Texas Tech University

The Coffee Pod

The Texas Tech College of Media & Communication graduate program sports media track has launched a new podcast series, The Coffee Pod, intelligent sports talk. Each podcast presents an in-depth conversation with sports industry experts on a wide array of topics. Our goal is to provide listeners with an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of those topics than typical sports talk radio shows might allow.

Episodes:

  • Summary: Dr. Brian Shannon, Texas Tech Athletics Faculty Athletics Representative, FAR, joined graduate student, Harper Anderson, on April 15, 2016 for the first episode of the Coffee Pod to discuss Dr. Shannon's journey to the position he currently holds, athletics governance and the collegiate athletics landscape, including the hot-topic, pay for play of student-athletes.
  • Released: May 31, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: Dr. Calvin Nite, Texas Tech Assistant Professor of Sport Management (Kinesiology Department) joined graduate student, Harper Anderson, on May 12, 2016, to discuss his thoughts on the pay-for-play issue in collegiate athletics and on the NCAA as an institution.
  • Released: June 28, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: Felicia Martin, Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services at Texas Tech, dropped by the podcast center and visited with Harper Anderson on April 26, 2016. The pair discussed services provided to Texas Tech student-athletes through the Marsha Sharp Center and on various NCAA, Big 12 and university programs that support DI college student-athletes.
  • Released: July 26, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: Justin Paysinger, Associate Director of Leadership Development at NCAA, talked about some of the leadership and development programs that he works to bring to all NCAA member institutions in this podcast with Harper Anderson on September 1, 2016, beginning with his personal journey to his current position.
  • Released: September 06, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: Professor and Chair of the Texas Tech Kinesiology and Sport Management Department, Dr. Angela Lumpkin, stepped into the Coffee Pod to visit with Harper Anderson in November 2016. They discussed her career path, sport ethics and her view of the current collegiate athletics landscape. An articulate voice in favor of finding a way to pay student-athletes counterpoints well with our previous conversation with Texas Tech's Dr. Brian Shannon on the same topic.
  • Released: December 06, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: The managing director of the Office of Communications and Marketing at Texas Tech University, Chris Cook discussed the path, through sports, that led him to his post with Harper Anderson in January 2017. Work ethic, relationship-building, Cook's work with the Cotton Bowl and favorite stories from his days as the Associate AD of Athletics Communication highlight their session.
  • Released: January 31, 2017
  • View in iTunes



The Coffee Pod, Stories in Sports series provides listeners with opportunities to hear from various regional personalities as they share their journeys within the sports realm.

Episodes:

  • Summary: 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.
  • Released: June 14, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: 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.
  • Released: July 05, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: 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.
  • Released: August 02, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: 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.
  • Released: November 01, 2016
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: 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.
  • Released: February 07, 2017
  • View in iTunes
  • Summary: 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.
  • Released: April 12, 2017
  • View in iTunes