How I Made it in Social, featuring Maria Schroeder, Social Media Manager at Chicago Sports Network

Welcome to Make It Go Viral's interview series. The weekly interviews from Pennant Digital Social Media Director Anna Fogel will showcase some of the best and brightest people working in social media. Next up Maria Schroeder , who has popped champagne with the Boston Red Sox and is now the Social Media Manager at Chicago Sports Network .

Maria shares what has changed since her career started, valuable lessons she’s learned, and how she landed her current job. If this edition resonated with you, please share it with someone you love.

What was your first job in social? And what year did you start?

My first job in social was being the In-Game Social Media Coordinator for the Boston Red Sox. I started in 2019.

What has changed about the industry since then?

I think the biggest change has been the platform evolution. The platforms are always changing and rolling out new features. And in my time, new platforms, like TikTok, have emerged. How sports content is consumed has also changed. Short-form video content has become essential for engaging younger audiences. And while there’s still a place for art and highly produced content on social, raw, unedited clips have become king. Take this video of Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series for example. Followers don’t care too much about the art, they just want cool perspectives of big moments that they can’t get anywhere else.

?First piece of content you ever hit publish on?

The 2019 Opening Day lineup tweet for Red Sox vs. Mariners. Super innovative stuff, I know.

What was the most valuable thing you learned early on in your career?

Not to take the replies so personally. There’s a lot of hate on social media. Especially when you’re managing the accounts for a prominent organization. Sometimes when fans are in the replies angry because the team sucks or they’re mad about a certain move that was made, it’s hard not to feel like they’re yelling at you personally. But on the other side, there’s nothing better than when you post something, look in the replies, and see people commenting things like “common admin W.” That’s a high that can’t be replicated. ??

What is your current role??

Currently I’m the Social Media Manager at Chicago Sports Network, which is a new network that launched on October 1st of this year. We are the broadcast rights holder for the Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox.

Where did you initially find this opportunity?

I came across my current opportunity on TeamWork Online. It’s a great resource to source sports specific roles. And you can even go as far as to break it down by sport, job location, job level, and category.

What do you think was the key factor in getting a foot in the door to your new role?

I think it was my past work and experience managing the social accounts for one of the most iconic and historic organizations in sports. I also believe the relationships and goodwill I built amongst my coworkers at the Red Sox was important because I had people in the industry that were willing to vouch for me and what I can bring to an organization. The sports world is small. People talk and people know each other. It’s important to keep those relationships because the job market in sports is super competitive and a recommendation from someone in the industry can give you a big advantage over those you’re competing against for open roles.

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Favorite piece of content you’ve ever created?

This video of Kiké Hernández telling a story about the time he shit his pants in the middle of a playoff game. It was a totally unexpected moment that gained a lot of traction. News outlets were writing articles about it, and Kiké even got a Dude Wipes deal because of it (I’m still waiting for my cut).

Favorite follows??

While I love following other team and club accounts for inspiration, personally, Friday Beers, B/R Betting, and Saint Hoax on Instagram are three of my favorite follows. The content they push out is just incredible. And when you think they can’t top themselves, they do. I love the way they’ve built such a dedicated community around what they’re doing and how they all use internet culture to create content that will land with their followers. Also, Tom Brady. He never misses on social and never fails to capitalize on a big moment.

?What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is being able to combine my love of Chicago sports with my love of social media. I’m a Chicago sports fan who is getting paid to cover Chicago sports teams. It doesn’t get much better than that.?

Coolest experience you’ve had while working in social media?

Being in the clubhouse for all the postseason champagne celebrations during the Red Sox postseason run in 2019 (photos attached). We clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season and ended up two wins away from a World Series appearance. It was the craziest but most rewarding ride. Hopefully I’ll get to be a part of a few more of those in my career.