To begin my Sport Professional Pen Pal assignment, I reached out to several people working in the sports industry. One of the first to respond was Ted Alexander, the longtime “Voice of the Old Dominion Monarchs.” He has been the play-by-play announcer for ODU football and basketball for years and is one of the most recognizable media figures connected to the university’s athletics programs. I sent him a brief explanation of the assignment and what the pen pal role was supposed to look like. His replies were very short, and it seemed like he didn’t completely understand that this would be an ongoing connection throughout the semester. It felt more like he was waiting for me to follow up and ask more specific questions. Even though the interaction started off a little unclear, he still responded quickly and was open to the idea, which allowed me to complete the first part of the assignment and establish a professional contact in the ODU sports community.

I’m looking forward to continuing this connection throughout the semester and learning more about his experiences in sports broadcasting. Having someone as established as Ted Alexander as my pen pal gives me a great opportunity to see the industry from a professional perspective.