Contributed by: Caitee Bloss
Web Project Assistant, Stein Communications

In the last three issues of the Scoop, we’ve investigated methods in which admission offices, academic departments, and alumni use podcasting in higher education. This fourth installment unites these groups over a common interest: college athletics.

Who are these university athletics podcasters?

When thinking about college sports, the first enthusiasts that probably come to mind are loyal team fans — whether they are current students, alumni, or hometown natives. Two such fans, University of Iowa seniors Ryan Wallace and Will Marchino, host a podcast From the Cheap Seats. Their show provides game commentary, reviews, and insight into several collegiate sports.

Intercollegiate organizations have also taken up the task of podcasting. The first of these, the SEC Podcast Network (not officially affiliated with the Southeastern Conference) has a very specific mission:

“The Goal of The SEC Podcast Network is to help the independent podcast producers who cover the 12 schools of the SEC and to foster peaceful bonds between those producers.”

Several schools are members of this network, including:

• Louisiana State University: Geaux Show
• University of Alabama: TideCast
• University of Arkansas: RazorPod
• University of Georgia: DawgCast

In addition to supporting the podcasts of other universities, the SEC Podcast Network publishes its own podcast that covers SEC games, makes predictions, and contributes a league commentary.

Another sports association, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), sponsors an intercollegiate podcast that provides one-on-one interviews with NCAA President Myles Brand and focuses on issues facing student-athletes, intercollegiate teams, and the NCAA organization. Mondays With Myles is part of the NCAA’s larger Double-A Zone, which also features a blog and a video news program.

As expected, some of the most popular college athletics podcasts are those hosted by their respective universities. Purposes vary widely, from game announcements and athlete interviews (Virginia Tech’s Hokie Podcast and University of South Carolina Upstate) to original game broadcasts (Oklahoma Sooners). At West Chester University, their student newspaper The Quad hosts its own sports news podcast. At the University of Arizona, podcasts are integrated with corresponding news articles and blogs to form an AZ Sports Hub.

What’s in an athletics podcast, anyway?

The range of information available is as varied as the podcasting population. That said, there are a few common components:

• Talk about the game: If there is one element that most university athletics podcasts have in common, it is sports commentary. One notable podcast, From The Cheap Seats, offers valuable reviews and insight into University of Iowa games.
• Get to know the team: Interviews with coaches and athletes are a great way to help students and fans feel more connected to the team. The University of South Carolina Upstate and the University of Oklahoma podcasts offer discussions with the Spartans and the Sooners, respectively.
• Discuss college athletics: With so many students participating in college athletics, organizations are starting to use podcasts to educate the public about relevant issues. Experts from the National Collegiate Scouting Association give advice on the college recruiting process, and Mondays With Myles focuses on NCAA and student-athlete issues.

So, why a podcast?

Not all sports shows started out as podcasts. From The Cheap Seats was originally a radio broadcast. When scheduling required the producers to tape delay each episode, Will and Ryan decided to take the extra step to host the recordings online.

The ability to keep students and fans engaged has been a desirable draw to collegiate athletics podcasting. To interact with listeners, podcasters incorporate additional media such as:

• Videos: Both the TideCast and the Oklahoma Sooners include video clips, which technically makes them vodcasts.
• Blogs: Blogs allow for the continued discussion of issues touched upon in the podcast, along with listener comments.
• Listener activities: While podcasts are static episodes (especially in comparison to live sports radio), more groups are enabling listeners to offer input for future episodes. The Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association’s CollegeLAX podcast voicemail number allows anyone to leave comments or questions. You can even win a prize by listening to the TideCast — if you correctly answer their weekly trivia question.

Note: Before starting your own podcast or incorporate third-party media, be sure to investigate any copyright or legal concerns.

Does anyone really listen to podcasts?

Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular. In addition to their radio broadcast population, From The Cheap Seats receives between 50 and 100 subscribers during the semester. The AZ Sports Hub, which averages 175 plays per podcast, has been known to receive 300 listens to a single episode. Even more popular is Mondays With Myles, the NCAA’s weekly podcast. The show’s RSS feed received over 24,000 clicks last month — a 4,000-click increase over the previous month.

Boosting podcast reputation and recognition is one of the goals of the SEC. The second half of their mission states:

“Our ultimate goal is to create a group of individuals who have as much respect as other large press organizations, but are closer to the fans than anyone else.”

As we mentioned in the last article in this series (Podcasting in higher education: alumni), podcasts have many advantages over traditional media. They can feature several types of multimedia, are updated frequently, and offer followers the option to subscribe. Additionally, podcasts are available globally. With graduating students and hometown natives moving to the far ends of the earth, widespread team fans will consider these valuable resources.

In our next issue of the Scoop, we’ll explore public relations — our last type of podcasting in this series. To contribute your college’s experiences, thoughts, and concerns about podcasting in education, please email mgwaltney@steincommunications.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Athletics, Technology.