Illustration by Dan Page
Just a few years after graduating from Marquette, Zoë Comerford already has had some dream career experiences.
Her first position out of school, as social media producer for CBS Sports, took her courtside for the men’s basketball Final Four. “It was Jim Nantz’s last Final Four. It was one of the best experiences of my career,’’ she says. Comerford, Comm ’21, captured it all for CBS Sports’ social media accounts, from San Diego State beating Florida Atlantic at the buzzer to UConn’s Dan Hurley cutting the 2023 championship net.
After breaking stories and bringing a human dimension to CBS’ feeds, she’s now ready to tackle an exciting new challenge: as assistant athletic director for marketing and fan experience at DePaul University.
With sports communication opportunities like this multiplying along with the explosion of social media and streaming options, and the growth of sports as a big business, the Diederich College of Communication has expanded its efforts to help students prepare for and target this field. Building on course offerings and extracurricular experiences that helped launch Comerford and fellow alumni into rewarding positions, Dr. Sarah Feldner, dean of the Diederich College, led the effort to create a minor in sports communication that engages students in sports-specific training in writing, broadcasting, production and promotion. The program helps students gain a sense for how these skills connect and prove their value whether graduates find work for teams, leagues, media organizations or agencies.
Sports, media and culture course
Dr. Lillian Feder, the college’s new assistant professor of sports communication, is leading the program, with support from Dr. Kati Berg, associate dean of academic affairs, who also played a major role in creating the minor. The college’s first faculty member with extensive experience in this specialty, Feder is teaching a new class — Sports, Media and Culture that serves as an introduction to the program.
Feder is a Southern California native who played basketball at UC San Diego. She worked in marketing and fan engagement at UCSD, then in sports communication at Purdue University while getting her master’s and Ph.D. there. She also worked in media relations with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
Calling this her dream job, Feder is thrilled to be at the forefront of the creation of this new minor, which was driven by student demand. Just a couple of months after the program’s introduction this fall, that demand has, in fact, materialized, with 26 students enrolled. “They are so excited already,” Feder says. “My hope is not only to meet their expectations but also to meet some expectations they don’t know they should even have quite yet.’’
Navigating the field
Feder is well aware of the considerable time commitment required by the industry — lots of nights, weekends and holidays — as well as the distinction between working as a journalist for an independent newspaper or station (outsider) vs. working for a team (insider), although graduates can find themselves blurring those lines. As broadcast and digital features content director for the Milwaukee Brewers, Sophia Minnaert, Comm ’09, for example, plays a strategic role for the club in addition to conducting player and manager interviews and providing sideline commentary during games on the networks of the club’s broadcast partners.
“I signed up for the sports communication minor as soon as I heard about it because my two biggest passions in life are journalism and sports. … Now, in my second year at Marquette, it’s incredible to have the opportunity to study sports communication in my classes.’’
Mia Thurow, sophomore
The college actually has a long history of producing respected award winners in a variety of sports professions — sportswriters, broadcasters and media relations managers.
Kevin Byrne, Jour ’71, a longtime media relations executive with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, recently won the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Award of Excellence. Nancy Armour, CJPA ’91, is a high-profile sports columnist at USA Today. Minnaert and Jen Lada, Comm ’02, have won Emmys for work with Bally Sports Wisconsin and ESPN, respectively. Michael Huang, Jour ’93, is managing editor–sports at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sheena Quinn, Comm ’04, is senior director of public relations for the Chicago White Sox, where Len Kasper, CJPA ’93, is the play-by-play announcer.
“I’m so fortunate to be in a professional role that combines so many of my passions,’’ says Quinn, who has been with the White Sox for 11 years. “At times, it’s hard to believe that my office is at the ballpark that is home to the team my dad and his dad grew up loving, the team that has granted me the opportunity to utilize its platform to advocate for representation and diversity through the game.’’
Student media experience
Like many of the alums involved in sports, Quinn started her career in student media at Marquette, specifically at The Marquette Tribune. More recent grads have found rich experience working for the Marquette Wire, the online platform that combines the Tribune, Marquette Journal, MUTV and MUR. Additionally, Don Hertz, manager of technical services in the college, manages relationships with the athletics department to ensure that students learn to handle broadcasting and production duties for teams such as lacrosse, soccer, and track and field.
Even before the debut of the new minor, the Diederich College’s combination of classroom instruction and field experience was helping a new generation of alumni get established in the burgeoning world of sports communication. Jenny Fischer, Comm ’19, is the lead social-content creator with the NBA, and Tess Quinlan, Comm ’04, is content planning lead for the league’s Direct to Consumer team. Tara Schumal, Comm ’19, is a crewing associate manager at Fox Sports. Andrew Amouzou, Comm ’23, helps cover the Packers for NBC26 TV in Green Bay. And Comerford has her new opportunity.
They are all strong role models for today’s students, but these grads worked hard to distinguish themselves and get where they are. “It’s not the easiest industry to break into,’’ Feder says. “It’s important for everyone to recognize what it really takes before they start. Obviously, there’s a delicate balance between making sure you’re not stifling anybody’s excitement and guiding them to enter eyes wide open so they’re prepared to do good work.’’
Digital storytelling
Amouzou calls the new sports minor “a difference maker’’ for students and young graduates looking for jobs. Comerford and Quinn see a lot of resumes in their positions and notice the ones from candidates who have sports majors or minors. “It definitely puts them in a different category than the other candidates,” Quinn says.
Both suggest that students in the program gain experience in the digital aspect of sports communication. “You can’t just be a writer anymore,’’ Comerford says. “You’ve got to be doing social producing your own videos and voice-overs — to be successful in the workforce these days.’’
Quinn agrees. “You’ve got to get the digital and visual experience. That’s where the storytelling is now.’’
That was good news for Ava Sprinkel, a junior from Annapolis, Maryland, who was one of the first students to sign up for the new minor. “My career goal is to run and manage social media for professional sports teams,’’ says Sprinkel, who also plays lacrosse for Marquette.
Adds Mia Thurow, a sophomore from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and another early adopter who hopes to work for either a media organization or a team, “I signed up for the sports communication minor as soon as I heard about it because my two biggest passions in life are journalism and sports. … Now, in my second year at Marquette, it’s incredible to have the opportunity to study sports communication in my classes.’’
