Author: Marcus Fredrickson

Most fans only see the players, the scoreboard, and the highlights, but behind every great game is a team dedicated to crafting an experience. Working with Nevada Athletics in fan engagement has opened my eyes to just how much effort goes into making fans feel valued. From giveaways and music all the way to in-game entertainment and community outreach. It’s not just about winning; it’s about creating memories.

A strong fan experience can transform casual spectators into lifelong supporters. When people feel connected to a team, they are more likely to show up, share, and invest emotionally. It’s the same concept that drives live music: the more immersed someone feels in the moment, the deeper the connection becomes. Whether it’s the crowd singing along to a chorus or a fan section cheering after a team scores, the magic lies within shared emotion.

Sports are more than the scoreboard; they’re about people, passion, and belonging. The fan experience is what keeps the heart of sports alive. Next time you’re at a game, take a moment to appreciate the energy, creativity, and effort that go into making it happen behind the scenes. If you’re in the industry, I challenge you to keep making that experience unforgettable.

The picture is an AI image of fans cheering

Balancing my life as an aspiring DJ and a sports management graduate student has taught me a great deal about personal branding. At first, I felt like I was in two separate worlds, with one in the world of music and creativity, while the other was in sports and professionalism. My DJ experience has enabled me to connect with people, remain adaptable, and think creatively, while my sports background complements my organizational and leadership skills.

In both industries, I have found that it’s about authenticity. People connect with real stories rather than perfection. I’ve learned to be transparent about my journey and write about the challenges that I face, such as balancing school, work, club sports, music, and lessons that I’ve learned. Building a brand isn’t just about logos or aesthetics but rather showing who you are, what you value, and what drives you every day.

Your identity doesn’t have to fit in one box since the best brands are multidimensional. Embrace your different passions and find ways to merge them. Whether you’re a student, athlete, artist, or entrepreneur, your mix of skills and experiences is what makes your brand uniquely yours. I want you to write a list of things that you’re passionate about, and then consider the possibility of potentially building a brand around them. Out of all the eras to try and build a brand for yourself, now is the perfect time!

(The picture is an AI-generated image of building a personal brand in DJing and sports.)

At first glance, DJing and sports marketing might seem different since one thrives in the nightlife scene, while the other thrives in stadiums and arenas. But as I continue both my internship and DJing, the more I realize how similar they actually are. Both are about energy, emotion, and creating unforgettable moments. Whether it’s dropping the perfect mix to ignite an audience or helping aid a sporting event that gets fans on their feet. The goal is the same, which is to move people.

Working fan engagement at Nevada Athletics so far has shown me that sports marketing is really about the vibe. Every chant from the crowd, video board moment, and pregame song adds to the game atmosphere. It’s the same feeling I chase when I DJ, watching people feed off the energy and connect through a shared experience. Both worlds rely on reading the room, anticipating reactions, and building a rhythm that keeps people invested.

Energy is universal, so knowing how to control it is powerful. Whether you’re on a platform, behind a turntable, or helping run a sports event, your job is to make people feel something real. So I want you to think about the energy you bring to your craft. How can you use it to connect, inspire, and leave your crowd wanting more?

Picture is an AI generated image of music and sports sharing energy

Every DJ should know the importance of song selection, but crafting the perfect setlist goes beyond just picking hits. It’s about creating a journey, and for me, a great mix feels like storytelling through sound. I think about how I want my audience to feel at the start, during the peak, and when the last song hits. It’s like building a movie soundtrack in real time; each track builds off from the previous song, carrying emotion, tempo, and mood.

When I plan a set, I focus on two things: flow and connection. I ask myself these two questions: Do I want to start slow and smooth before dropping into high-energy beats? Or do I want to surprise the audience with quick transitions that keep them guessing? I’ve learned that a setlist isn’t static, but rather it’s quite alive. Reading the audience, sensing the energy, and adjusting on the fly is what transforms a performance from good to unforgettable.

Music is essentially emotional storytelling, and every DJ has their own way of narrating it. Whether you’re mixing at a club, performing at a small event, or even curating a playlist, remember that every track has a chapter in your story. Challenge yourself to think beyond a mix, but tell your story through the beats. Next time you create a playlist, I want you to choose the order carefully so that others perceive you in the way you want.

Picture is an AI generated photo of music telling a story.

Studying sports management at the University of Nevada, Reno, has opened my eyes to how much strategy goes into every fan experience. Since starting my internship with the athletic department, I’ve worked on fan engagement and marketing, through which I learned how teams connect with their communities. It’s not just about selling tickets; it’s about creating moments people remember.

That lesson translates directly to everything else I do. DJing, for example, is another form of fan engagement, just in a different setting. Whether I’m mixing tracks or helping to execute a script for a game, I’m focused on how people feel in the moment. The same teamwork, planning, and energy that drive a great sports event also fuel a great DJ set.

Sports management so far has taught me that success always comes down to connecting. This is between fans and players, all the way to brands and audiences, and even DJs and crowds. Now think about your own goals and how they can help shape you into a better individual. Comment below, and let’s share how our paths connect.

Every now and then, people ask me how I stay consistent with all the things I am currently doing, like graduate school, DJing, club sports, and the gym. I’ve learned that motivation alone isn’t the answer, but another form of pushing myself is the way. The truth is that motivation comes and goes, but discipline stays with oneself. There are days when I’m exhausted after classes due to how late they are or a late-night mix session, but I still manage to show up and do everything. It’s not about feeling ready but about committing to what I said I would do.

Discipline builds a different kind of strength, one that carries over into every aspect of life. When I stay consistent in the gym, I notice that same drive showing up when I’m either producing music or studying for my class. A mindset that makes you show up every day, no matter what, will go a long way. This is where real growth happens, not when things are easy, but when you follow through even when they’re not.

So if you’re chasing goals in any area of your life, stop waiting to feel motivated. Build the habit instead by showing up, staying consistent, and trusting that the results will follow. What’s one thing that you can stay consistent with even when you don’t feel like it? Share it in the comments below, and let’s hold each other accountable.

Balancing graduate school, DJing, and my sports marketing internship has really changed the way I think about networking. When I first started all of this, I used to think it was all about promoting myself, such as handing out my information, talking about my goals, and trying to make the “right” connections. But the more people I’ve met, the more I realize that true networking comes from being genuine and honest. The best conversations that I’ve had with people weren’t about trying to get something out of them, but actually about connecting with that person who shares a similar passion.

I’ve witnessed this play out in the sporting and DJing worlds. When I’m DJing, connecting with the audience or crowd is everything—understanding people’s energies and responding to them in the moment. In my internship, it’s similar to this but in a different form. I’ve learned that relationships in sports marketing grow from consistency and teamwork, just like trust builds over time in music. Whether it’s a classmate or coworker, being authentic and showing genuine interest always leaves a stronger impression than trying to “network” in the traditional sense

As I keep moving forward in the sports and music industry, I’m realizing that networking isn’t about collecting names but about creating real connections that help everyone grow. After learning all of this, I have a task for you: reach out to one person in your field or community just to start a real conversation. Try to get to know them, support their work, or even just attempt to share a common interest. Because you never know where that one genuine connection might take you next.

Starting to create a name for yourself in a field where you haven’t established any networking or social presence can be extremely intimidating. However, everyone starts somewhere, and to build a network and social presence, I have to establish a routine where I take the right steps to achieve my goal. Creating a routine takes a lot of preparation to execute and discipline to maintain, so through writing down ideas and trying them, I am slowly starting to see what works and what doesn’t. My routine involves posting daily on my TikTok and 2-3 times on my Instagram while reaching out to Facebook groups about gigs and SoundCloud exposure.

Posting as much as I do can be extremely exhausting since it’s a lot of content to always push out to the audience, but I have a way to avoid burnout from posting. I DJ twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at my house, where I record a minimum of 5 videos, and this allows me to not stress on days when I need to post. So I created over 10 videos of content in 2 days, which is almost a week and a half, which allows me to have that free buffer from stressing out. When I choose what to post on my social media accounts, it is just based on what I think might do well that day.

Facebook groups can be very hit or miss based on how active that community is, so I take mental notes of when people are the most active and post in that group based on that time. In a lot of cases, people are most active on Facebook past 6pm due to people getting off work and winding down. Being consistent with all of this takes discipline because consistency builds a foundation of potential future success. Only doing this for a month, I realize that it takes time to be known, which is something I am more than fine with. I’m excited for this journey as I document everything, so feel free to follow my socials, where you can be updated.

Yesterday, I officially started my job, where I work for the marketing and fan engagement side of the athletic department at the university. Going into this, I was a little nervous because I haven’t had a job in a long time, so I didn’t know what to expect since I have never worked in the sports industry before. Luckily, they understood that this is my first time on the job, so they are going to ease me into doing harder things later down the line. However, I had a really fun time with what they do, so I am looking forward to working on more games while doing more tasks.

My first day on the job was spent working at the rivalry volleyball game against UNLV, which drew a full house of attendees. I arrived two hours before the game to help set up any necessary equipment for our department, as I had read the script for the entire game. What a script entails is all of the information from each type of crew that’s going to happen from the beginning of the game to the end. It showed what’s going to play in between timeouts, set breaks, and even the events that they do with fans, which I got to help choose.

We had a dance cam where the winner got a 25-dollar gift card to Ruby’s, which is a recently opened burger and shake place, and I chose the winner and then gave them the gift card. The next thing I did was also choose people for a set break game, so another intern and I found 4 people to play our game, which was essentially just a handoff race with the volleyball after the teams finished a set. Those two opportunities were super exciting to do since it was a hands-on experience by choosing people, which is a situation that I like to do. Overall, I did a good job for someone who hasn’t worked in the sports industry before, so I will improve with more games further on in the semester.

Everyone has different aspirations as they grow older, whether it’s career-oriented or hobby-oriented. For me personally, a lot of things have changed as I grow older, since my old aspirations are no longer attainable. This doesn’t have to be a negative thing because that’s a part of life, and I see this as a new opportunity that I can try and see through. My new aspiration is to one day DJ at a popular club where I can see everyone dancing and have a good time.

It all started when I got a bad concussion from playing flag football with my friends. This was my third concussion, and after having conversations with my friends, I realized that my hobbies and aspirations were mainly physical-based, so I had to change that. I realized that I can’t always rely on physical-based aspirations and hobbies, so I wrote down on a piece of paper things that I can do or have done in the past that don’t rely on my physical condition.

I wrote things down, such as reading, creating funny videos with my friends, and even just making edits for friends. Those things were mainly reliant on my friends, and since I get bored easily, I didn’t want to rely on them. My friend DJ’d a party, and it interested me since it looked like a lot of fun, and at the time, John Summit was getting popular. I thought it was so inspiring for an accountant to pursue his passion, which led to him becoming a famous DJ and producer. So I looked up how much beginner DJ controllers were, and since they weren’t that expensive, I decided to buy one off Facebook Marketplace and decided to try it myself.

Let’s just say that at the very start of learning how to DJ, I didn’t know how to do anything or even how to download songs. So I looked up a lot of YouTube tutorials and got a great general knowledge of what to do. After hours of trying new things and experimenting with what the tutorials were saying, I got a gist of what to do to practice correctly. Now I am trying to apply those things each time I DJ, and I am attempting to get a gig. That’s a different post for another time, but for now, this is what gave me a new aspiration for a new hobby.