By Kayla Willis
Masked Rider Statue on Texas Tech campus (Photo from TTU Athletics Facebook)
On Aug. 31, Texas Tech University made the forced decision to cut 40 jobs from their athletics program as well as decrease the salaries of 198 additional employees.
Many among those fearing unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic were college–aged content–creators.
Asked if he feared for his job, senior videographer Tanner Fowler spoke about his feelings after witnessing job cuts within his industry.
“Of course,” Fowler said. “I watched left and right as people in my exact position in schools and business across the country lost their jobs or were laid off due to COVID complications”
His emotions were commonly felt throughout the University athletics program.
Videographer Tanner Fowler (Provided photo)
Michaela Schumacher, a sophomore at Texas Tech University and photographer for the athletics program, said she too felt the fear of cutbacks.
“I was terrified for my job,” Schumacher said. “I knew budget cuts were going to be made, and I was extremely fearful that I would be a part of that group.”
Content creation has become a growing field for universities around the country as it allows fans to engage through the ever-growing platform of social media.
According to Stastic.com, an estimated 3.6 billion people use social media, and the number is only rising.
Fowler said his job became even more significant in the wake of COVID-19.
“I help create promotional content and give fans an insight into our athletics programs,” he said. “Fans can’t be at all the practices and all the games, so it is my job to make those practices and games condensed and entertaining.”
Due to social distancing requirements, Fowler said spectators are no longer able to attend games and watch them play; instead, fans are forced to watch sports on television.
Focusing on delivering to the fans, Texas Tech content creators decided to refocus and persist.
“Fans rely on content more than they realize,” Schumacher said. “That is amplified when there aren’t sports to watch. We knew we had to come up with ideas to make our social media accounts stay alive during such a crazy sports drought.”
Adapting to a new work environment, Schumacher, Fowler and their colleagues began posting the smallest events from a workout to a team meeting in an effort to keep fans engaged.
Photographer Michaela Schumacher (Provided photo)
“We may not be able to get as close to our athletes as usual, but we’re going to do better than ever at telling their story,” Fowler said.
Pre-COVID-19, an aerial photograph taken of Jones AT&T Stadium was posted on the Texas Tech Football page received 1,199 likes and was retweeted 147 times.
Currently, the concern college–aged content creators originally felt is beginning to recede as many of the restrictions are being lifted per government, local and state, orders.
“I am lucky that I was able to go back to work in June and have been working since,” Schumacher said. “It makes me the happiest person in the world to be on a field or in an athletics facility. That feeling is even more cherished now that I know it can be taken away in a second. I love going to in person classes and being able to go to real life sporting events again. I hope the positive trend continues.”
Fowler said he is hopeful for the future of Texas Tech content creation as COVID-19 has taught them how to adapt.
“Particularly as a content creator,” he said, “losing the normal that we had was for the good and bad. Now we have to get more creative than ever and tell stories from a (social) distance.”
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