By Lulu Kesin '23
It’s rare that just four years after college, you work at a company like ESPN. It’s even rarer when you have the privilege to do so with someone you plan to marry.
For UMass Journalism alums Sarah Corso and Mike Knittle, the everyday dream is played out through their work in their respective jobs at ESPN. Despite that dream coming true at a young age, both Corso and Knittle are advocates for the belief that you don’t need to succeed from the start, and everything from the moment you step on campus to when you walk for graduation matters more than just a thing on your resume.
“You don’t need a job right away,” Corso said to a group of students during a recent visit with Steve Fox’s Sports Journalism class.
For Corso to advocate for the unemployed market upon graduation speaks volumes. Sports journalism is a competitive industry to head into, and oftentimes people are discouraged when a diploma doesn’t directly translate to a new job.
With women in the industry specifically, the classic tale of being overlooked or underpaid runs deep in the sports journalism world.
“I always thought it was a reach,” Corso said. The idea that a certain job, specifically one at ESPN, was too out of reach to even apply for prevents many women from submitting their applications.
"Advocating for yourself is a crucial part of being a successful journalist and employee in the industry," Corso said. Selling yourself and selling your skills go hand in hand in the competitive world of sports media.
Corso, a class of 2017 UMass graduate, was a double major in both Sports Management and Journalism with a Sports Journalism Concentration. She is now a content editor for ESPN, specifically with the NFL, after spending two years working as a part-time BottomLine editor.
Even though Corso took an unconventional path to reach ESPN, which is different than Knittle’s "traditional" route, they both work for the same company now.
Knittle, a class of 2018 UMass graduate, began working at ESPN in October of 2018, just months after his graduation in May. During his time at UMass Amherst, Knittle worked for WMUA and was the sports director by his senior year. Much of his focus while on campus was on the broadcasting side of sports media.
Corso found herself back on campus in Amherst following graduation while working for the Journalism Department as the Manager of Communication, Events and Alumni Relations.
“It is Ok if you don’t have a job right as you graduate,” Knittle said. “For me, the experiences I had at UMass got me to where I am now.”
Currently, Knittle works as a full-time Content Associate for SportsCenter. Despite the continuing global pandemic, Knittle has yet to transform into home office work and has remained in the office in Bristol, Connecticut, this entire time.