Behind the Scenes of Carolina Basketball
My major is awesome. If you know me, you know I love to rave about UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media. One of the best parts of the school is the sheer amount of avenues to explore.
I found myself wandering down one of those this semester when the school announced the inaugural chapter of the Association of Women in Sports Media (or AWSM, pronounced awesome) would kick off this fall. If you didn’t catch on from my last blog, I’ve been a passionate sports fan my whole life. However, I didn’t realize until I was in the Hussman school that working in sports was even an option for me.
This past Sunday was a fascinating look behind the scenes into one of the most iconic brands and teams of all time: Carolina Men’s Basketball.
When I first committed to UNC, I was in denial that I would ever become a basketball fanatic. I had been a football person my whole life and had never cared much for basketball.
All of that changed from the first game I attended. Being a Carolina student means being a part of something much bigger than yourself. Wearing Carolina Blue is a privilege I have longed to have since I was 15.
When you’re in the Dean Dome and can see how much every single person cares, including the players who understand the privilege and responsibility that comes along with representing Carolina’s name, you’d have to be crazy not to want to be a Tar Heel.
All this is to say that the last three years with Carolina Basketball have resulted in some of my favorite moments of college. It is because of this school and this team that I got to rush Franklin Street after beating our arch-rival down the road in one of the most electric Final Four games of all time.
So, when I was presented with the opportunity to shadow a sports journalist following Carolina Basketball, I leaped at the opportunity.
Other AWSM members and me at the men’s basketball exhibition game last Sunday.
As I said before, UNC’s Journalism School is awesome. You know a place is special when you are not only consistently in awe of the accomplished professors and leadership, but also your own classmates.
On Sunday, I got the opportunity to shadow one of those classmates, the lovely Shelby Swanson. Shelby, a classmate of mine in our Sports Communications class, also happens to be an award-winning journalist and sports fanatic like myself.
Through AWSM, three other members and I followed Shelby through a day in her life covering Carolina Basketball for the Raleigh News & Observer. We arrived before the game, picked up our credentials, received a tour of the Dean Dome facilities, and took our seats in the press stands.
After an exhilarating exhibition game, which truly skyrocketed my expectations for this season, we weren’t finished yet.
We packed up our stuff and headed down to the player’s lounge where teammates were giving interviews to the press.
The great thing about the Carolina brand is that they make the players look so untouchable, while also maintaining their personalities and love for one another. Despite how much social media shows who these players are, I still found myself fangirling when they were right in front of me.
It’s silly when you think about it. These people are my classmates, many of them younger than me. But still, when they were sitting a mere two feet away from me I felt the same awe that I would feel if an NFL team was sitting in front of me.
That feeling is an ode to how special the Carolina brand and Carolina Basketball truly is. It’s often in my biggest of fan girl moments that I realize how cool my major and my future career are, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
You heard it here first,
Kylie
