As the press assembles on Saturdays in the fall to begin their long day covering the college football game before them, they are greeted with a packet of information complete with every piece of data and biographical information related to that game they could ever desire. 

Statistics, profiles, accomplishments, pending records, team history – delivered all in one convenient package and designed to help the local and national media perform their job to the best of their ability, and present the team and athletes in the best possible light.

This priceless information didn’t arrive by magic, it is one of the many responsibilities of the Sports Information Director (SID), a communication asset for college athletic departments who acts as a liaison between the school and the local and national media.

Every college athletic program has an SID in charge of the data and information behind the sports teams. Some schools with large athletic programs will have a robust team, with individuals assigned to each sport. Other smaller schools may have just one SID, who has to keep track of the data and media information for all teams on campus.

Have we piqued your interest yet? Read on for more knowledge.

Responsibilities of a Sports Information Director

Connected to each sport on campus, the job of a Sports Information Director runs all year long, there is no down season.

The creation of yearly media guides for each sport is one of the main driving responsibilities of being a Sports Information Director in college.

Each sport-specific media guide is full of biographical information on athletes, team statistics, historical data, and emerging trends. While a media guide is published and released at the beginning of each season, updated media packets are also created for each individual game, to highlight information specific to that match-up.

The over-arching theme of a Sports Information Director is to present information, research, data, and history, that can assist media members in crafting stories and sharing insight into the athletic department's achievements.

By staying on top of emerging trends, it is the Sports Information Director that creates and distributes press releases as an athlete, coach or team approaches historical landmarks. Should the women’s soccer team have an athlete about to break a league scoring record, it is the SID that creates the press release to alert the media, with the goals of gaining additional coverage for their player and program.

The Sports Information Department is also responsible for managing the press on game day by assigning media passes, supplying in-game statistics, coordinating interviews and organizing media access. In preparation, Sports Information Directors often work directly with the athletes and coaches on media training, so that they know how best to speak to reporters and news members.

How To Become a Sports Information Director

While in college it is important to volunteer or intern with the Sports Information Department in order to gain hands-on experience into the role and understand all the various parts that go into a successful media relations. While gaining this experience, it is also incredibly valuable to network with opposing teams, and start to build a foundation for your post-graduate career.

Due to the dependence on writing and data analysis, Sports Information Directors often pursue degrees in journalism, communication, public relations, marketing or statistics.

For additional training, our 8-week online course in Sports Administration, taught by Dr. James Krause, has helped launch the career of many Sports Information Directors. Unlike most college majors, our program focuses on the specific skills you need to develop to be successful in the world of sport.

Many of our students have also taken advantage of our alumni discount program ($300 off any course for alumni!) and gone on to couple our Sports Administration course, with our online Sports Media and Communication course,  so that they can become more effective in working with the media and communicating information.

Most Sports Information Directors have a Masters degree in Sports Management or a related field. If this career path is interesting to you, make sure to include getting your Masters as part of your long term plan. At Sports Management Worldwide, we work with Concordia University, Chicago to offer one of the most affordable, and respected, Sports Leadership Master’s programs in the United States.

We don’t believe you should have to go into debt for decades to reach the heights of your career. If being a Sports Information Director sounds like an exciting path for you to pursue, recognize that at SMWW we have everything you need to help you achieve that dream.