Jason Yellin

On Tuesday our class was visited by Jason Yellin, the media relations guru for UMass sports. Yellin has been doing it for seven years here, and was in media relations for six years in Maryland before that, so he was able to provide a ton of insight on relations between athletes and coaches and the media. He also worked for ESPN.com back in the day as a writer, so he has seen the process from both sides. Since Yellin has been on both sides of the spectrum, it helps him bridge the gap between the teams and the media. "I try to help both sides do their job," Yellin said.

This isn't always easy, of course, especially since he works for UMass. But it proves most difficult after a loss, because coaches are angry and less willing to talk about what transpired. A great deal of his job depends on winning and losing. If a team is winning, it's easier to promote the team and get covered by more sources. If a team is losing sometimes he won't get the time of day from people. The way he sees it, he's the same guy doing the same job, but people are simply more interested in a team when it is good.

Yellin also provided us with some interview tips. One that stood out to me, was to always be direct with your question no matter what. If you are unsure of yourself, or beat around the bush in any way, it opens you up to getting flack from the people your asking, and even in some cases, confrontation. In other words (his), "Don't be soft."

Brendan Hall Visit

ESPN Boston's Brendan Hall came to visit the UMass sports journalism class Tuesday, and had some good stories and bits of advice for the class. Anyone who meets Hall will notice his laid back demeanor right away. He speaks as if he was just another member of the class, and I think that translates to younger crowds of aspiring journalists who hope to someday be in the business. There are so many guest speakers I have heard come into classrooms and basically say there is no hope for most if not all of the hopefuls they're talking to. That couldn't be further from the message Brendan Hall provides. Hall proves that if you keep plugging away, work as hard as you possibly can, and never turn down an offer to do anything that's even close to what you want to do it can happen for you. Or, as he put it in his words, "Be a bulldog."

A graduate of the UMass journalism program, Hall worked three internships before landing a job at The Boston Globe. He covered mostly high school sports with the Globe but also has covered the Bruins, Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox as well. He did all this while working a day job as a substitute teacher, which shows the dedication it takes to "make it" in this field.

Another good message an aspiring journalist can take from Hall's visit is that you should always be looking for stories nobody else has. If you're at a sporting event covering the game, sometimes it's better to, instead of doing a piece on the happenings of the game, get another story surrounding a player with a unique back story, or maybe something else that's going on around the game itself. "You should be zigging while everyone else is zagging," Hall said.