Jack MacDonald, a 2018 Iowa State graduate in journalism and mass communication, has quickly risen through the athletic communications world.
MacDonald started his Iowa State tenure by immediately jumping into sports journalism. He worked all four years for the Iowa State Daily and covered almost every sport Iowa State had to offer.
“My original life plan was to be a journalist,” MacDonald said. “I kind of liked that, like that avenue of a career choice, but then I kind of had this realization that the journalism industry is changing.”
He applied to a bunch of schools around the country after he graduated. He heard back from Southern Mississippi and has not turned back since.
During this time, MacDonald played hockey for the Iowa State club hockey team. About two years into his time as a player, he suffered an injury that resulted in him stopping his playing career. This injury might have been a roadblock, but he took this as an opportunity to work on his professional career.
“I started an internship with the team after that. I was doing a lot of public relations work for the team. That’s kind of how I transitioned into more of a communications role,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald has been involved in sports his whole life and wanted to keep it that way. His time as an intern helped him realize that he could have a career in athletic communications.
“It seemed like a good opportunity because it’s a mid-sized school in the Sun Belt,” MacDonald said. “The opportunity to work with major sports attracted me because a lot of times people at bigger schools are restricted to working on smaller sports.”
He did not visit the state before accepting the offer.
“It was a little scary at first, but I met my fiancée, and now I have been there for seven years. I think it’s obvious to say I made the right choice,” MacDonald said.
“I was coming from the newspaper side, so one thing early in my career when I was new to the state, I didn’t know anyone here, so I just said ‘yes’ to everything,” MacDonald said. “Sometimes that isn’t the best idea, but I think, in my case, I think was a good idea.”
Whether it was communications, marketing, ticketing or facilities, he was always ready to go and learn new things. Getting real experience in the field was key to his success, according to MacDonald.
Southern Mississippi’s basketball team went 7-26 in MacDonald’s first year, so writing stories for those 26 losses was hard. He credited the Greenlee School with helping him write stories for rough games.
Southern Mississippi’s baseball team is their bread and butter. They routinely draw a top ten fan base and have been to the NCAA Super Regionals in the last couple years.
He is a full-time staff member and works with football, basketball and women’s golf, so he gets to travel with the teams wherever they go.
He has really enjoyed the hands-on impact that he has at Southern Mississippi.
“One of my favorite things is, like, obviously, it’s a job, but the only reason this job is here is because of the student athletes at the school,” MacDonald said. “Being able to help them get ready for their career after sports, I think that’s one of my favorite things.”
One of the big things in the athletic communications field is the attention to detail that is needed.
“You’re dealing with 150 to 160 athletes daily, so getting to know them personally is big,” MacDonald said. “It’s not like you just sit behind the desk. Building those relationships with the players and coaches has allowed me to go into a profession that doesn’t feel like work.”
He believes making connections is the most integral part of furthering your career, so his time with the players and coaches has been extremely important.
MacDonald knows his current position is not where he wants to finish.
“I want to lead an external department. Our current head of our external oversees ticketing, marketing, communications and creative, so pretty much all of that. That is a long-term goal,” MacDonald said. “I think one day I could work my way up to senior administration, and if I play my cards right, I think I could be an athletic director at another school.”
If any Iowa State students want to pursue a career in athletic communications, MacDonald believes that they should look into the new sports media and communication major.
“I got my master’s in sports management here [Southern Mississippi] because there wasn’t even a sports communication program for me to pursue. I believe those students should attack that option to the fullest,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators 30 under 30 list for the work he has done.