B.J. Schecter has been appointed as the official executive director of Seton Hall’s Center for Sports Media, ending his time as interim director and taking the helm full-time.
Schecter has been a professional-in-residence at Seton Hall since 2017. He was brought to the university to join people like Jane McManus, the Center's inaugural executive director, and alumnus Bob Ley, founder of the Center and original ESPN SportsCenter anchor, to build the program from the time of its inception in the fall of 2021.
"I kind of spent my first five or six years learning about the environment here – how things worked, instituting new classes and programs, planning new events, and so forth," Schecter said. "And that eventually turned into the Center, which was my ultimate goal and ambition."
Schecter said he came to Seton Hall with the understanding that he would be executive director for the Center for Sports Media, but COVID-19 made the initial launch of the Center complicated. At that same time, an opportunity for Schecter opened up where he could join a youth sports startup that would take him to Boston every week while still being able to stay at the university part-time.
But that wasn't the first time Schecter jumped at a professional opportunity. Before his time at Seton Hall, he accepted a six-month contract at Sports Illustrated right after graduating from Northeastern University in 1996. Those six months turned into 20 years. Schecter left in 2016 because of the rapidly changing media world, wanting to be "part of the solution" and "not part of the old guard," bringing him to Columbia and the City University of New York's (CUNY) Graduate Schools of Journalism to teach and help drive the conservation of where the sports media world was going.
Thomas Chen, the senior associate athletics director for external relations, connected with Schecter before he even arrived at Seton Hall. Chen had broadcasted some of the Center’s events in the past, and they have occasional meetings where they talk about "how [they] can help each other out." Through this, the two have been able to form what Chen described as a working partnership.
"He's a longtime journalist. He understands the media landscape, he has contacts," Chen said. "He's brought in a wealth of recognizable names, and he's helped to kind of bring notoriety to this program. I would say the program is still in its infancy stage, but he's definitely making strides to get Seton Hall and the Center for Sports Media very well recognized across the country."
Schecter discussed how he wants the Center to collaborate with not only Pirate Sports Network, which Chen oversees, but also the other sports media organizations on campus like SHU TV, WSOU Sports, and the Setonian.
"I'm a firm believer that we're better together," Schecter said. "If you think of Seton Hall and sports media, no matter what form it takes, if it could all be under the umbrella of the Center and have these different touch points, you know, I think that's where the Center can really be this great connector."
Schecter added that the goal is to lift each other up and be able to go into an event and have the Center's team of aspiring professionals asking what they can do to be a part of the work being done.
As an NCAA Division I school for athletics, faculty like Dr. Taylor Henry, an assistant professor of communication, said he recognizes the relevance of Seton Hall in the future of sports media.
"There's a lot of opportunities that we have, not just with Bob Ley being one of our most famous alumni, but also of being so close to New York City and having the resources that being a Big East school affords," Henry said. "I think that the Center is in a really good location, not just physically, but also kind of at this time in the university to really make an impact."
Seton Hall has made a mark in not only the success of its student-athletes, but also its student broadcasters, writers, and more students who have gotten hands-on experience working in sports media on campus. To find success in the field after graduation, Schecter stressed the importance of developing and maintaining relationships.
"You know, events are great, but if we can infuse that personal connection, that's just incredible," Schecter said. "We want to create those opportunities for our students, we want to show them how to take advantage of that. The sky's the limit. You may not get there overnight, but if you work hard, collaborate with the right people, and come in with the right attitude, there are a lot of people that want to help."
These connections that people like Schecter have made play a significant role in being able to host the events at the Center. Some of these events included a discussion with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, a panel regarding the issues facing college sports co-hosted by the Center for Sports Management, a screening and signing of Jeff Benedict's book-turned-docuseries "The Dynasty," and a conversation about basketball and broadcasting featuring Bob Picozzi and Doris Burke.
Additionally, Schecter held the Center's first Sports Media and Business Academy for high school students in partnership with the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Development during the summer. Schecter said that programs like these are essential since the younger generation is going to be "the group that decides where we're going."
"I want students, whether they're high school students considering Seton Hall, or students that are currently here, to feel like they have a seat at the table, that they really have a say in where we're taking this," Schecter said.
Jayda Yizar, a third-year student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program, is currently taking Schecter's graduate-level Emerging Media & Production class. She said she believes it's important for this generation, especially with the ubiquitous nature of social media, to be able to get the hands-on experience necessary to excel in the workforce – even in fields like theirs where you wouldn't think you need sports media skills.
"[I want to get] other students from other programs, even outside of the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media, to realize what we're learning in class can be expanded to their own fields," Yizar said. "I think it's important that we all know how to utilize media appropriately and effectively."
Recently, the Center hosted the exclusive book launch and signing of "The Year's Best Sports Writing 2024" on Sept. 10. The event featured conversations between some of the book's contributors and editors, including McManus, Ley, Glenn Stout, Jarrett Bell, Peter King, and Ryan Hockensmith.
But Schecter won't be stopping there. It was just announced that the Center for Sports Media is launching the Pirates in the Field program. Accepted students will attend Big East Media Day, the Big East Tournament, the NCAA Tournament East Regional, the Men's NCAA Final Four, or the 2025 Super Bowl.
"It's going to be a highly competitive program," Schecter said. "We'll be able to produce content through the University channels and then go out and pitch external media outlets. So, we want to continue to raise the bar."
At the end of the day, Schecter knows that his aspirations for the Center for Sports Media cannot be carried out by him alone. He said that "sports have never been bigger" and that there's "tremendous opportunity here" for students, who he can assist in his official position as executive director.
"The Center is much bigger than me. Check your ego at the door, that's kind of my philosophy here," Schecter said. "Everybody in this world is replaceable. So, where I think I can bring a lot of value here to our students and our University is really just steering the ship and seeing the big picture. I don't have to be out front and center, and I'm not trying to be, but I am trying to create the best program possible and that can't be done just by me."
Jacqueline Litowinsky is the head editor for the Setonian's News section. She can be reached at jacqueline.litowinsky@student.shu.edu.
