Communication Department Students Nominated as Finalists for the College Sports Media Awards
It was the College’s first nomination.
The Manhattan College ESPN+ stream of the Iona vs. Manhattan men's basketball game on January 20, 2023, was named a finalist for the College Sports Media Awards. The College was nominated for Outstanding Live Game Production, which is divided into six categories. It was the first nomination for the Jaspers since they began broadcasting games four years ago. The stream is nearly entirely student-created and consists of camera operators, editors and graphic designers. Joseph Ruggiero, the producer/director, and the two on-air announcers, are the only non-students working as part of the video team. 
Manhattan was nominated in the "Collegiate Student: Championship" category, which includes games that are at least 80% student produced. On May 31, Northern Michigan University was announced as the category winner.
The College’s nominated segment was action-packed and demonstrated how the crew captured the best part of the game.
“The crowd was into it, the game was close and then Iona slammed a dunk down that was televised on Sports Center,” Ruggiero explained. “The dunk made everyone in the building and at home take notice. The play was impactful and meant a lot to the game and the broadcast. When we produce our content, we always make sure we cover the action as best as we can.”
Four years ago, The School of Liberal Arts added the Sports Media Production concentration in conjunction with ESPN to the Communication Department. Students in this concentration take five sports media production courses and learn about the equipment, techniques and discipline necessary to produce a successful sports program. They gain real-world experience covering Jaspers basketball games.
“Despite the difficulty of producing games during COVID-19 restrictions, Joe Ruggiero and I have built a program of talented students to cover about thirty home basketball games per year, all streamed live on ESPN+,” says Michael Quinn, Ph.D., associate professor of communication. “It is an amazing honor to work with such dedicated and talented students. Being a finalist in a national competition is intensely gratifying, especially knowing that it is the students who got us here.”
Quinn said the Jasper ESPN crew has received support from both the Communication Department and the Department of Athletics.
“We could not have achieved this much without the help of the entire community at Manhattan College,” Quinn added. “We hope to build on this success and grow the program. Our graduates have already been getting jobs in the sports production industry and this recognition should attract even more students who want a career in sports.”