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How Do I Become a Sports Information Director?
To become a sports information director you will need to have the right blend of education and experience. Candidates with a passion for sports, an understanding of recording statistical information, and the ability to handle media requests often excel in the field. In addition, if you want to become a sports information director you will need to have solid communication skills and a pleasant personality.
A sports information director typically handles a wide variety of tasks for an athletic program. He arranges for the printing of informational and promotional material, records scores and statistics surrounding team and individual performances, and interacts with the media. In essence, the information director represents the team and works to promote a positive public image.
Obtaining a bachelor’s degree is usually recommended for those entering this profession. Popular degree choices for an individual hoping to become a sports information director are communications and sports management. In addition, coursework in public relations, marketing, and sports administration can all provide beneficial knowledge for potential candidates.
Gaining experience can help set you apart from other job candidates. Relevant experience includes working as a marketing assistant at a public relations firm or being a coach’s assistant. This type of work should allow you to develop relevant skills, such as those related to putting together press releases and interacting with members of the media.
The position best suits an individual who has a passion for sports and athletic endeavors. An individual hoping to become a sports information director can excel when knowledge related to scoring, team positions, and common sports terminology is already well understood. In addition, prior participation in athletics, whether on an athletic or administrative level, can provide important connections in related marketing and communications areas.
Interacting with the media on a regular basis is perhaps the most visible duty in this job. If you hope to become a sports information director you should feel comfortable scheduling interviews, coordinating broadcasting details, and interacting with local and regional media outlets. In essence, you help direct the flow of information from the team to the public.
Candidates for this position should also have a pleasant personality and be able to communicate effectively with a diverse audience. A pleasant demeanor can help create a positive environment around the team, the school, and the community. In addition, it can help you develop solid relationships within the sports community. Of course, this job also requires a candidate with excellent communication skills to help facilitate the exchange of information.
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![A sports information director oversees a variety of public relations-related duties.]()
By: Paco AyalaA sports information director oversees a variety of public relations-related duties. -
![Sports information directors are responsible for releasing details about players and teams.]()
By: guerrieroaleSports information directors are responsible for releasing details about players and teams. -
![Sports information directors often keep stats on individual athletes.]()
By: diego cervoSports information directors often keep stats on individual athletes. -
![A sports information director should be familiar with the history of the stadium his team plays in.]()
By: flucasA sports information director should be familiar with the history of the stadium his team plays in. -
![Many sports information directors are former athletes.]()
By: icsnapsMany sports information directors are former athletes.
Discussion Comments
At my college, which was small, the Sports Information Director always did write ups on a highly touted athlete that got national exposure. Because of his status, and the fact there was not a lot of press around the school, the sports information director's write up's were usually taken and used for national stories.
This is something that I believe is critical to the profession and requires someone that has a lot of expertise and first hand knowledge. As far as press releases go I think that it would not be a bad thing to have a journalism major in order to appropriately create short write ups that other news outlets can carry. This only allows more exposure if the news outlets think it is written well enough they do not need to write about it themselves and can simply use the story the sports information director already wrote.
@Izzy78 - I worked in college for the sports information director and although it was a job that required a lot of work, I thought it was something that a sports minded person like me could do.
What the sports information director did at my college was that he would gather the statistics of all the sporting events, make sure he had some bit of information on all the events, and be able to highlight the key points of each contest.
Using the statistics the key events were not hard to do and sometimes he would even interview the coaches for press releases.
The most important part of the job however was to send statistics in to the NCAA and these would be published nationally, so he had to make sure that he did not make a mistake, like accidentally giving the wrong statistics to the wrong player.
I had a professor in college once tell me that he originally got hired on at the university as a sports information director merely because he was very sports savvy and they knew that he would be able to do a good job until they could find a permanent replacement that specialized in the field.
I really think that this is a unique job, in that a person with knowledge of sports, has good communication skills, and is very organized can do extremely well at this position and it would be a great field for them to go into.
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