by Juliana Dellamarggio
With the new sports media and communication minor and the major to launch next year, the Harrington School of Communication and Media is excited to welcome to the faculty, Brittani Sahm, Ph.D.  Sahm received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida with an emphasis on sports, advertising, and public relations. She also received her master’s degree in sport management from the University of Florida and her bachelor’s degree in sport management from SUNY Cortland.

In addition to her academic credentials in sports media, Dr. Sahm worked for two years as a sport information assistant at Washington and Lee University, working on press coverage, social media messaging, press box management, and league-wide communications for nine Generals’ varsity sports teams.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Sahm just as we expand the Harrington School’s curriculum in sports media and communication.

“I am excited to be joining a growing program that is taking students needs seriously,” Sahm said. “There have not been many opportunities for students to study sports within the Harrington School, and I am honored to be a part of the expansion into sports and help build the program up.”

Sahm currently teaches strategic sport communication and media. The course includes a variety of assignments including attending a game and writing a press release about it, reading a box score, and learning Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to aid in the production of sports media materials. Students are also taught how to cater messages to different platforms and how to find jobs and internships in the sports communication field.

“The students are so excited to learn about the world of sports, which is really important,” Sahm said. “They want to be there to learn, and they come from such diverse backgrounds and interests, which helps bring new ideas to the table that help us all learn.”

Her advice to Harrington School students is valuable across all fields, not just sports.

“Start preparing early,” Sahm said. “College is just not about knowing what you want to do, it’s about getting experiences that will help you prepare for your future career.”