By: Thomas Burkel
Building connections and making an instant impact is the key to working in sports. If you don’t have these skills, you won’t succeed.
This statement captures what it takes to work in sports, and Jaeden Gordon embodies these traits. Currently a Project Manager at Oregon Accelerator, a student-run organization at the University of Oregon that centers on supporting athletes with their name, image, and likeness, Jaeden understands what it takes to thrive in the sports industry.
Jaeden brings knowledge, expertise, and charisma to the Accelerator team. With experience as a Recruitment Intern at the University of Oregon Athletic Department to countless years working with athletes, Jaeden understands the importance of managing the brand of college athletes.
Last week, I had the pleasure of talking to Jaeden. In our conversation we discussed how he entered the sports industry, what led him to study Public Relations, what it takes to work in NIL, and the future of athlete branding.
Jaeden’s Journey Into Sports Communications
Jaeden always had an itch for sports culture. He grew up in a household that embodied the importance of sports and found pride in their teams. However, it wasn’t until he played sports that he fell in love with the thrill of the game.
“I had played many sports growing up. I played football, I wrestled, I ran track, and I played baseball.”
However, Jaeden was always interested in storytelling. Shaping narratives, being personal, and using sports as a creative outlet, are what changed the game for Jaeden. The young athlete found love in sharing stories and using sports as a tool to express this interest.
“I remember when I was younger, I went to a high school football game and I had asked the PA announcer if I could get on there and call a couple downs. And you know, from then on, I just always wanted to tell sports stories.”
This love for creative storytelling and shifting narratives led Jaeden to the University of Oregon, where he is now a senior majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Sports Business. His spark for Public Relations came when he was younger.
“What really inspired me to pursue a public relations degree was just being younger, always being talkative, always wanting to get to know people at a young age. You know, just being infatuated with sports and just seeing how people navigate through their daily lives and just kind of self-narrating their journey.”
Jaeden always had the creative tick to tell stories and highlight athletes’ passions. However, it wasn’t until he entered the University of Oregon that he discovered his true passion for helping athletes.
Jaeden’s Path to Empowering College Athletes
When Jaeden began his time at the University of Oregon, he was immediately drawn to the School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) and the Athletic Department. He instantly applied to be a Recruitment Intern for the University of Oregon Athletic Department, and immediately succeeded in his role. Throughout his time working with athletes and coaches he learned valuable lessons.
“I would say, just be a sponge. Never be afraid to learn. And you know, the piece of advice that I would say is just talk to as many people as you can and really be confident because those industries are tough. You really have to rely on your confidence and not be afraid to talk to people.”
Off the bat, Jaeden learned the importance of not being afraid and soaking up information. With sports being a difficult industry to break through, Jaeden learned helpful tools to maximize his potential. As he spent more time at Oregon, Jaeden found his passion for storytelling. This allowed him to transition into his Operations role at Oregon Accelerator.
“Helping [athletes] develop their voice, capitalizing on their skill sets, their strengths, their specialties. It can be on the field and off the field, but really helping them produce their name, their image, their likeness. So helping them generate a voice to be able to capitalize on opportunities, to generate revenue for them, generate opportunities, networks, connections.”
These are all tools that Jaeden built upon throughout his time at Oregon Accelerator, to help athletes grow their brand. However, he transitioned into a role that was beyond his skill set—operations. Jaeden jumped right into operations so that he could expand his expertise. Instead of writing press releases or blogs, he decided to expand his game to a new level.
“The operations role really allowed me to use my voice and connect the different departments at Oregon Accelerator…And that really gave me my skill set. That gave me the opportunity to showcase my strengths in terms of public speaking, networking and communication and just cohesiveness, just allowing people to be on the same page.”
Jaeden used this opportunity and has flourished. With two years at Accelerator, Jaeden has worked with a plethora of star-studded athletes, has hired workers with a strategic mindset, and has committed to the growth of Oregon Accelerator.
Jaeden on the Future of NIL and Athletes Brand Management
Throughout his time at Oregon Accelerator, Jaeden has harnessed new tools for understanding NIL and representing student-athlete brands. In particular, he has learned about the importance of brand management. As a former athlete, Jaeden has stressed the importance of keeping a high-profile brand image.
“You have to be able to manage your brand because you are a brand yourself. When people see you doing things, when people see you playing your sport on the field or running on the track, you’re creating a brand just by people tuning into what it is that you’re doing.”
Working within the realm of NIL gave Jaeden this perspective. Navigating your brand, especially as a student-athlete, is a difficult task. It can be daunting to continuously do the right thing, or lead with confidence, but these are the steps athletes must take to succeed.
Jaeden also has expertise when it comes to the NIL landscape, and what athletes need to do to succeed. As he began his career at Accelerator, NIL was just starting to blossom. With this knowledge, Jaeden believes that the name, image, and likeness landscape still has room to grow.
“I believe that college is trending into a mini-professional league. It just needs to [have] a cap on [it] to put some things into control…Because it doesn’t matter if you’re a football player, or basketball player, or lacrosse player. All these athletes make the university special.”
With the rise of NIL, Jaeden believes that there should be a cap on how much athletes should make. With NIL expanding, and athletes making profits, it is turning college sports into a professional league. This is a constant conversation that is debated between professionals working within the collegiate space, but an interesting one when it comes to the future of NIL.
The Future of Jaeden Gordon
With Jaeden Gordon in his senior year at the University of Oregon, the Public Relations specialist has a future that is committed to seeing athletes succeed. Whether this is through supporting athletes with elevating their branding, participating in operations at an organization, or supporting up-and-coming athletes with their NIL opportunities, Jaeden has the power to elevate the sports industry.
In our conversation, Jaeden touched on three tools aspiring Public Relations professionals can develop if they are interested in working in sports.
“Number one, communication. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. Don’t be afraid to just get to know people. Because in PR, what today’s problems become tomorrow’s stories. And so just don’t be afraid to get to know people. Getting to know people makes for an incredible story.
Number two, I would say just networking on LinkedIn. I can’t tell you how many times LinkedIn has helped me, you know, connect with people and, and just even get a look at jobs, whether I got them or not. Just the fact that someone could even consider me to apply for a job means that there’s potential and there’s recognized potential in me, even if I don’t recognize it in myself.
And then three, just find a way to be creative. Because it doesn’t matter what it is or what it looks like, if you’re finding a way to be creative, you’re going to stay relevant…You need to find a way to stay relevant. If you’re not finding a way to stay relevant, then you know you’re going to get left behind, especially with PR and the public.”
Main Takeaway
Having a conversation with Jaeden was a transformative experience for me. Listening to someone who has used his voice and expertise to support student-athletes is a refreshing site to see, especially in a difficult sports industry. As someone who is interested in working in sports, talking with Jaeden was extremely helpful. Learning about how to navigate your brand, understanding tips for how to expand athletes’ NIL opportunities, and listening to his story, has been beneficial for me.
The conversation made me think about my future in the sports industry and the steps I need to take to grow my brand. It will be exciting to see what Jaeden does within the sports industry in the future. With knowledgeable expertise in college athletics, branding, and operations, the rising Public Relations Professional has a bright career ahead of him.
To follow along with Jaeden’s future work, please visit his website and connect with him on Linkedln.
Thomas Burkel 
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