Molly White didn’t always plan on working in sports media. When she first arrived at Penn State, White studied kinesiology with plans to become a sports physical therapist or athletic trainer.

It wasn’t until her fall semester of senior year that she realized her career goals were heading in a different direction. 

Currently, after switching to journalism, working with Penn State Athletics, and gaining experience across several sectors of the sports industry, White works as a social media coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.

While White’s path to the NFL isn’t considered linear, each experience helped her discover what she was ultimately meant to do.

“I feel like the path was not super linear, but it all worked out,” White said. “I think just being able to adapt and being able to put yourself in different situations and learn from different things, I think that’s really important.” 

When White started at Penn State during the COVID-19 Pandemic, fewer opportunities were open for students to explore their interests and get involved. It wasn’t until White connected with a friend who then convinced her to join CommRadio.

What initially began as a way to meet other sports enthusiasts outside of her major quickly became a turning point for her future career. 

White began taking assignments for fun, covering all things Penn State Athletics through beat writing and feature stories. Eventually, she joined the Big Ten Network and tried on-air work, too. 

By her senior year, White realized the world of journalism was where she wanted to be. She switched majors, took a fifth year, and joined Penn State Athletics’ Strategic Communications department. 

Subsequently, White was assigned to men’s hockey, where she spent two seasons as a feature writer. That experience helped her discover what she loves most about sports: storytelling. 

“I kind of fell in love with the storytelling aspect of sports and being able to tell different stories, showcase different people, and different sides of sports. That’s something that I’ve been able to carry with me throughout my career, and I think that’s a big part of why I enjoy what I do,” White said. 

White’s time with Penn State Athletics also taught her how to adapt. The strategic communications internship let her work with different sports teams and take on different responsibilities, including serving as a student sports contact for swim and dive. 

White explained that this experience taught her how to create content quickly, a skill that has directly translated to her work in the NFL.

After graduation, White interviewed for an editorial position with the Eagles and became a finalist. However, ultimately she did not get the job. A few months later, an unexpected opportunity emerged when the Eagles suddenly had an opening for a social media intern just two weeks before the season began. 

While social media was never White’s main focus, she previously served as a social media intern for the Ocean State Waves baseball and the RI Bulldogs lacrosse teams. Once given the opportunity with the Eagles, White never looked back. 

“Coming from a journalism background helps a lot more than people would realize in doing sports social media. I think a lot of people see social media and think it’s just posting something, but there’s so much storytelling that goes into it. You’re trying to figure out what the story is, what’s going to resonate with people, and how you can tell that story in a way that’s going to make someone stop and want to learn more. I think that journalism background really helps me with that,” White said.

Today, White’s Eagles team consists of six people who manage its social media. The team arrives at the stadium hours before kickoff and divides responsibilities among arrival coverage, locker room content, field coverage, editing, graphics, play clips, and posting.

During games, the team works quickly to capture and publish content while also monitoring sponsored requirements and platform-specific needs.

“Game day gets pretty chaotic,” said White. “But working for smaller organizations gave me a pulse on how to operate different sports departments.” 

Recently, one of White’s responsibilities has been to manage content for the Eagles’ cheerleaders.

She said this role has challenged her to find new ways to tell stories about the cheer team beyond their roles on the sideline.

Specifically, White’s favorite part of this new role has been highlighting their careers and accomplishments outside of football while finding creative ways to have those stories resonate with Eagles fans. 

For students who want to work in sports media, White’s advice is to take advantage of the opportunities around them. She emphasized that getting involved early, taking on unfamiliar roles, and building genuine relationships with people in the industry will best prepare you. 

Most importantly, White said students shouldn’t feel pressured to have their entire career figured out immediately. Her own journey from kinesiology to journalism, and from Penn State Athletics to the Eagles, showed that careers can change direction.

“Your role is never defined by one thing or one choice,” White said. “You can constantly evolve and push yourself and just do things that make you happy. Everyone has their own path; you change. You can adapt.”