Millions of people across the globe have felt the excitement of watching their favorite sports teams, but many have never felt the excitement of reporting on them.
Kennesaw State senior journalism major Lauren Hoffman has been able to build and expand her career as a sports broadcaster by hosting “The Hoot,” a weekly athletics recap show for Owl Network.
Among game days and production days, Hoffman said she believes getting involved with the Athletic Video Department has introduced her to the aspects of athletic journalism, both on-camera and off-camera.
Between reporting on game days, picking out key game moments with the Athletic Department’s staff during the week, filming “The Hoot” on Mondays at the Convocation Center and producing on Thursdays, Hoffman always finds herself busy in her love for athletics. She said that with every day in her career, she falls more in love with her work at KSU.
Since her sophomore year, Hoffman has been involved with “The Hoot” and other athletic productions at KSU and was given the opportunity to become a weekly on-air personality for the show at the start of the Fall 2018 semester.
“The show used to be all about KSU football,” Hoffman said. “We’ve expanded as a team further in athletics to include other fall sports like volleyball and soccer. It hasn’t really been done before, but I’d like to continue [“The Hoot”] throughout the entire year to recap all of the sports seasons that KSU hosts.”
Hoffman is grateful for what she described as an incredible opportunity to partner with ESPN3 and Peachtree TV on KSU game days as a sideline reporter, and hopes to wrap up at the end of the season by putting together a reel of her favorite moments from “The Hoot,” sending it to other athletic departments for possible job opportunities.
Hoffman said that she’s always loved sports from a young age, as she played for the KSU women’s lacrosse team for three years. For her, finding a journalism experience directly related to sports was a perfect opportunity to get experience, show off her on-air personality and add to her reel.
“I always loved being in front of a camera as a child,” Hoffman said. “I have tons of old home videos of me pretending to be a reporter, so I always knew that I wanted to do this from an early age.”
Hoffman remains grateful for the doors that have been opened through this department and encourages other interested students to reach out and get involved.
Hoffman said she hopes that through hosting “The Hoot” later into this school year, she will be more prepared for the future of athletic broadcasting. Hoffman hopes to use her fun and determined personality, paired with her work, to eventually achieve her lifelong career goal.
“I’d say my overall dream job is to host college gameday,” Hoffman said. “I love athletics and hope to do this for the rest of my life.”
Lauren Hoffman can be reached on Twitter or Instagram @laur_hoffman.
“The Hoot” can be watched online at ksuowls.com or on youtube @OwlNetwork.
