Eye on Sports Media

Debbie Antonelli is one of the most respective sports analysts in the country. She is the winner of the Women's College Basketball Association's 2007 Mel Greenberg Media Award. Antonelli was a three-year starter at guard for North Carolina State where she helped guide the Wolfpack to four NCAA tournament appearances and two Sweet 16 appearances. The Cary, N.C., native graduated with a double major in business management and economics. She went on to earn her master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University, where she also served as the graduate assistant women's basketball coach.She did not go straight into broadcasting. Antonelli started out working for four years as the Director of Marketing for the University of Kentucky, followed by three years as the TV analysts for the University of Dayton Flyers men's basketball team. Debbie was the perfect choice for me to interview.

When we got this assignment i was extremely excited because I knew I had an opportunity to talk to the best of the best. Debbie has my dream job in being a sports analysts, and she told me as long as I stay focused I could be successful in my dream. She also told me that being an athlete myself gives me the upper hand in beating out my competition, because I already know more than the normal person.

Debbie has fought through many barriers and obstacles that have been in the way of her progression. There has been limitations on her creativity and individuality, just because she is a women (conforming to what other people want). The hardest thing for Debbie to do is talk to "certain people" who think that women's basketball is a joke. Being a former women's basketball player herself, Debbie takes drastic offense to people like that. It becomes a situation where she has to bite her tongue, put on a fake smile, and be the bigger person; because in her mind women outwork men on a day to day basis. Men have it easy when it comes to getting into the pro's, where as women will most likely need that college diploma to fall back on when it is all said and done. "Women's basketball teaches you to prepare for the future, whether it be a simple task, or a life long endeavor;and this is why my job is so easy now." Preparation is the key to Antonelli's success. In every game that she covers, she makes sure she studies a scouting report (just like we as the players do). In basketball nothing goes by procedure, there is always a time that you need to improvise; if your just sitting there with no scouting report and really have no idea what is going on, your basically screwed. Where as if you have a scouting report and the broad-casted event turns for the worst, it is easier to move along and get on track again. This is a big reason why Debbie is requested by other sports analysts to be the lead analysts for the biggest games of the year. "Relationships is the greatest gift this job give me; I have met coaches, players, and broadcasters all over the world because of this job". To be successful in this business whether we like it or not, we have to know people. Not bragging, Debbie explained to me that the reason that she is so successful is not just because of her preparation, efficiency, and dependability; it is because of who she knows and where she has been. Debbie really taught me many important things.

Being a sports analysts, Debbie is always being interviewed or being the interviewer. She knows all the communication tricks that we talk about in class, so her interviewee performance was precise. She has been working with our team, getting us ready for the many interviews we will get this year; and it is helping more than she will ever know! But, I was still extremely nervous during the interview for some reason. Debbie gave me a grade on how I did with my communication, and it was a B. She said that I had very good eye contact, I was extremely attentive throughout the interview, and that she was proud of me for not using to many "uhms", and "likes".

All and all this interview helped me realize that this is the job I want to have to fall back upon if basketball does not work out for me. I'll leave it with what I left her with, it is not WWJD (what what jesus do?) anymore it is WWDD (what would Debbie do?)