Jemele Hill: A Pioneer in Sports Journalism

Hey all,

My name is Christopher Kaiser and I was born and raised in “beautiful” Buffalo, New York- home to some of the best beaches on the American side of Lake Erie. I did my undergraduate work at SUNY-Geneseo (Go Knights!!!!) and graduated this past spring with a degree in Management. I came to UCF due to the reputation of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program, the family atmosphere that is cultivated, and the distinguished faculty that guide the program. Thus far the program has more than exceeded my expectations and I look forward to all that lays ahead for our class in the upcoming year.

One of the many incredible aspects of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program is the weekly speaker series. Every Friday, a prominent figure from the sports industry comes to campus and speaks to our class. Following the speaker, we generally have a reception in the TIDES office where we can casually speak with the distinguished guest one-on-one. This past Friday ESPN columnist and TV personality Jemele Hill visited the UCF campus to speak to our class. Now I don’t how many of you killed two hours of your day as an undergraduate watching ESPN’s First Take, but I know I did! So, having someone that I watched on TV almost every day in college, two feet in front of me, was almost surreal.

Ms. Hill began her speech by telling us about her upbringing in a low-income household in urban Detroit. Although she was very modest when speaking about this period of her life, it was clear that her drive and work ethic were cultivated by the adversity that she faced at this time. She then went on to discuss her career path and how she got to where she was now at ESPN. An astounding fact that she revealed was that a study conducted by our own Dr. Lapchick several years before, had shown that she was the only African-American women working as a sports columnnist in the United States. I found this shocking and it allowed me to really understand the type of pioneer she was in sports journalism. This part of the speech was pretty standard as far as our speakers go, however the fact that she only spoke “at us” for 30 minutes and opened the room up to questions for an hour and a half was not. It a truly incredible opportunity to have 90 minutes to “pick the brain” of someone who is so prominent and influential in the sports entertainment industry. As a class, we bombarded her with questions for this whole time period on issues ranging from matters of diversity in sports to “What’s the deal with Skip Bayless?” Ms. Hill answered every question with enthusiasm and genuine interest. This question and answer session was arguably the most intriguing class-wide interaction of the speaker series thus far. After the official meeting was over, Ms.Hill came to the TIDES office for a small reception for over an hour. During this time, she graciously talked with a number of students in a one-on-one setting.

Reflecting on the overall experience of having Jemele Hill as a speaker, I almost could not get past the excitement of meeting a famous television personality and the entertaining, humorous way in which she spoke to us. However, when thinking about it a little more, it was clear that there was a deeper message that could be taken from Ms. Hill; that was one of modesty and humility. The down-to-earth manner in which Jemele Hill carried herself when interacting with us blew me away. For all she had accomplished and overcome in her career, she showed us the upmost respect and did not once discuss her own accomplishments. This made me examine the fact that I can act in an arrogant manner or get cocky about something as insignificant as doing well on a test in one of my classes. While a celebrity talent like Ms.Hill doesn’t say word about something as significant as breaking down gender and racial barriers in sports journalism. Going forward, I will now make a greater effort to let my actions and hard work speak for themselves, rather than gloating to and looking down on others. Whether Jemele Hill knows it or not, by simply being herself she not only gave us a better understanding of sports media, but also helped shape me into a better person.

It can be seen in my reflections above that the doors that are opened to you by the DeVos program can have profound impacts on you both personally and professionally. To quote the famous blog writer Jesse Gardner, “I am a very lucky individual to have been chosen to be a part of the DeVos family and I continue to look forward to all the opportunities and experiences that are still yet to come.” I could not agree with statement more and I consider my choice to come to UCF as one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Also, I had some fun with my fellow classmate Jessie’s blog post in the beginning, so I thought why not at the end as well. Now, she may get upset with me, but the beauty of the DeVos program is that we see each other so much and have built such close relationships, that I am confident we will be able to work through this minor bump in the road.

Have a Great Day!!

Chris

Summer Classes Will Make You Do Crazy Things

Last weekend, some of us from the 2010 class made our way down to Sebastian, Florida for an experience of a lifetime. The level of excitement increased during the hour and a half drive to the jump site. No one could sit still or stop talking about what was about to happen. You could see the anticipation in everyone’s eyes, well everyone but Dean, who in typical Dean style was sleeping. After arriving and filling out all the requisite paperwork, Alejandra, Ben, Dean, Nathalie, Nicole, Steve and I then waited for their chance to board the plane.

With just minutes remaining before takeoff, we were called over to be fitted with harnesses and briefed on the tandem jump. The briefing consisted of four short statements: cross your arms on your chest as you exit the plane, tilt your head back, bend at the waist and put your arms up you when your instructor taps you. After that quick crash course in skydiving, I and three others crammed into a small plane for takeoff. Looking out of the plane windows a few minutes after takeoff, it seemed like we were really high up. Then we found out that we were only half way up. With about two minutes until we reached our jump altitude of 13,500 feet, the instructors attached themselves to us and reemphasized the four statements we had heard on the ground.

Jump time! I was seated in the last position on the plane, therefore observing everyone make possibly their last decision in life, to jump or not to jump. Actions happened far more quickly then I could have imagined. A brief look down as I scooted along the bench towards the open door and Nicole and Steve were already off the plane. Ben was next and then me. In the one second I sat on the ledge of plane, legs dangling over the Florida Coast, my jump training came to me and I crossed my arms and tilted my head back.

Falling towards the ground with the whirling air engulfing you, complete freedom overcomes your body. Fear is not present as you reach a speed of 120 mph, twirling and twisting over amazing views of Florida. After falling 9,000 feet the parachute opens and every sound is silenced. The chaos and stimulation your body had just gone through is transformed in the snap of your fingers into perfect peace. After absorbing five minutes of breathtaking scenery while gently floating towards Earth, everything is restored to normal with a smooth slide landing on the ground.

The experience was remarkable for all seven of us. After the second group had completed their jump, none of us could stop smiling or recounting our individual experiences. Whether it was steering the parachute or going through a cloud during the freefall, everyone’s experience was unique. We are already planning another trip before graduation. After regrouping we headed to Woody’s for some barbeque and then we were off to Cocoa Beach to join up with more classmates for a day’s break from classes. The day was a true three headed monster; great weather, incredible jump, relaxing beach.

- Chris

Hitting The Road To Daytona International

Earlier this week, the Class of 2010 traveled to Daytona to visit the Daytona International Speedway (DIS) as part of our DeVos Guest Speaker Series. The event started off with a buffet lunch in Bill France’s (Chairman & CEO, Nascar) skybox overlooking the start/finish line. After lunch, we had the privilege to speak with leaders from both Nascar and DIS, including Robin Braig, the President of DIS and Steve Phelps, Chief Marketing Officer for Nascar. Following this we took a quick trip on top of the skybox to get the best view of the track from where the driver’s spotters are stationed during a race.

Next, we headed over to the Daytona 500 Experience to learn some of the history of the track and test our racing skills through friendly competition in racing simulators in Acceleration Alley. We ended the day by taking a tram tour of the track. There was some shock among us as we got into the track and realized just how narrow the track actually is considering the drivers will sometimes push the envelope and drive four wide. The amazement grew as we entered the first turn and saw firsthand the magnitude of the 31° banking in the turns.



Going into the day, most of the 2010 class had fairly limited exposure to Nascar. After touring the track and experiencing its incredible size and hearing some of the staggering figures concerning Nascar’s revenue, fan loyalty, sponsorship commitment and television ratings, many of our preconceived notions of the sport had changed. Most of us now have a new appreciation for the sport and may be buying our first tickets to a Daytona or Nascar event in the coming months. I personally have been an avid fan of the sport and have been to a couple Nascar races before, but getting to see Daytona in person for the first time was a great personal treat for me. I look forward to other future events in the Guest Speaker Series that are equally as entertaining and fulfilling.

Chris

Meet the Class of 2010 - Chris

One of the unique attributes of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program is the network of students who make up our program. Our class will take every course together during our tenure here at UCF and we will work on countless group projects and collaborative efforts. As a result of our shared interests in the business of sport, a natural team camaraderie is formed. However, our team is composed of people from diverse backgrounds, experiences and ambitions. We offer profiles of class members to give you an idea as to the type of people who make up our program, individuals who collectively will be leaders in sport and society and will be teammates for life.


Name: Chris Kamke
Hometown: Blacksburg, VA
Undergraduate College: Virginia Tech
Undergraduate Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering

Current Graduate Assistantship or Employment: G.A. in the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES) and UCF Football Guest Services

Future Career Goals: My goal is to work in marketing for an NBA franchise

Reasons For Choosing DeVos: I was interested in the DeVos program because of the professors, the commitment to community service, the annual class trip to meet with leaders in the industry and the partnership with the Orlando Magic