Assistant director of media relations at mercer university
I started working at Mercer just before the fall sports got into full swing in 2023. In the fall, I covered cross country and volleyball and helped with football game days. Once late October came around, basketball was gearing up, and I got my first taste of crossover season (see definition > ). I packed my suitcase once in early November and did not unpack until June. Spring crossover season was much more intense than the fall for me, as I was covering and traveling with two major sports for a month. While it was exhausting and stressful at times, it was so rewarding and enjoyable, too. Then when baseball was the only sport on my plate, it was a piece of cake (or popcorn; I didn't have any cake but may have eaten my weight in popcorn).
CROSSOVER SEASON (noun):
the chaotic weeks in the fall and spring when it seems like all the sports happen at the same time, but humans can only be one place at a time, straining resources, and sometimes, sanity
So what did I do?
A lengthy but incomplete list:
pregame stories, game notes, postgame stories, player of the week write-ups, award nominations and write-ups, in-game live tweets and video clips, setting up interviews with news outlets, answering various questions from anyone who finds my contact online, reporting starting lineups, setting up StatCrew and Live Stats, recruit photoshoots and signing class releases, stat research for coaches and media, game day operations and problem solving, prepping for press conferences, creating media guides and game programs...
sometimes holding jewelry, tossing guys hanitizer or gum during timeouts, being in a commercial, and had Thanksgiving at the beach to name a few more
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