The Michigan Wolverines football program has been busy continuing to overhaul the administrative side of the operation. The start of the week came with the news that Sydney Sims has been brought in as the team’s Director of Strategic Communications and Branding.
A release from the program states that Sims will control the team’s branding and social media efforts while also helping student-athletes with personal initiatives.
Sims is responsible for running the social media accounts for football; handling branding, education and initiatives with the student-athletes; and recruiting communication for the program.
Sims comes to Ann Arbor after 15 months at Notre Dame, where she oversaw the football social media accounts and handled student-athletes branding as a member of The Fighting Irish Media team within the athletic department. Sims has used her skills as an on-camera reporter to provide fans of the Irish an inside look into the program, something she will also do as a member of the Wolverines’ football staff.
Prior to her time in South Bend, Sims worked at the United State Naval Academy. She managed the social media accounts and produced daily content for Navy’s football team during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Her efforts helped the Naval Academy to one of the largest growths in terms of percentage of followers in college football.
Sims has extensive experience with on-air talent, working as a reporter for the American Athletic Conference Campus Connect program and as a correspondent on the American Forces Network weekly show called Inside Military Pigskin.
She was a graduate assistant at the University of Wyoming during the 2017-18 academic year. Sims interviewed players and coaches for the athletic website and social media channels while calling play-by-play for volleyball and soccer.
A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native, Sims graduated from Youngstown State in 2017, earning a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She also completed work on a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Wyoming in 2019.
Michigan has placed an emphasis this offseason on hiring young and forward-thinking individuals on the administrative side of things. Sims’ hiring seems to signify Michigan positioning itself as a place where prospective student-athletes can capitalize on the upcoming NIL changes as it pertains to personal branding. It will be interesting to see how it all comes together.
Quote of the Day
Kenny Mayne is currently on his farewell tour a long career at ESPN and walked off the set of an Aaron Rodgers interview in a way I could only dream of.
“Last time we did an interview together, you told me to go heavy in the cryptocurrency game. I did. We’re down 40%, then I lost my job. Gretchen just wants a new comforter. F**k you, Aaron Rodgers.”
Only @Kenny_Mayne could end his interview with @AaronRodgers12 this way. pic.twitter.com/Aw09nrT4Eq
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 25, 2021
Incredible.
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