The beginning..
Before Ken Ayres considering becoming a Golden Ram, he was a boy who dreamed of becoming a sports broadcaster. Did he get there? And if so, how did he get there you might ask? This article will tell you how he started from the bottom and made it to the top.
Ken Ayres is a 24-year-old graduate from West Chester University (2014). For the past three years, he has worked for the Philadelphia Phillies Communications Department. Ayres always dreamed of one day working for the Phillies but knew it was going to be a long road to get there. He knew he had to be as active as possible throughout college if he wanted to set himself apart from other applicants. As a freshman, Ayres got involved in the radio station on campus (WCUR). Through that he started his own Sports Broadcast that aired weekly titled, “Brotherly Love Sports Talk”. He would broadcast hockey and baseball games. As well as writing sports for the Quad (West Chester University’s school news paper), where he became Editor in Chief for his last two years.
Almost there..
Even though these were impressive resume builders, Ayres did not stop there. In the summer of his junior year, he landed an internship with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. From there on, his efforts started to bear fruit. Ken would go in on game days and help out the broadcasters as much as he could. He would be on air with them, and help get post-game interviews for the radio show. With these clips, Ayres used every piece he could to create a demo portfolio for people to critique his work.
In 2013 he earned an internship with the Philadelphia Flyers, writing and broadcasting for the team. “It was an amazing way to make connections with people who work in Philadelphia Sports Media, and to have my work critiqued by the Flyers broadcast team”, Ayres explains.
After graduating in 2014, Ayres landed a seasonal job with the Morehead City Marlins, a summer collegiate baseball team that played out of North Carolina. This league was filled with college players from all around the country that were looking to log some extra innings for the upcoming season. He still never lost sight of his dream of working for the Phillies.
Finally!
After months of interviewing and emailing back and forth with Phillies personnel, Ayres landed a post-graduate internship with the organization of his dreams! In January of 2015 he accepted the Baseball Communications internship. The internship was supposed to only be a year long, however, he ended up staying in this position for a little under two years. Then, finally, Ken got hired full time in October of 2016! Since accepting this position, Ayres has spent every Phillies home game covering it from the Phillies Press Box. He feels this is exactly where he wants and needs to be.
Ayres’ daily responsibilities include; writing, working with publications, and being a liaison with the players. Before games he comes up with material for the broadcasters to use during games. Despite his workload, Ayres is able to maintain a healthy relationship with his fiancé and his family while balancing 60-70-hour work weeks.
There have been recent changes to the communications department with the Phillies, causing his workload to become even heavier. Currently, he is scheduled to go back down to Spring Training for another two weeks while the team is playing to help the department out.
You can do it too!
The road to success was not always easy. Ken Ayres stresses that perseverance is necessary in the world of sports. He looks back on his past internships and experiences and is grateful for the lessons that they’ve taught him. Another added bonus was all connections that he has made because of it. In his position now, he has made some great friendships with radio and broadcasting personalities. Such as Chris Wheeler, Tom McCarthy and even Jim Jackson.
He encourages those who face setbacks to never give up. “I applied to 14 teams in the Cape Cod League the summer after graduation, the Marlins were the only team that I heard back from.” he points out. Most people would have given up if it meant moving away from family and friends for a long period of time. Ayres however pushed through the hardships and kept his dream alive, and now is living it.
