ESPN, the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports” was on campus Wednesday, February 24th, in hopes of recruiting students to be the next Stuart Scott, or rather, Stuart Scott’s next producer. The Coach Buehler Project crew had the opportunity to meet with the ESPN recruiters during its weekly class. Since Starting at the Finish Line: The Coach Buehler Story is a sports documentary, conversing with “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” seems to have been a pretty sensible move on our part.

I was impressed by the number of employees ESPN sent on its recruiting campaign. I haven’t been to many of the recruitment meetings that seem to constantly take place on Duke’s campus, but if I had to guess, most of the companies do not send four employees, let alone ones who have substantial roles within their departments, to speak with college students. ESPN did it in black and white baseball jerseys, which I thought was a nice touch.

The recruiters shared their own work experiences, as well as their understanding of the types of people who would thrive at ESPN. Don’t kid yourself, sports knowledge definitely helps. However, the overall vibe in the room was one of encouragement and excitement, with Joe Franco, ESPN’s manager of university recruiting and relations, telling us to “follow our dreams, follow our passions.”

It wasn’t the actual advice they gave that made me want to work for ESPN, but rather the underlying care and encouragement with which they said it. In an industry as uncertain as media and entertainment, it seems rare to find a person or company that is willing to guide you to the best of your abilities. My impression was that ESPN is one of those rarities. Thanks for the assist, ESPN.

-Lara Glaswand ’10