ANNA CONNELLY

The first professional sports game I attended I was 5 months old. It seems fitting, albeit obvious, that I have found myself in a position where I now work in this world, but my path to get to this point wasn’t exactly traditional.

 

Most people grow up sports fans, going to games with their dad, watching their favorite NFL teams on Sundays and participating in the family tradition that surrounds. It’s not that I never did any of this, because I did, but sports have shaped my life, physically and emotionally, in more ways than not.

 

Having a dad who produced sports and was never afraid to turn down new and better job opportunities, I have lived in Minnesota, Arizona, New York and Southern California. My sports fandom growing up got confusing but through it all, no matter who’s playing, I was always there talking x’s, o’s, and all the strategy in between.

 

Growing up I played club ice hockey, softball, and volleyball. By the time college came up, I had multiple offers in multiple sports to play at the collegiate level. I decided to head all the way across the country to Syracuse to attend the Newhouse School of Communications and play division 1 volleyball. 

 

Being a student-athlete, I was able to surround myself with people from all walks of life, with different backgrounds, and most of whom had overcome tremendous obstacles to get to where they are now. Combining my love of storytelling and sports, I quickly transitioned to working in the athletic digital media department, as well as color-commentating for ESPN my senior year.

 

I have grown my skill set to be able to do everything. From field producing, to graphic designing, to being an on-air reporter; I can do it all. Everybody has a story that is so much more than their athletic achievements. I am here to tell those stories.  

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