STARKVILLE — As Mississippi State’s assistant director of media relations and social media coordinator, Kyle Niblett is part of the public face of the school’s athletic programs, even if he’s behind the scenes. An active member of MSU’s social media machine, Niblett plays a key role in generating and enhancing publicity for MSU athletes.
On Thursday, Niblett, who also is the primary media contact for MSU baseball and secondary contact for football, sat down with The Dispatch to discuss his role at MSU and the changing role of social media in collegiate athletics.
Dispatch: Tell us about your background and how you ended up at MSU.
Niblett: I graduated from the University of Florida, where as a student I worked in the athletic department’s communications office. I also did a summer internship with the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. Following graduation, I did a season-long internship with the Memphis Grizzlies and then returned to UF for a year-long internship. In the summer of 2011, I met Mississippi State staff members at the NCAA Baseball Gainesville Super Regional, and less than two months later I was working in Starkville.
Dispatch: You have a love for college baseball. Did you end up with MSU baseball by accident or was a college baseball job always in your plans?
Niblett: Baseball has always been my first love. I grew up on the Mariners in the 1990s, with my dad’s side of the family being from Seattle. My favorite memories as a student at UF were working baseball games alongside UF Sports Information Director John Hines, who taught me the ropes and is one of the best in the business. With that said, the legendary Joe Dier was enjoying a Hall of Fame career when I arrived in Starkville, so I never planned on replacing an icon.
Dispatch: As one of MSU’s social media ambassadors, how have you seen the landscape of college athletics and social media change?
Niblett: It’s changed so much in the sense that the news cycle is so rapid, that what I read on Twitter right before I leave the office is old news by the time I get home from work. It’s amazing that now athletic directors can schedule football games between each other on Twitter (MSU vs. Kansas State), or we can find out which uniform is the most popular and wear it for the biggest game of the year (LSU). On the flip side, you can wake up in the morning with 10 text messages and 20 voicemails all saying your star player did something incredibly stupid the night before. The good news is Dak Prescott plays for Mississippi State.
Dispatch: How much do you enjoy the interaction with athletes and fans on social media?
Niblett: I absolutely love it. I recently started a weekly player question-and-answer session on @HailStateBB, where for one hour our Bulldog family can ask their favorite baseball players whatever questions they want. So many times, our family only knows our student-athletes by their athletic accomplishments, so these interactive sessions provide a chance to strengthen the bond between the players and the people in the stands. They’re more than athletes; they’re regular students and human beings with fascinating stories. I love using social media to tell those stories.
Dispatch: What’s the biggest reaction or response you’ve gotten from Twitter, Vine, or any other aspect of social media?
Niblett: Without question, it had to have been the #WeBelieve movement in October 2012. Sure, the game didn’t evolve how the Bulldog family wanted it to, but looking back it was by far the most exciting week in my professional career. We had members of the Bulldog family from all over the world interacting with us on Twitter and Facebook. From Australia, to Vietnam, to London, to Times Square, the Bulldog Nation was united in a way I have never seen. I will never forget driving down Highway 12 in Starkville and seeing all the signs and banners that said #WeBelieve. I definitely won’t forget the mob scene at the hotel as we jumped on the bus, or the look in our players eyes when they saw the half-dozen cars at the Alabama state line waving Bulldog flags. It was like I was living in a Friday Night Lights television episode, except it was real life with the most passionate fan base in collegiate athletics.
Dispatch: How many university-affiliated twitter accounts are you currently running?
Niblett: By myself? Zero. Between marketing and media relations, we’re a giant family and we’re constantly working together to run all of our social media platforms. It’s definitely a team effort, and something no one person can do.
Dispatch: An SEC football game in mid-October or a three-game SEC series in mid-late spring, which do you prefer?
Niblett: Whichever event ends with Mississippi State as the victors. Too many people in my business pretend like it doesn’t bother them when the team they work for loses. Who wants to work for a loser? That can’t be fun. I despise losing more than I enjoy winning, and I want to be on the biggest stage possible at all times. Working in the SEC West in football and with John Cohen in baseball gives me that stage every day I go to work.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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