By MARK SINGELAIS, Times Union
SCHENECTADY — Eric McDowell, the sports information director
at Union College, knows about handling crises.
Twice McDowell found himself in the middle of stories that
transcended athletics and became major national news.
McDowell served as the spokesman for the NBA's Golden State
Warriors in 1997, when guard Latrell Sprewell choked head coach
P.J. Carlesimo and was suspended for the remainder of the
season.
A year earlier, McDowell was working in the media center at the
Summer Olympics in Atlanta when a terrorist bombed adjacent
Centennial Park, causing McDowell to work through the night to get
information from the authorities to reporters.
McDowell said it's become a running joke among his peers in college
athletics.
"They said, 'If anything crazy happens in the business, call Eric,
or he's probably already there,'" McDowell said.
These days, however, he practices his profession far from the
spotlight at Union College, an NCAA Division III school. He and an
assistant publicize Union's 25 men's and women's varsity teams and
more than 500 student-athletes.
Like many of his colleagues in sports information, McDowell is
accustomed to working 60- and 70-hour weeks that include nights and
weekends with little recognition and sometimes modest pay. A
national survey estimated the median SID salary is $36,000
annually.
But Siena athletics director John D'Argenio, who worked as the
school's SID from 1987-92, said the role's importance shouldn't be
underestimated.
"Often, they're the spokesman and public face for your
department,'' D'Argenio said. "They're the ones that help shape
your message and deliver your message — even more so today
than when I was doing it.''
Or as College of Saint Rose SID David Alexander put it, "In
layman's terms, when you turn on ESPN and wonder how all these guys
can spout off all of these facts, it's because of us feeding it to
them.''
A profession that used to be known mainly for keeping statistics
has expanded broadly with the explosion of the Internet.
When an SID isn't running the press box or scorer's table at a
sporting event, he or she is putting together media guides and game
programs for each sport, setting up interviews for players and
coaches with the media or updating news and stats on the school's
Web site.
"I think we're the most multitasking people in college athletics,''
said McDowell, who's also an assistant athletic director.
Colleges are using the Internet in more creative ways to promote
their teams. The RPI athletic department this season launched its
own Facebook page to provide schedule alerts along with a You Tube
channel showing game highlights.
"We want to try to enhance spirit and pride in athletics, not just
with current students, but anyone who's interested,'' RPI sports
information director Kevin Beattie said.
In many cases, sports are a college or university's most visible
platform, especially when a high-profile sport garners national
attention.
Siena SID Jason Rich experienced as much when Siena's Division I
men's basketball program upset Vanderbilt in the first round of
last year's NCAA Tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"Everyone was like, 'What a wild time. You must have gone and
partied all (Friday) night,'' Rich said. "I can tell you that me
and my assistant were in our hotel room working on game notes that
had to be in Saturday morning at 10. The phone didn't stop ringing
until 3 or 4 in the morning with different media outlets trying to
find out what Siena was.''
Rich travels everywhere with men's basketball and pointed out his
job has taken him to places such as Italy, where the Saints had an
exhibition tour in August.
But there are other parts of the job that aren't as pleasant, such
as the damage control that's required when a negative story
breaks.
Rich has dealt with it during coaching changes and the messy
transfer of guard Kojo Mensah to Duquesne two years ago. Brian
DePasquale, his UAlbany counterpart, had to respond to questions
when three UAlbany football players were arrested on rape charges
two years ago. Although UAlbany was criticized by some for its
handling of the incident, DePasquale said there were legal issues
that limited what he could give out.
"I understand the media has a job to do,'' DePasquale said. "At the
same time, though, our paycheck comes from the university, so we
have to find that balance, which is not always going to be there.
... Some people don't want to hear this, but you're dealing with
18- to 21-year-olds and they deserve in some cases a little more
privacy than pro athletes.''
DePasquale said SIDs have become "like a doctor on call'' because
of the 24-hour, seven-day news cycle that's been created by Web
sites and an increasing demand for information.
"I know (the media) might have to call me at 10:30 or 11 at night,
and rightly so, I should be available to answer your question,'' he
said.
Greater responsibility has turned up the pressure on SIDs,
according to John Humenik, executive director of the College Sports
Information Directors of America, which represents 2,300 public and
media relations people from all levels of college athletics.
"They are clearly caught in the middle of this tug of war where
coaches and athletic directors want to provide less and less
(information) and at the same time, the public wants more,''
Humenik said.
He added that more people are leaving the profession because of the
long hours and relatively low pay.
DePasquale, who is single, said he doesn't know how anyone in
sports information can have a family.
So why do they do it? Not surprisingly, SIDs say they love sports
and add they enjoy being part of a college atmosphere.
McDowell, the Union SID, was let go by the Warriors during a change
in general managers in 1997 and decided professional sports weren't
for him. He said the job security and benefits are better in
college athletics. McDowell said the work is worth it when an
athlete from a less-followed sport, such as women's tennis, thanks
him for getting a story in the paper.
"When you have a passion for what you do, the hours mean nothing,''
said McDowell, who got married in August. "Because it's exciting to
see that great win or have a parent write us and say, 'Thank you.'
That keeps us going.''
The Times Union: 'View From the Press Box'
Posted: Oct 08, 2008