Sports Media Speaker Series Wraps with Tips and Best Practices to Navigate the Sports Industry  

As part of the ongoing Sports Media Speaker Series, the College of Communication and the Arts, in an event hosted by legendary ESPN broadcaster Bob Ley '76 and Professional-In-Residence B.J. Schecter, shared the best compiled tips from sports professionals. This virtual discussion concluded the speaker series for the Spring and the past 18 months during which Seton Hall students have gotten the opportunity to engage with the best and the brightest in the sports industry. The topics of the past virtual events covered everything from game coverage, breaking news and advice on separating yourself from the pack. In this final event, attendees received expert advice on how to build a career in a changing sports industry.

On May 3, the virtual event re-capped all the Sports Media events which took place over the past 18 months. Ley and Schecter highlighted pieces of diverse advice from former ESPN broadcaster Tom Rinaldi, NFL Network reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala, legendary television broadcaster Bob Costas, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, plus other notable guests. Each topic touched upon a different sports element like, sports journalism, sports business, sports culture, media ethics, challenges of the pandemic, and diversity and inclusion.

"[Readers] want you to get the story right, especially, if you are covering their world. That does not mean they are always going to like what you report but they know you are going to be fair, honest and well-versed in the subject matter," shared Wojnarowski.

Additionally, former MLB pitcher, Dontrelle Willis, gave his thoughts on the cultural expression of sports, specifically on the modern cultural take on baseball. "Talking about the personality of the game is so critical. It is so important to play the game the right way, even if it does not get you the $30 million dollar contract," Willis said.

"Bringing it back to journalism, like Willis said, doing the little things and playing the right way applies to this industry of journalism," responded Schecter. Throughout the event, Ley and Schecter shared additional commentary and emphasized the importance of staying abreast on the changing field, especially during the time of COVID.

If you missed Dateline: South Orange, watch the video above and other past events on the Sports Media Speaker Series page.

About the Sports Media Speaker Series
The College of Communication and the Arts’ Sport Media Speaker Series brings top-level talent to the Seton Hall community for enlightening and informative discussions about the evolving world of professional sports and how its covered by the media. Previously, the series has hosted notable sports and journalism figures such as Bob Costas, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and Former NBA Commissioner David Stern, among others.

The College of Communication and the Arts currently offers a Sports Media minor, as well as a range of sports media courses through the Visual and Sound Media program. For more information on the program or the Sports Media Speaker Series, contact Amanda Carcione via amanda.carcione@shu.edu.

Categories: Alumni, Arts and Culture, Athletics, Nation and World