Growing up in a small Wisconsin town, there wasn’t much to do. Luckily, my childhood was kept busy by traveling around the state and watching my older brother play all kinds of sports. I watched him stare down the batter from the pitcher’s mound, and mimicked the way the ump would say “STRIKEEE”, hand motions and all. In the fall, he stood tall at quarterback and I would thrust my hands into the air as the announcer called “TOUCHDOWN, MANAWA!!” And when the cold winters hit, my nights were spent in a stuffy gym, watching him pin his opponents all the way to the state tournament.
I never would have thought those days on the sidelines would influence me as much as they have. Sports are in my blood and when I quickly realized my shot at being a professional athlete was out the window unless someone needed a professional bench warmer, I knew I needed to find a way to keep sports in my life. That’s when Erin Andrews and social media waltzed into my life.
I was watching football with my dad on a Sunday afternoon, as we did every Sunday in the fall. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman threw it down to Erin Andrews on the sideline, and I just couldn’t stop watching. How cool was it that a woman was reporting on football? I had seen this exact scene probably a thousand times for this but for some reason, this time was different. It changed my whole career outlook, my path.
When I got to the University of Wisconsin, I was determined to be the next Erin Andrews, reporting on the sidelines, getting the latest scoop and telling fans about their favorite teams. I joined a student run sports blog and was quickly promoted to Lead Football Columnist. I would attend weekly practices and conduct interviews with the players, write features and live tweet what was happening at practice and NFL Pro Day. Then my next opportunity came knocking, I applied and was offered a sports internship at NBC15 in Madison. I would go to professional sporting events, interact with players and shoot live stand ups.
I then began working in the Wisconsin Athletic Department as a Brand Communications Assistant. My first year, I worked with the Badger women’s cross country and track and field teams. I worked with Big Ten and NCAA champions and helped promote them on social media. I was able to get experience using social media in a professional atmosphere and with a team.
In the summer of 2019, I ventured out to Los Angeles for the internship of my dreams. Working the the NFL Networks Social Media Integration department was truly my best professional experience to date. During my time at the network, I was tweeting from the NFL Total Access account, sitting in on production meetings and pitching segments for the nightly broadcast, and was in the control room pitching social media content live for the broadcast, and creating montages of social media to be put on the video wall. I interacted and made lasting relationships with reporters and former NFL players I had grown into my fandom watching and helped them with their social media. At the end of my internship, I presented to a group of 70 executives about what I had been working on for the last nine weeks.
After my summer in Los Angeles, I returned to the Wisconsin Brand Communications Department and I was assigned the Wisconsin wrestling team. Working with the No. 4 team in the country, I was tasked with broadcasting the team’s personalities and did that through instagram. I travel with the team and tweet during their matches and also set up interviews with the media for No. 1 ranked wrestler, Seth Gross, and head coach Chris Bono. With the wrestling team, I was able to travel with them and serve as their media contact. I assisted with media requests from top news sources such as SportsCenter and Sports Illustrated, as well as local news outlets. I elevated the team’s social media platforms with the NCAA Wrestling account saying that we had the best Twitter in the sport. Over the course of the season, I earned over 13.1 million impressions on Twitter and 9,400 new followers across Twitter and Instagram.
My sports media journey has taken me in so many different directions already. But the most exciting part is that it is just beginning. As I look forward to the next chapter with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin, all I can say is.. Look out, because I’m on my way!
Kassie Dunnihoo 