What Exactly is an SID?

If you were to ask the average Liberty student what a Sports Information Director (SID) is, few would be able to provide a substantial answer. Regardless of its anonymity on campus, this role plays an integral part in intercollegiate athletics.  

SIDs are responsible for much of the behind the scenes work that goes into making game days as seamless as possible for fans and athletes alike. 

“We are the primary media contact for [our] said sports, however many that may be,” Bill Smith, the SID responsible for field hockey, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s lacrosse, said. “It’s our responsibility to upkeep rosters, bios, press releases, previews, game notes, postgame press releases [and] nominating for awards.”

In addition, Smith said that SIDs are responsible for coordinating team interviews with media and providing access for photographers at events. Being an SID requires hours of hard work throughout the week, even though the results of this work may only be seen on game days.

 Because SIDs do so much work behind the scenes in many different areas of athletics, it is often difficult for one to know what project they will be working on days in advance. Because of this unpredictability, SIDs commonly deal with uncertainty on the job. The work that an SID may do one day may have little bearing on what that same SID does the next day. 

The emergence of social media in sports has made this job more complex. While in the past SIDs may have had tough workloads, social media adds an entirely new dimension to sports coverage. 

“Definitely… a big addition to the SID job is managing a lot of that social media content,” Joe Carmany, who is responsible for volleyball, women’s swimming and diving and softball, said. “Maybe you’re not creating all of it, but that has been a big shift even since I started 10-12 years ago. Like when I started, we didn’t have really social media, so you just posted the box score on a website, posted a story, sent out to media and that was it. Now, you’re doing pregame, pregame starting lineups, in-game, in-game graphics, postgame graphics, video [and] etc.”

Other staff, like Paul Carmany, who covers women’s basketball, cross country and track and field, often find themselves trying to juggle job and other life responsibilities, such as raising families. 

“It can be a challenge, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes,” Paul Carmany said. “We don’t just show up come time of the game and start our job then. There’s many, many hours that have gone into it before the game even starts.”

While being a SID may be difficult at times, it also has its benefits, namely the relationships that are built during the days on the job.

“The bond with coaches and student athletes is what makes it worth it,” Smith said. “Sure, it’s fun to have teams that are being successful right now at Liberty, but ultimately that ends up being history. I value the relationships and friendships I’ve built with coworkers, coaches, student athletes and staff down here.” 

Ryan Bomberger, who covers men’s soccer and baseball for the Flames, said that his job provides him with the chance to interact with the team on game day. He said that he held a streak of attending 729 straight baseball games before missing a game due to illness in 2018. 

SIDs also build strong relationships with each other. This familial atmosphere exists both in Liberty’s staff as well as within the staff of SIDs at other universities. 

“Another good thing is I have good coworkers, and we’re more than just coworkers, we’re friends,” Bomberger said. “We get together and stuff like that. We play in fantasy leagues. I like traveling. I have good buddies at different schools. Now that we’ve switched conferences, I don’t have the same old guys, but we’re slowly getting there, but you look forward to seeing [them].”

The camaraderie among SIDs majorly impacts work as well because SIDs often jump at the opportunity to help one another, even if that means helping cover someone’s shift during a game at a rival school. 

Relationships are not the only benefit in the life of an SID. The position also allows these individuals to travel across the country while covering sports events. 

“I’ve gotten to go to a lot of different places that I probably wouldn’t have been in my life if Liberty hadn’t covered,” Paul Carmany said. 

Another positive that SIDs find in the job is the opportunity to share the stories of athletes. 

“My favorite part of my job is allowing our student athletes to tell their story,” Todd Wetmore, who covers the Liberty football and golf teams as well as overseeing the SID program, said. “It’s my job to give them the platform to tell their story, and they have some great stories. We have 550 plus student athletes, 160ish staff members. We have close to 700 individuals we work with every year; all have a unique story. They all come from Liberty with a different angle, from a different perspective, and some of their stories are amazing.”

For Steven Gonzalez, the SID who covers men’s basketball and women’s soccer, being an SID also means helping student-athletes succeed.

“Being an SID has been better than any other job I could have imagined. It has given me the opportunity to be a part of a team and help student-athletes achieve their dreams and see them grow on the court and in life,” Gonzalez said.

While many schools around the country provide SIDs with the opportunities to serve as mouthpieces for athletes, Liberty’s campus stands out from others with its increased focus on placing Christ first. 

“The thing that makes it unique about Liberty is the fact that here, we get to have the opportunity for our student athletes to integrate their faith into their story,” Wetmore said. 

As Liberty’s athletic program continues to grow, SIDs will continue to serve behind the scenes to ensure that coaches, athletes and fans have the best athletic experiences possible. 

Shields is the asst. sports editor. Follow him on Twitter at @cpshields2000.