Most people with a passion for sports first think of becoming a professional athlete, coach or announcer as possible future career paths. But, there are many other options to consider. Lander Eicholzer is a 23-year-old from Syracuse, New York who works as a brand strategist for the NCAA.
When Eicholzer was younger, his grandfather would take him to all types of sporting events, which sparked his passion for his career today.
“I will watch literally any sports game or event,” Eicholzer said. “Track and field, badminton, lacrosse, any sport that’s on TV, I get invested in.”
Eicholzer started swimming when he was 16 years old. He went to a public high school in Syracuse, where his journey in swimming started. Despite having cerebral palsy, a motor disability, Eicholzer was not deterred from competing. He is now a nationally and internationally ranked Paralympic swimmer.
When attending a swim meet in San Francisco, he visited Santa Clara University and soon realized that’s where he wanted to go in the future.
He attended SCU and continued to pursue his passion for sports outside of just participating in them. Eicholzer doubled as an editorial intern for the Santa Clara magazine in addition to being a communication intern for the school’s athletics department. His experiences in these positions pushed him to pursue a career that combined communications and sports.
“I got a sense for what working in these fields in the real world was like,” Eicholzer said. “I was hooked.”
Initially, Eicholzer wanted to be a sports information director, working in public relations by providing statistics, team and player notes and other information about a college or university’s sports teams to the news, media and general public.
Though he was transitioning towards the business aspect of sports, he continued his career in swimming throughout college.
Eicholzer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communications, a Bachelor of Sciences in political science and a minor in ethnic studies. After college, Eicholzer spent two summers working in the Syracuse athletics department and interning at Swim World Magazine. He regards his former boss from the Syracuse athletics department, Sue Edson, as being one of the most influential figures in his career.
“She pushed me to be the best I can be, and I am very grateful for that,” Eichzoler said.
Eichzoler also worked for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. He was a digital media content intern who helped manage the TeamUSA.org website, planned content for the Olympic games and assisted with digital media strategy. Initially, he did not think he would get the job because he had not been through graduate school which was suggested for the application. However, his aunt pushed him to apply.
“She told me to never discredit myself for a job because you never know what they’re really looking for,” Eicholzer said. “Yes, there’s a description, but you could have something completely unique that [employers] didn’t consider.”
As a brand strategist, he handles marketing, social media and event organization. One notable event he organized was the “NCAA Woman of the Year,” which honored the academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes who competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA sponsored sport. Nominees are first selected by their respective colleges. Then, Eicholzer selected some of the nominees to be finalists.
Eicholzer has come to appreciate the marketing and event planning side of the sports industry and believes he will continue to pursue it in the future.
