By: Sarah Overton
The sports industry can be intense and extremely hard to crack into, especially for a woman. But Chelsea Roemer’s passion and dedication to the industry have allowed her to have great success.
Roemer has worked her way through numerous college athletic programs, done freelance work in Dallas, spent summers working wood-bat leagues, and most recently, has found success in the MiLB.
Roemer graduated from the University of Missouri in 2020 with a B.A. in journalism with an emphasis in strategic communications.
While at Mizzou, Roemer was heavily involved in the Tiger community.
Roemer spent two years working with Mizzou Athletics as a lead assistant for the gymnastics and volleyball programs. During this time, her responsibilities included managing the teams’ social media accounts on game day, writing feature articles for MUTigers.com and collecting statistics, among other duties.
Roemer was also a member of Mizzou’s Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) chapter. AWSM is a non-profit organization that aims to promote diversity in the sports media industry by networking and mentoring women who want to pursue a career in sports.
Roemer stated that AWSM had a significant impact on her career path, as it introduced her to many women working in the sports industry and helped her navigate her career after college.
“Being a member of Missouri’s AWSM chapter completely changed my life! It led me to meet so many amazing women and informed me of several opportunities that have helped me navigate my career path,” Roemer said.
The women she met while a part of AWSM also encouraged her to become a role model for young women aspiring to work in sports.
“Surrounding myself with all of the incredible women in the chapter, in addition to meeting several other women in the industry, really inspired me to become a role model,” Romer said. “Those women made a huge difference in my life, and I really wanted to keep that going and pay it forward.”
As she was working towards her degree, Roemer spent two summers working in collegiate wood-bat leagues in the Northeast and Midwest. These baseball leagues provided her with the opportunity to work alongside players and coaches from all over the country and allowed her to gain firsthand experience in various roles.
In 2018, Roemer served as a media relations intern for the Valley Blue Sox in Holyoke, Massachusetts. During her tenure, she generated content for the team’s social media accounts and contributed to marketing campaigns aimed at connecting better with Blue Sox fans.
The following summer, Roemer moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where she worked as a public relations intern for the Madison Mallards. Here, she continued creating social media content, designed game day programs and wrote feature stories about the team.
Upon graduating from the University of Missouri, Roemer worked as a freelance writer in Dallas, Texas, and held a position at the University of Jacksonville.
At the Dallas Morning News, she covered Texas high school football during the fall season, keeping game statistics and writing game recaps.
At Jacksonville University, Roemer was a communications assistant for several men’s and women’s athletic programs. While there, she was responsible for maintaining team websites and social media platforms, creating graphics, writing feature stories, and all team-related press releases.
In Roemer’s next role, she became the social media and promotions assistant for the Salem Red Sox in Salem, Virginia. In this role, she executed social media campaigns for the team’s online platforms, assisted with team appearances in the Salem community, and helped with pregame activities and entertainment during innings.
Roemer currently serves as the director of creative services with the Portland Sea Dogs in the MiLB. As a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, the opportunity to work for the Red Sox’s Double-A affiliate is an incredibly special experience for Roemer.
In her role, Roemer creates content for the team’s social media platforms and oversees the production of the stadium’s video board. Being able to create content for Sea Dogs fans to enjoy is Roemer’s favorite part of her job.
Since Roemer’s job involves creating social media content, she also spends a great deal of her time interacting with fans. To Roemer, fan engagement is something essential to growing the game of baseball.
“I think it is crucial to have fan engagement to grow the game because there are so many different audiences that fall under the umbrella of baseball fans,” Roemer said. “For example, there are the season ticket holders or frequent game attendees who care more about the entertainment aspect of the event. But there are also the audiences such as the athletes’ families and long-distance fans who can engage on platforms such as social media to feel connected to the program in some way.”
When asked about the most challenging part of working in sports, Roemer said being underestimated is the hardest and most frustrating part.
“I believe women and what they can bring to the table is always undermined compared to their male colleagues,” Roemer said. “Sometimes I just stop for a moment and tell myself that I have worked hard to be where I am, and that I deserve to be in this industry just as much as anyone else.”
Roemer’s advice to girls aspiring to work in sports is to “keep showing up!” She encourages women not to get discouraged by negative comments and to persevere.
“If you keep putting in the work and believing in yourself, you will get exactly where you want to go.”
(All photos courtesy of Chelsea Roemer)