCI students. During breaks in between panels, students got to engage with alumni and make one-on-one connections.  

Keiran Warger, a first-year student planning to pursue a career in journalism, brought a passion for what goes on behind the scenes in sports to the event. “There are so many different occupations within the industry, not just journalism. I've always looked up to people doing that kind of work,” Warger said.

A growing force in ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ

Luckily, for students like Warger, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ is becoming a bigger place for sports. With the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets both winning championships in the last two years, the industry has grown substantially—not to mention the arrival of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders to the Buffaloes football team last year.

Prime was a topic of conversation in the opening session, moderated by Ever Figueroa, which discussed how Sanders brought attention and school spirit to ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ football.

“ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder is living in a special moment,” said Figueroa, an assistant professor of journalism at CMCI. “There are such incredible opportunities to get involved or invest in sports media right here at your doorstep.”

Marina Dmukhovskaya, associate director of the CMCI sports media minor, said the sports industry is only getting more competitive. But events like this one, she said, help students see and learn from success stories—oftentimes possible through hard work and the application of skills like critical thinking, content creation and writing.

“Sometimes, on-air personalities in the industry might seem to be out of reach,” said Dmukhovskaya, who covered multiple Olympics as a journalist and writer. “The speakers' diverse backgrounds and roles hopefully helped students realize that these very successful people were, just five years ago, exactly like them.” 

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By Hannah Stewart (Comm’19)

The Olympics. The Super Bowl. The Final Four. The Stanley Cup Final. 

Alumni from the University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder have made their mark reporting on and working in the sports world. Many are award winners—including National Sportswriter of the Year—and many more have seen their love of the game reach millions of fans worldwide.

That track record of excellence led the College of Media, Communication and Information to develop its sports media minor, which prepares students for careers in sports, whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera. Students take classes covering traditional topics, such as writing and broadcasting, but also courses that look at sports from academic and business perspectives. 

And while a signature feature of the program is the opportunity to connect with the world-class alumni network in sports, there’s much more to the minor.

“Networking is just one of the components,” said Marina Dmukhovskaya, associate director of the sports media minor. “It’s also about finding their niche. By having a variety of classes, both conceptual and skills heavy, it can offer them a great choice.”

Interested in this minor?

If you are a CMCI major, you may discuss and declare the minor with your CMCI advisor. You can also declare by filling out a .

For students outside of CMCI, the minor can only be declared once you’re enrolled in CMCI 2001: Intro to Sports Media Practices. 

Media studies senior Kennedy Pickering credited the minor with helping her discover her niche. She came to ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder because she was interested in the relationship between people and social media. Thanks to the minor, she has had the opportunity to create replay packages for a ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ volleyball game; develop technical skills, like working a camera; and network with media professionals when ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Athletics hosted Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.

“With the sports media minor, I’ve been able to take classes that gave me more hands-on experience, like Sports Writing and Sport Broadcasting,” Pickering said. “One of my professors is in charge of , and through him I’ve been able to work with the camera. At first, I wanted to be a sideline reporter, but then I realized that being on the screen was not for me.” Her goal now is to work in social media for the NFL or Nike.

Community through sport

More than 200 ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder students are currently enrolled in the minor. Not all are athletes, but most aspire to work in the industry, like Eli Grimm, a lifelong figure skater who wants to get into the sports communications field. Beyond their own interests in athletics, Grimm said they see sports as a way to create impact because so many people engage with sports. Even less-mainstream events like Formula 1 races have become more popular thanks, in part, to the Netflix series Drive to Survive.

“Sports are a platform for mass communication. In the Sports Writing class, I got to write about the events I was already watching,” said Grimm, a senior majoring in strategic communication who learned about the program after arriving at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder as a transfer student. “It was nice to feel like the experience was personalized around my interests.”

  “With the sports media minor, I’ve been able to take classes that gave me more hands-on experience.”
Kennedy Pickering, senior

Jacob Dilling, a junior studying communication and a member of the ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ ski team, chose the sports media minor as a way to develop a fuller perspective of the industry.

“I still plan on skiing professionally after school. But I think this will help me build connections within my sport and other sports, so that once I’m finished, I have something to fall back on,” Dilling said.

Both students said one thing they enjoy most about the program is the challenge to explore new perspectives on sports and topics they are passionate about. Dmukhovskaya said that enthusiasm is a good indicator of their success after graduation. She herself has worked in the sports media world for years—in addition to covering the Olympics four times, she has been a media manager for the Russian Skating Union, worked with the International Biathlon Union and wrote for the International Paralympics Committee.

“Our students feel equipped, competent and confident as they are entering the job market,” she said. Just as important to their success, though, is the students’ enthusiasm for the course material—key for aspiring professionals looking to enter a highly competitive field.

Those aspiring professionals also benefit from the extensive network of media experts, who offer mentorship and exposure to career opportunities. Winter graduate Cassidy Davis (StratComm’23) said she found professional guidance from alumnus Mike Davies (Jour’94), an executive vice president for Fox Sports based in Los Angeles.

“The best part of my time at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ has been getting such broad experience, including public relations, sports media and graphic design,” Davis said. “Being able to study all of my little niches and learning how to put them together has made me confident about applying what I’ve learned at work.”

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