College Sports Information Directors of America

by Zack Meisel, OSU Lantern
June 2, 2009

During any given school week, any Ohio State student can attend upwards of 10 or more athletic events. For each contest, interviews with coaches and athletes must be set up, family and media clearances must be regulated and press releases must be written.

Enter the role of each team's sports information director. Each of the 36 Buckeye squads is assigned to one of 10 SIDs, who are in charge of coordinating every media session, news release and public relations activity associated with the team's agenda.

The list of tasks each member of the communication department takes on is unlimited, said Leann Parker, SID for men's lacrosse, men's hockey and women's tennis.

"Our main purpose is media relations for all 36 sports at Ohio State," she said. "Everything from setting up interviews, all the content on OhioStateBuckeyes.com, helping TV people if the game is on TV and trying to get media coverage for all of our sports. We run press boxes, keep statistics and records for media guides, game programs, releases, feature stories and all the other content."

With the endless responsibilities come varying hours. Rather than a typical nine-to-five day job, SIDs face ever-changing schedules, said Dan Wallenberg, assistant athletic director and SID for men's basketball.

"There are a lot of hours, nights and weekends and holidays, so it's hard to plan," he said. "A lot of people want to go somewhere in March, but I never know if I'm going to be in the NCAA tournament the entire month of March. That's a bit of a challenge, but it's a part of the job."

The inconsistent schedule allows each worker to devote extra time to traveling with teams, initiating communication between players and the media, and contact between athletes and the fans. Each day presents a new itinerary, Wallenberg said.

"Without a behind-the-desk job or a nine-to-five job, we can travel with our teams," he said. "We go to competitions all over the country, sometimes out of the country. We meet all kinds of people, from student-athletes, to parents, to media professionals to general fans. It's something different every day."

Covering multiple teams makes for busy in-season schedules. Due to the contagious success that spreads among OSU's athletic teams, SIDs often have to cover important events for multiple teams, Parker said.

"We can go from hosting the NCAA Frozen Four to working a tennis match on Easter Sunday," she said. "We just do everything. We get so many different experiences."

Of course, the long hours take their toll. Yet, the opportunity to be a part of such a prestigious athletic department outweighs the late nights, said Adam Widman, SID for women's basketball, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's cross country.

"Everybody's least favorite part is going to be the hours," he said. "But I can say that I've never woken up not looking forward to working. We get to go to some of the greatest sporting events in the world."

In addition to being a medium between the teams and media, each SID works closely with the athletes, balancing their academic schedules with practices, games and interviews.

Shelly Poe, the SID for football, enjoys the interaction with everyone in the athletic community.

"I like working in the athletic environment, as far as people that are very motivated and people that are creative thinkers," she said. "They try to think of ways to be successful, and I like being in that environment. I like the chance to interact with a lot of the fans, and I know how much the Buckeyes mean to them. I like to be able to help connect them with their teams."

Developing a close relationship with a specific team offers further insight into the unity and family-like atmosphere that surrounds OSU athletics. Traveling with the basketball team has granted Wallenberg a fresh perspective of college athletes, he said.

"It's the relaxed nature that 15 or 20 people have with one another and they're able to joke and goof around," he said. "Away from the game, when we're at shootarounds or the hotel, that's when some of the most enjoyable times are. Everybody can be laughing and joking around and having a good time, but when it comes to game time, it's serious because we want to compete and win games."

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