New to the Spotlight: Overlooked Athletes Get Drafted

What is an overlooked niche specific to my career field? Who is snubbed in the world of young, professional, football athletes striving to create and maintain a positive image in the public? The NCAA Division II athlete, often overlooked for his skills and aptitude because of the size of the school he attended, is also at a disadvantage in the realm of media training and spending time in the public eye. Ten NCAA Division II-level athletes were drafted in the NFL’s 2013 Draft in April and a few others were invited to participate in rookie camps and try-outs around the League in May.

Photo courtesy of sbnation.com.

So let’s follow the best-case-scenario route of a Division II rookie who is selected in the NFL Draft: his phone rings Saturday of the Draft, he hears one of 32 distinct voices on the other end of the line, his name is called by a guy most people will always refer to as “Mr. Goddell” or “the Commissioner,” then his world changes. Undoubtedly, within the hour, a microphone has been shoved in this young 21- or 22-year-old’s face, asking him what it means to be a part of the fill-in-the-blank NFL organization and how he felt getting that phone call. Then there are the inevitable phone call interviews from the hometown paper, the Sports Information Department, and the big-city reporter who is charged with the sports beat in his “new” hometown. And this Division II rookie only received that life-changing phone call 67 minutes ago!

Great story, right? A career advances, lives change, and backs get patted. But what is being overlooked? The young man who hypothetically sits before us in this scenario is prepared for what’s next in most ways: physically, he’s ready; football-wise, he fits well in the scheme. But this young man, having most likely never taken any sort of training classes or even crash courses in media relations and interviewing skills will now be forced to think, act, and speak on the fly with a recorder or camera running at all times. It’s easy to mess up, no matter who you are; ask Joe Namath. This young man who made it through the overlooked bunch at the Division II athletic level is now facing the growing pains of being overlooked on the communication front. And that is where I come in…Joanna Hensley, Leadership and Improvisation Coach.

Learn more about changes to the NFL Draft in 2014
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9301153/roger-goodell-confirms-nfl-draft-moving-2014