By Lisa Zimmerman, Player Engagement Insider
After 11 years in the NFL, newly signed Buffalo Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander is making sure not to lose sight of the fact that the next phase of his life is on the horizon. Originally an undrafted free agent out of the University of California, Berkeley, Alexander has played for the Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals and Oakland Raiders. Through it all he has maintained focus on preparation – both for his football career and for what comes next. To that end, Alexander has received MBA certifications through the NFL programs at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Now Alexander, along with a dozen of his NFL brethren, is participating in the 2016 NFL Sports Journalism and Radio Boot Camp at Bowling Green State University.
“I was a legal studies major in college,” Alexander said. “Originally, if the NFL hadn’t worked out, I was going to go to law school.”
But, things change and interests change. Married with four children, Alexander is looking for ways to continue to expand his skill set and increase his overall value and is excited to expand his knowledge in radio broadcasting and writing to see what that eventually might lead to.
2016 Sports Journalism and Radio Boot Camp underscores radio and writing as legitimate options for players interested in careers in media. Howard Deneroff, producer at Westwood One Radio and a presenter at the boot camp for each of its four years, is pleased to see the interest level in radio and writing. “The truth is there are only a handful of TV jobs,” he said. “There are infinitely more radio jobs and there are more radio listeners than television viewers. So for players interested in broadcasting, radio is a viable option.”
That was also the impetus behind Rich Ohrnberger’s participation in the boot camp. Orhnberger last played for the San Diego Chargers in 2015 and has embarked on a fledgling broadcasting career with a strong focus on radio.
Ohrnberger first started thinking about planning for NFL retirement early in his career with the New England Patriots after being put on injured reserve. Always a fan of talk radio, Ohrnberger became intrigued by the idea of pursuing a career in that medium.
“I love talking about football and sports,” he said. “You can reach so many people in a medium I appreciate so much.”
Ohrnberger chose to participate in the Boot Camp in order to further hone his skills, specifically in radio and also to sharpen his writing skills to augment that.
“I want to have more comprehension of the skills needed to be a better broadcaster, to be a better interviewer. I have limited experience in hosting and I want to improve. Radio is theater of the mind. I’ve really enjoyed all the experiences I’ve had so far.”
Mike Pritchard, a former wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, who retired from the NFL following the 1999 season, has been a professional radio broadcaster for many years. He has his own show with EPSN Las Vegas Radio, but jumped at the chance to take part in the Boot Camp. He highlighted both the ability to continue to work on his talent and the networking opportunities that come with these events as being the reasons he chose to take part. He also strongly encourages current players to take advantage of as many of the programs as they are able to.
“You have to take advantage because you never know what opportunities will present themselves when you’re done playing and you want to be ready,” Pritchard said.
Lisa Zimmerman is a long-time NFL writer and reporter. She was the Jets correspondent for CBSSports.com, SportsNet New York’s TheJetsBlog.com and Sirius NFL Radio. She has also written for NFL.com.