Magic Making Moves

Is anyone else as shocked/impressed with the Magic’s recent winning spree as I am?  As an avid Magic fan (for 21+ years now.. yes, I  was at one point one of those little tikes standing on Grandma’s lap, dancing on the Jumbotron), I could not be more pleased.

I was skeptical from day one with Otis’ decision to bring Vince Carter to the Magic.  Though once an impressive basketball star, his career has run its course and his talent is played out.  On the opposite end of this spectrum, we have Rashard Lewis, who has been nothing but a faithful, game clenching power forward.  There is no arguing how impressive Lewis has been – his three-pointers dazzled Orlando Magic fans in the 08-09 season, earning him recognition as the team’s second leading scorer.  His performance the last year or two, however, has been anything but extraordinary.  The Rashard Lewis/Gilbert Arenas swap with the Washington Wizards (though not astounding to the naked eye), was a blessing in disguise.  It is true Arenas has not shot his best this season, only about 39%, but his move to the Magic has brought them a dynamic playmaker and offensive leader.

I am sure I’m not alone when gleefully welcoming Hedo Türkoğlu back to the team.  The Magic’s fourth quarter game has been quite discerning this season, and I am positive that having Mr. 4th Quarter back on our side will make all the difference in the world.  Sadly, I feel there is not much to say about Marcin Gortat or Mikael Pietrus.  Though they have helped the Magic win games in one way or another, they are easily replaceable.  Jason Richardson outshines them both behind the three-point ark, and is just what the Doctor ordered.  And although Earl Clark will probably never see the glistening new Amway Center court, we welcome him as well.

It’s easy to see the excitement I have for the Magic’s future.  I embrace all four new players with open arms and every Orlando fan out there should too.  Sure Lewis may have been your favorite player, and if you’re like the friends of mine who refuse to have an outdate jersey, you may even have to go and buy a new one, but that’s the price we pay for greatness.  The Orlando Magic doesn’t care about winning next year or five season from now, they want to excel this season, now.  And for all you non-believers still out there – the Magic’s winning record for the last three games says it all.  Who would’ve thought we’d beat some of the top teams in the league merely a week after this somewhat controversial trade?

GO MAGIC!

Socialnomics

It’s crazy to see just how much the social media world is growing.

Recently, I was working on a project for my Writing for PR class, and came across an article which stated that increased Web use would slowly diminish the need for journalists and PR professionals alike.  Reading the authors arguments, I could see where he was coming from, and though directly “insulting” my career field, I sort of agreed with him.

Until now.

I was introduced to an amazing video posted on YouTube called “Socialnomics: Social Media Revolution”.  This amazing, eye opening video has truly placed aside all my fears!  I invite you to watch it and become a believer yourself.  We are now entering the world of Socialnomics – embrace it!  http://bit.ly/16Dsqw

The Game Winning Internship

As I near the end of my college career, I am realizing the importance of not only securing a legitimate internship, but ensuring it is one that is of interest and relation to the career path I wish to pursue.  Having done only one internship in my four years here at UCF, I thoroughly regret not expanding my knowledge and experience by doing more.

If I had the opportunity to go back and re-live my college years, I would participate in more internships including working with different types of agencies like in-house, non-profit, government, etc.  Doing so would have given me a much better grasp of what I truly hope to some day do.  With sports being my main focus, I could have been a part of so many great things at UCF: the new stadium, the football team, sports columns, intramurals; the list goes on and on.

Looking ahead, however, I wish to pursue a career in sports marketing, sports PR, or sports communications.  Sports is my passion, and I am determined to succeed in its arena.  After graduation, I hope to secure either a position or an internship with an area sports team or organization through which I would like to improve my writing and pitching skills, as well as my overall sports knowledge.

So… For any of the PR pros out there (both in sports and not) I welcome any advice you may have!!  And if you hear of any internships or job openings, send them my way!

Tweet-letes

Now that you’ve hopefully discovered some form of your “niche” so to speak (though this will probably change consistently throughout the course of your career), it’s important to understand how we can use social media to our advantage when interacting with and keeping tabs on athletes, a feat I am still trying to fully comprehend and tackle.

• The Rise of Social Media

Social media is becoming more popular and interactive every day, helping us sports fans connect with our favorite athletes, big and small, on a level that has never before been achieved. With this in mind, it is important now more than ever that we, as communication students, have a strong grasp on navigating the Internet and its social networking sites.

Though there are thousands of networking sites out there, there is one that has grown in such popularity since its release in August of 2006 that it has become the social media giant amongst both businesses and people alike. Drum roll please…Twitter. Did you really even have to guess? I’m sure 75 percent of you out there already have a Twitter; to the other 25 percent, what are you waiting for? Jump on the bandwagon. This is one site that is surely not going to fizzle out in the next few years like its counterparts.

• The Twitter/athlete Love Affair

As Twitter grows in popularity among us “common folk”, it’s doing the same with celebrities, athletes, and even political figures. “Tweeting celebs” are now dominating the social media realm, and using sites like Twitter to their advantage in immeasurable ways. For one, we are now able to communicate directly to those we look up to – who wouldn’t like to receive a @ message from their favorite NFL player? The desire to become closer to those we look up to is drawing thousands of followers to track celebrity tweets alone.

Small time athletes are also taking great advantage of the current Twitter craze by using the site to help advance their careers and increase their popularity (or is it their ego?). Regardless, we are seeing great things come from the Twitter/athlete love affair. Many sports figures are using tweets in positive ways, raising money for great causes and charities; the Haiti relief being one of the most recent and noteworthy. Pierre Garcon, wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts tweeted that he would give away autographed items to fans that donated to the relief effort; he raised $600 in the first 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, as with everything, we have to take the good with the bad, and there are some athletes out there who have taken tweeting a bit too far by alienating fans and picking fights. “Smack talking” has also increased among rival athletes, causing many sports teams and associations to ban tweeting during events and practices. Failure to comply with these new rules may even result in fines and suspension time.

• What Does It All Mean?

Really what this whole Twitter craze comes down to is using your brain. Tweet with class and tweet in moderation. Example A – the Marcus Jordan gambling scandal. When you’re under 21 and gambling illegally, why tell the world? Though now denying actually posting the tweets himself, the fact stands that there would be no knowledge of the account had he (or his so called “hacker”) not tweeted about it. Honestly, nobody wants to know what you’re doing every second of every day, no matter who you are – make your updates count.

Work In Progress

Thanks for visiting the site!!  This is currently a work in progress.. Check back soon for new posts and pictures!

In the meantime, follow me on Twitter :]