NY Liberty - Manager of Communications


		Meet the Press
		Literacy Campaign

A lot is written and spoken about a professional team, especially in a city like New York. The manager of communications has the job of making sure that reporters, sportswriters and all other members of the media have an easy time doing their job of covering the game.

Brooke Lawer handles this busy job for the Liberty. She writes up game notes, or short pieces of information about the game, to help reporters and sports writers put together their stories. She also invites celebrities and journalists who don't usually cover sports to come down and see the team. This can help create a "buzz", or generate more excitement about the Liberty.

During a game she makes sure that everything runs smoothly for the sports writers and photographers. After a game, Brooke arranges interviews and sees to it that the players and coaches are prepared so they can best handle their interviews. Sometimes there are press conferences between a player or a coach and many reporters at one time, either before or after the game. The manager of communications also sets these up.

Start Early

Brooke suggests that if you want to work in communications, you should get an early start. "Volunteer for your high school sports team as an information or equipment manager, become a sports reporter for your high school or local newspaper or somehow work your way into sports entities in your area" suggests Brooke, who did just that.

Brooke began by taking all kinds of office jobs while in high school and learned how to work in an office environment, answering phones or just filing papers. After working at a jewelry company, she got a job at a sports marketing agency. From that point on, she was hooked on working in sports. She worked at the Woman's Tennis Association and finally for the Liberty of the WNBA.

Two Tips

Two other important tips that Brooke offers are to stay calm under the pressure of a busy job with tight deadlines and meet as many people in the industry as possible.