Behind The Scenes

ESPN employees share knowledge, perspectives at 25th annual AAJA Convention

Photo of Carolyn HongCarolyn HongAugust 18, 2015
Victoria Lim, Bowen Dou, Carolyn Hong and Angela Sun. (Photo courtesy Leighton Ginn)
The “Numbers vs. Narrative? Sports Journalism in the Age of Moneyball” panel was moderated by James Quintong of ESPN.com (far right) and included panel member Michael Huang, senior editor ESPN.com (far left. (Photo courtesy Leighton Ginn)
Kevin Negandhi (right) and Dr. Reginald Ho, who is the subject of the 30 for 30 short “Student/Athlete,” at the ESPN-sponsored screening of the film. (Photo courtesy Leighton Ginn)
(L-R) Jackson Davis, Carolyn Hong, Dr. Reginald Ho and Kevin Negandhi. (Photo courtesy Leighton Ginn)

The 25th annual Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) convention is in the books, but it marked just the beginning for the AAJA Sports Task Force.

Nearly 20 ESPN employees were among the 900 convention registrants at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Aug. 12-15. Many took part in Sports Task Force activities, including the ESPN-sponsored mentor mixer and 30 for 30 Short screening of the Ken Jeong-directed film, Student/Athlete.

“The convention was a great success, especially from the standpoint of the Sports Task Force,” said ESPN Diversity & Inclusion Director Jackson Davis. “We met a lot of talented, diverse people with print, digital and broadcast backgrounds, who were energized by the group and ready to contribute in any way possible.”

The convention was a great success, especially from the standpoint of the Sports Task Force. We met a lot of talented, diverse people with print, digital and broadcast backgrounds, who were energized by the group and ready to contribute in any way possible. – ESPN Diversity & Inclusion Director Jackson Davis

Launched a year ago, the Task Force – which aims to support current and future Asian American sports journalists and media professionals – gave a glimpse of its growth at the AAJA convention.

The mentor mixer pulled together students, veteran sports journalists and recruiters from various sports media outlets. ESPN.com’s Ohm Youngmisuk hosted a discussion with former SportsCenter anchor Michael Kim, taking questions from students and younger sports journalists. The event also allowed the Sports Task Force to share exciting news: the formation of a scholarship by Don Yee (who represents athletes like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady) that would help send a sports journalism student to the AAJA convention each year.

ESPN employees also took part in panel discussions. Digital anchor Cary Chow spoke on a panel about integrating effectively in a new newsroom. ESPN.com Fantasy editor James Quintong moderated a panel on how to incorporate numbers into compelling stories. ESPN.com senior editor Michael Huang was one of the panelists.

But perhaps the marquee event of the convention was the screening of Student/Athlete.

ESPN honored the subject of the film, legendary Notre Dame kicker Reggie Ho. Now a cardiologist in Philadelphia, Dr. Ho took part in a Q&A session – moderated by SportsCenter anchor Kevin Negandhi.

On the night he kicked four field goals in a big win over Michigan, he was in the library studying because of his fear of failure, despite having a near perfect GPA. He was the true example of a student-athlete and the perfect guest for the Sports Task Force. – SportsCenter anchor and AAJA officer Kevin Negandhi on former ND star Reggie Ho, AAJA guest speaker

“Dr. Ho made such a positive impression on our audience. What stood out about the Q&A was his modesty. Twenty-eight years after playing a key role on that National Championship team, Dr. Ho only wanted to talk about teamwork and how he never wanted to let [then Notre Dame head coach] Lou Holtz down. On the night he kicked four field goals in a big win over Michigan, he was in the library studying because of his fear of failure, despite having a near perfect GPA. He was the true example of a student-athlete and the perfect guest for the Sports Task Force,” said Negandhi, the Sports Task Force’s Vice President of Broadcast.

AAJA Sports Task Force co-founder and chairperson Carolyn Hong and ABLE [Asian Business Leaders of ESPN, an ESPN Employee Resource Group] co-chair and Sports Task Force board member Bowen Dou led the charge to make the AAJA events come to fruition.

“We were so fortunate to be able to lean on resources, like the already-well-established NABJ Sports Task Force. We received some great advice from Galen Gordon (SportsCenter’s coordinating producer and NABJ’s Sports Task Force, Vice President, Broadcast]. And, of course, we had the support and backing of ESPN’s Diversity & Inclusion team and Senior Vice President of SportsCenter & News Rob King,” said Hong.

“Twelve months of hard work went into preparing the Sports Task Force events for AAJA. There were definitely days when I wondered whether we could pull everything off,” said Dou. “But, some students mentioned how grateful they are to have a way to connect with Asian American sports journalists. That made all the work worthwhile.”

The AAJA Sports Task Force isn’t resting on its success. The group has plans to utilize its website (www.sportstaskforce.com) to help provide educational opportunities and professional resources year-round for all of its members and also to raise money for its scholarship.

 

Photo of Carolyn HongCarolyn HongAugust 18, 2015
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