About Me
As little girls, it wasn’t typical for us to be watching football every Sunday. It was something that was supposed to be for the boys. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved football. I enjoyed watching the game, learning the plays, and cheering for the Giants on Sunday. Every Sunday, my mom and sister would go grocery shopping while my dad and I would stay home and watch the games for the day. My dad always reminds me of the time when I was six years old, I had gone down to the basement to grab myself a juice box and popcorn, and came back upstairs with a beer for him. That ultimately would be the story he tells everyone when he talks about having a daughter who loves to watch football with him.
As I got older, I continued to love the game. I loved to learn about the players, go to games, and really begin to understand what was going on. I would make bets with my dad about the outcomes of games, and bet that he would need to take me to games instead. Going to games with him on a Sunday is one of my favorite things to do between September and January.
When I left for college, everyone's question was always “What do you want to do after you graduate?” At the time I had no idea. I switched back and forward every other week with different potential careers. As I went into my sophomore year, I was talking to my dad about what he did for work, and he often says he doesn’t feel like he’s at work because he loves what he does. That made me think that maybe this passion of mine could turn into something that I do in my career.
That summer, I decided to take over an Aquatics instagram account. I would go to swim meets, water polo games, and synchro shows taking videos, doing “interviews,” and then posting the content for everyone to see. It became something I genuinely loved to do, and while it was so small on the scale of “working in sports,” it helped me realize that this was something that I was genuinely interested in.
Going into my junior year, I would listen to anyone and everyone who was willing to talk to me. I wanted to get involved in any way that I could. Come summer after junior year, I continued to run Instagram accounts following around local summer league teams at private clubs in my town. It’s a world I love to immerse myself in. I really wanted to get involved further but didn’t know how. I began to apply to positions and ultimately landed myself an internship with the New York Giants for the 2024 season. Being able to be a part of game days on the backside of things was so interesting to me. It affirmed my desire to do this after I graduate.
When thinking about a senior project, I had no clue what I wanted to do, but I knew I had an interest in football. And more specifically, women who work in football. I thought about how I wish I had known about opportunities that were possible when I had started school, rather than getting started later. Ultimately, this made me realize that I wanted to talk to women who were in the industry, make something that I wish I had for girls like me four years ago. I decided on putting together a list of potential people that I could interview about their experiences in the sports world. From coaches, to broadcasters, and scouts, I reached out to as many people that I could think of, and people who I thought would be able to connect me with people. Everyone was so willing to help and make this project a reality.
This is called Beyond the Plays, an interview based blog that talks to women within the industry about what they do, how to get started, and advice they may have for girls looking to jump start their careers. My ultimate hope is that this helps at least one girl in the future, and that the future of the sports industry is full of women who love football and worked hard to get where they wanted to be.