By Holland Beiler
In order to get a better look at the specific job duties of a major collegiate-level athletic director and the responsibilities of the behind-the-scenes staff, I shadowed JMU’s own 1975 graduate, Milla Sue Wisecarver on October 14th. Milla Sue serves as the Assistant Athletics Communication Director for men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s basketball, and women’s lacrosse teams at JMU. The Dukes men’s soccer team battled through two overtimes to a 1-1 draw versus Colonial Athletic Association league rival, the University of Delaware Blue Hens at University Park on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Arriving about an hour before kickoff, I had the opportunity to observe pre-game protocol and ask several questions about the job duties throughout game-day.
A handful of people sat in the press box during the game, including the Assistant Athletics Director, the spotter/runner, the scoreboard/Athletic Events Coordinator, and various athletic interns serving as announcers. The right half of the press box marked the Communications department, including the spotter/runner and Director, while the left side was reserved for the remaining Marketing department. Milla Sue and her spotter/runner, Sean, remained consistently rapt in the action of the game from kick-off to the final whistle. There were three computers for the Communications department; one for the spotter/runner, and the remaining for Milla Sue. One for these was designated for inputting statistics through a system called, “Statcrew” while the other was designed for updating twitter, organizing social media, and keeping tabs on the headlines and games of other conference team’s. Often times, Milla Sue got caught up with inputting the statistics. At these times, the spotter was responsible for writing down player numbers, game times, and specific actions of the game. By jotting this information down, the Communications department can avoid missing important statistics throughout an action-packed game.
I will admit that I was blind to how much work is put in behind-the-scenes at events like these. While watching a big game on TV, the sports industry has a way of making their job look a lot more glitzy that it truly it. I’m a huge fan of sports, but I’m not sure if this is my cup of tea. What surprised me the most was the rule banning cheering in the press box. Even while watching this game, it was difficult for me to hold back my cheers and responses to big plays. It also shocked me how reliant the team is on technology. Without Internet access or the use of technology, nearly none of this would be possible. Although I love sports, I’m not sure if I have the complete commitment with constant weekends on the road and the amount of unappreciated time that’s put into each event.
I compiled a list of questions asking about the job duties of the Communications Staff before, during, and after the game. Milla Sue and her staff’s answers were gathered to create a complete time frame of the responsibilities of the Athletics Communications staff below:
Beginning 1 hour, 30 minutes before kickoff:
- Equipment is set up
- Equipment and materials are placed at field for sideline position
- Starting lineups are obtained and distributed to news media and PA announcer
- Game officials’ names are distributed to MadiZONE and PA announcer (JMUSports.com broadcast)
- Computer game file for in-game statistics keeping is set up
- Computer Live Stats are set up
- Pre-game “tweet” is sent
- Post-game email drafts are set up
- Website article for game is set up
During Game:
- Statistics are kept, including spotting and computer input
- Statistics are distributed to news media and coaches at halftime
- Notes on game are taken for game story
- Live Stats output is monitored
- “Tweets” are sent at halftime and end of game
Post-Game:
- Statistics files are prepared and send to visiting team and conference office
- Statistics files are prepared and send to news media
- Media members are assisted with post-game interviews with players and coaches at field
- Video interview is conducted with JMU coach at field
- Game story, including coach’s quotes and box score, is prepared and distributed to news media
- Statistics are posted on JMUSports.com
- Game story is posted on JMUSports.com
- Post-game Interviews on the field (home team bench side) following the teams’ 10-minute “cooling off” period
- Video interview file is prepared for upload and then uploaded to JMUSports.com
- Game statistics file is created and uploaded to NCAA and TopDrawerSoccer websites
- Equipment is torn down and stored