After sustaining too many concussions during her junior year of high school, Sasha Kandrach had to give up playing college soccer. Following this setback, she decided to combine her passion for athletics with her goal of pursuing a career in journalism.
“I started by covering my athletics programs for our school newspaper when I was in college at the University of Denver,” she shared. “My school didn’t have a football program, but had two of the best hockey and lacrosse programs in the nation so I was able to gain a lot of real-time experience from covering both of those consistently while I was a student.”
In her internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins and as a digital content coordinator with the New York Islanders, Kandrach focused on the writing side of things. But once she went to the Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers, her roles began to incorporate more social media creation.
Now, Kandrach is a social media and publicity manager with Two Circles, a sports marketing agency. Here, she works with clients and client leads on supporting social media channels, strategy, events, and appearances.
“Every day is pretty different,” Kandrach shared, “but since it’s more reactive to what happens during a game or an event, versus the team-side, which is more preparation-focused, the work itself seems to be more in the moment rather than anticipatory.”
Kandrach’s path to success hasn’t always been easy. She admitted that the biggest challenge she faced was just trying to get her foot in the door of the sports world. She’s also faced misconceptions about her social media roles.
“I was guilty of this early on for sure, but I think a lot of people think that social media is super mindless and easy to do,” she shared. “The reality is social media is incredibly strategic. So much goes into accounting for a brand’s values, the parameters of what’s worth a risk/what isn’t, how time-consuming a single post can be, how it constantly evolves and how each channel’s strategy truly differs from one another.”
She’s also experienced gender bias in her career.
“There are just things you have to be more conscious of; how you dress, how you interact with male colleagues (especially athletes), how you perform your job duties etc.,” she shared. “I’ve had men try to explain things to me that just assume I may not know something because of my gender, when the reality is that I do and I know it well. So, it’s little instances (and occasionally bigger ones) that can add up and become exhausting.”
Although she’s faced difficulties, there have been positive parts of working in sports, too. Kandrach shared that she likes having the opportunity to work with trailblazing women who are working in higher executive positions. She also admitted that through networking and working in sports, she’s met some of her closest friends.
“The most growth you can do as a professional and on a personal level comes from taking risks and embracing change,” Kandrach shared. “It ultimately opens doors for networking and gaining new experiences, which I think are both crucial in working in sports, especially as a woman.”
