The Coffee Pod, Stories in Sports College of Media & Communication TTU Graduate Program

Harper Anderson and high jumper, JaCorian Duffield, sat down to talk about Duffield's transition from collegiate national champion to professional Nike-sponsored athlete with aspirations to be the world's best at his sport. What does his journey look toward the 2020 Olympics look like, what does it mean to live a pro life as a track and field athlete, and who are some of his favorite athletes are just a few of the topics covered in this entertaining conversation.

Harper Anderson visits with Sports Illustrated Kids writer, Brian Yancelson and learns how a 16-year-old sophomore in high school has carved out a path as a writer and his love for baseball. From his stories of learning how to handle the difficult feedback a writer can often receive from a professional editor, to the variety of sporting events he’s already covered, the pair talk about Brian’s life in sports so far. The episode was recorded just before Yancelson attended Super Bowl LI in Houston in February 2017.

Texas Tech alum Bob Condron has lived a magnificent life in sports, having served nearly 30 years as the director of media services for the U.S. Olympic Committee. He spoke with us on the phone from his home in Colorado Springs in October of 2016 shortly after his return from managing media relations for U.S. Golf in Rio. Here, he talks about his career, the importance of media relations and shares marvelous stories in sports that he has been able to witness.

Current Texas Tech College of Media & Communications students, Bret Brown and Brittany Lee, joined Harper Anderson (Texas Tech CoMC Ph.D. student) on July 22, 2016, for a robust discussion about the paths they took and their lives as full-time undergraduate students, their work as producers of the Double T Insider television show, and other jobs they currently hold. Glimpse the lives of these two engaging millennials.

Former Texas Tech men’s basketball player Toddrick Gotcher joined Harper Anderson (Texas Tech CoMC Ph.D. student) on June 16, 2016 to talk about his personal journey, life as a student-athlete, future plans, and he shares maybe the best story about the proposal that you’ve ever heard.

Associate Athletics Director and Head Coach Emerita, Marsha Sharp, stepped into the podcast booth with Harper Anderson (Texas Tech CoMC Ph.D. student) on May 10, 2016, and talked about leadership, the Fearless Champions program, and her personal journey in women’s basketball and in west Texas. This is our first episode of the Coffee Pod, Stories in Sports series.