Casey Phillips: A One-Woman Highlight Reel.

     Two years after getting a B.A. and a Master’s degree from the University of Missouri, Casey Phillips is now a digital correspondent for the recently created Monumental Sports and Entertainment in Washington D.C.
     She does interviews, sideline reports, documentaries and much more for the Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics and Washington Capitals.
     Growing up in South Lakes, Texas; where football is the sport of choice, Phillips said she became a lover of basketball, both as a fan and a player. She played basketball throughout high school and then began to focus on sports journalism.
     “I gave it a try and the first time I fell in love with it,” Phillips said over the phone from Las Vegas, where she is currently covering Wizards players that are participating in the Team USA camp. “And nothing else ever even came close to how much I enjoyed playing it and watching it.”
     As much as she loves working in sports media and getting paid to watch her favorite sport, Phillips admits there are some challenges about being a female in the business.
     “And you know you have to more than prove yourself, and that you have to work really hard to just get back to even, maybe, with some of your male counterparts,” Phillips explained. Being the only, or one of the only females in a locker room is one example of how she has had to work in a different and at times a more difficult situation than her male counterparts.
     Phillips started her sports media career with the Dallas Mavericks and Fox Sports Southwest while still in high school. She continued to have internships throughout high school and college. After college she took a paid internship with Disney before coming over to Monumental Sports Entertainment for her first non-internship position.
     She has done anchoring, reporting and producing for TV and radio. She hopes to continue to be successful in this career path, especially with reporting.
     “I really love talking to people and meeting people and getting to tell their stories and having them trust me with it,” Phillips said.

Interview with Casey Phillips

Chelsea: This is Chelsea Brobst with the Newhouse Sports Communications Emphasis, with Ms. Casey Phillips. How are you today Casey?

Casey: I’m doing great. How are you?

Chelsea: Good. So, first question is where did you grow up?

Casey: I grew up in the Dallas area in a smaller town called South Lakes, right between Dallas and Ft. Worth.

Chelsea: Ok. And you went to school in Missouri correct?

Casey: Yes, University of Missouri.

Chelsea: For Bachelor’s and Master’s?

Casey: Mmhm. I did my Bachelor’s in radio and television journalism and my Master’s in Broadcast Management.

Chelsea: Ok. And, you played several sports growing up, including: basketball, volleyball, tennis, softball and track. And basketball was your favorite, correct?

Casey: Absolutely.

Chelsea: What made you more interested in basketball more than the others?

Casey: Yes.

Chelsea: Was there anything specific that got you interested in basketball? Or…?

Casey: Not really. Nobody in my family had ever played. Had never even watched it. But I just, I gave it a try and the first time I fell in love with it. And nothing else ever even came close to how much I enjoyed playing it and watching it.

Chelsea: Ok, it was the love of sports that made you go into the sports media field right?

Casey: Yes, mmhm. I had always wanted to do journalism and then when I realized there were sports opportunities, I got to thinking about that and that just sounded so much more fun and up my alley.

Chelsea: Ok, and what was your first job or internship in this field?

Casey: When I was in high school, I was given the opportunity to interview for internships with both the Mavericks and Fox Sports Southwest. And I got both of those, so I did both of those in the same summer going into my senior year of high school. And I continued on doing internships throughout high school and in college. And then after college, I got a full time paid internship with Disney and then came to the Monumental Sports Entertainment as my first non-internship job.

Chelsea: And that was earlier this year you went into Monumental Sports?

Casey: It was a year ago, March.

Chelsea: Ok, and you were there when they created the big Monumental Sports Network/Entertainment, correct?

Casey: Yes.

Chelsea: And that’s when you started to work with the Capitals in addition to the Wizards and the Mystics?

Casey: Yes.

Chelsea: What do you do with the Wizards, Mystics and Capitals?

Casey: So for mainly the Wizards and Mystics, I do interviews with a player every day. I cover anything they do in the community, any other human interest stories, plus we talk about them on the daily shows that we have. We also have panel discussions breaking down the teams, I do long-form interviews with the coaches each week. We also have a documentary that we air every other week, going deeper into each of the teams. And then I do in-arena interviews as well as sideline reports for the Mystics broadcast.

Chelsea: Ok. I saw on your website that you have done anchoring, reporting and producing. Which is your favorite of those three?

Casey: I think reporting. I really love talking to people and meeting people and getting to tell their stories and having them trust me with it. And being out in the field, and at different games and events.

Chelsea: Ok, and best part of your current job? And most challenging part of your current job?

Casey: My favorite part is just the things I get to go to. I get to go to really amazing events, meet a lot of great people and talk to them. And then the most challenging part is definitely the schedule. In that you never really know when things are going to happen, when you’re going to get to talk to people, and it’s a very stressful situation sometimes. Just not knowing, exactly who you’re going to talk to and when. You may have a deadline or some story that you have to get to and there’s not really any telling whether or not that’s going to come true.

Chelsea: What are some of the challenges of being a female sports journalist?

Casey: Well first of all, you get put in some uncomfortable positions sometimes. I mean most of the interviews I do are in locker rooms. And you have to know how to carry yourself and how to get the respect that you deserve. But you also know, going in that people make assumptions and stereotypes occasionally about you, about either why you got into this profession or what you do or don’t know about sports. And you know you have to more than prove yourself, and that you have to work really hard to just get back to even maybe, with some of your male counterparts. And, then you have to continue to try to make yourself above them, so it’s more work to get on a level playing field.

Chelsea: And you’re currently in Vegas for Team USA basketball, correct?

Casey: Yeah, I was here for Summer League for a week and a half. And then Team USA basketball started yesterday.

Chelsea: Ok. Is that your first time going up to Vegas for that type of event?

Casey: No I went last year as well with the team. So this is my second time.

Chelsea: What are you doing up there? Are you doing basically the same thing, just during the Summer League for Team USA? Or, what are you doing exactly with them?

Casey: So, with Summer League, the Wizards brought a team out and so I would shoot the game, I’m here by myself, so I’m having to one-man band it. So I would sit on the baseline and record the games and then I would do the interviews after the game with players and coaches and people. And, then do things that I could send back to our network, for them to use in either stories or reports in the daily shows and however I could send things back that they could use. And now with USA, we have a couple players that are on the team. So I’m essentially shooting them at practice and what they’re involved in and interviewing them afterwards to show their experience.

Chelsea: Ok. What is your dream job? What would you like to be doing in a few years?

Casey: I think that I’m trying to make that decision right now. I’ve loved so many different aspects of what I’ve done, and I’ve been able to work for teams, and networks and local stations at all different levels, and I’ve liked all of it. I think I want to definitely stay in some sort of a job where I can still tell stories. So, I think my dream position would be something like the “30 for 30” documentaries, E60, the more in-depth stories about people.

Chelsea: Right.

Casey: And I also, really like being at the games and at practices and things, so maybe sideline reporting somewhere at the national level. So yeah, those kinds of things, to be able to be editor and still also be able do storytelling.

Chelsea: Ok, and final two questions. What is your favorite sport to watch? And who is your favorite player from any sport?

Casey: I love watching basketball. Although I must say, that being from Texas, football is a very close second in watching. And I was a little too young, being that I was five, but I can say that Magic Johnson is absolutely one of my favorites. I played point guard, and I was a tall point guard, and that’s kind of how he was. And he was a very revolutionary kind of player and something that nobody had really seen before. And I got to interview him recently, and just completely reinforced what a fan I was. Because when you become a journalist, you learn it’s not nearly as much about as who they are on the court, as who they are off. It’s about whether or not they treat you well and if they’re nice. And he was very nice, very respectful, very friendly, outgoing and he gave me great answers. And he really took a lot of time to sit and talk with us and it just made me an even bigger fan.

Chelsea: Ok, well thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

Casey: Yeah, no problem.

Chelsea: Thank you. Bye Casey.

Casey: All right, bye.

Click Here to listen to the interview with Casey Phillips on SoundCloud.