story by Ashley Hohmann
Sport Administration Master's Student
During the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Georgia State University sport administration program will be cheering on several alumni working behind the scenes of the Games.
Three former students are working for National Governing Bodies (NGBs), which organize, promote and select the athletes that will represent the United States in their respective sports. Martin Branick (M.S. ’22) serves as the chief executive officer of USA Team Handball, Laura Fawcett (M.S. ’93) is the senior manager of digital media and content strategy at USA Volleyball and Erin O’Hearn (M.S. ’23) recently began a position as the senior coordinator of major gifts with the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Fawcett has a long track record working the Olympic Games. Her first Olympic experience – the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta – came about through connections she made while in the sport administration program from 1992-1993. During the 1996 Olympics, Fawcett worked with Atlanta Olympic Broadcasting for Track Cycling and Archery. She then worked with U.S. Figure Skating as a press officer during the 2002 Salt Lake City and 2006 Torino Winter Games.
This year, she will travel to Paris as a press officer with the U.S. Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball team as they seek their third consecutive Paralympic gold medal. During the Olympics, Fawcett will be based in the U.S. and handling digital coverage on USA Volleyball-owned channels, their website and a daily newsletter.
“Content is coming in at all hours, and I need to make timely and informed decisions on what to post and what to share, and try not to have any typos,” she said. “Communication is key, and I’m constantly in the loop with the Paris-based team so I can quickly turn around changes or new content.”
While Fawcett is running digital coverage and monitoring social media in the U.S., her digital team will be in Paris handling media requests. When traveling to the Olympic Games in a media capacity for a NGB, staff members work for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) rather than their own sport. Thus, their first priority is facilitating media and providing information to the USOPC media staff.
Fawcett is looking forward to traveling to Paris in August to work as a press officer for the two-time defending gold medalist Women’s Sitting Volleyball team. “It’s the biggest honor of my career to be asked to accompany the team and work with them in Paris,” she said.
Branick is in Paris with USA Team Handball. As the CEO of USA Team Handball, his role will primarily be to support the Team USA athletes in Paris, engage both current and potential donors and meet with organizers in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“Paris 2024 will be an amazing celebration of Olympic ideals and the unifying sports event that the Olympic Games always are,” he said. “It is time to celebrate individual and team achievements on sports’ biggest stage in front of a worldwide audience.”
Beyond the Games, Fawcett, Branick and O'Hearn will work to grow their respective sports in the U.S.
“Our goal is not only to drive our fans to watch the Games but to welcome new fans and players to grow the game,” Fawcett said. “As we gain new fans and potential new players as boys and girls watch the sport in prime time, I’ll also be promoting our Try Volleyball for Free campaign. In September, we hope to capitalize on the Olympic momentum with hundreds of clinics run by clubs across the country to introduce young people to the joy of volleyball.”
In the meantime, the sport administration program will be watching and supporting the Panthers who are impacting their sports, both in the U.S. and abroad at the Games.
To keep up with sport administration alumni’s experiences in Paris, follow the program on Facebook, X and Instagram at @GSUSportAdmin.
The sport administration program is housed in the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Kinesiology and Health. The program offers a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in sport administration, a Master of Science in Sport Administration and a Ph.D. in Kinesiology with a concentration in sport administration. The M.S. program is currently ranked No. 12 in the U.S. by Sport Business International. The sport administration program is home to the Center for Sport and Urban Policy and the Rankin Cooter Bureau for Sport Business Research.