Getting Started in Sports Social Media w/Memphis Grizzlies’ Lexi Ross

Climbing the ladder for a successful career in sports media typically looks something like this: You get that first job in a smaller market such as Zanesville, Ohio (Nielsen market #203), move up a bit to, say, Missoula, Montana (161), and crack the top 100 somewhere like Chattanooga, Tennessee (88). That concept is the same in other fields: Someone specializing in marketing isn’t likely to start out at Nike, and an aspiring sports agent won’t be on a team with Leigh Steinberg straight away.

Another area with a similar career progression is sports social media, where you may start at a small college, progress to a minor league team or a bigger school, and maybe land a dream job with a major professional team after about a decade in the business. The point is that every career starts somewhere – and usually, where it begins isn’t glamorous, but a place for someone to build themselves up and show their value in their chosen field.

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Given the immense competition to land sports social media positions in major professional leagues, it is noteworthy when someone fast tracks their career and bypasses those stepping-stone positions. Lexi Ross, Memphis Grizzlies’ Social Media and Digital Content Producer and our guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, is one such person. Lexi earned her Bachelor’s in Sport Leadership and Management from Miami University in 2019. Fast forward two years, and she’s gone from studying in Oxford, Ohio, to managing social media for an NBA team.

Clearly, the Memphis Grizzlies saw something in the creative content that Lexi was producing. In addition to her direct role with the team, she also builds content for the Grizzlies’ G-League affiliate, Memphis Hustle, their esports team, Grizz Gaming,, and FedEx Forum. This rising star joins the WorkInSports Podcast to chat with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to share some sports career advice regarding:

1.    How she built up her resume while attending Miami University.
2.    What made her decide to pursue a sports social media career.
3.    Which memories she recalls from interviewing with the Cleveland Indians out of college.
4.    How she keeps fans engaged on social media during a pandemic.
5.    How she continues producing fresh content for many different areas of the franchise.

Catch the full episode for the Memphis Grizzlies’ Lexi Ross’ experience and more sports career advice for young professionals getting started in the industry. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast wherever you listen, and check out the content on our YouTube Channel.