How Jianyu Yang traveled from Boston to Lubbock to star for three professional sports teams.
Jianyu (Jay) Yang, a recent PhD graduate in Fine Arts (Arts Administration) from Texas Tech University’s JT & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts (TCVPA), often feels awe at the life he lives today.
He wakes up every morning excited for his job: creating compelling content for the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals. While his path to this role was anything but traditional, he’s eternally grateful for the opportunities he’s been given.
Jay earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston University. When he moved from Boston to Lubbock, he felt like he was taking a leap into the unknown.
“Moving from Boston to Lubbock was a big change,” he recalls. “At first, I didn’t like the small-town life. It took me about two semesters before I felt like I belonged there. I made a lot of good friends, including friends and professors at school, and now I consider Lubbock my home away from home.”
For Jay, his time at Texas Tech University from 2017 to 2021 was crucial. He will receive his PhD in 2023, but campus life revolved around lectures and comprehensive exams. The support he received from his professors, especially Janice Killian from the Music Department, was crucial in his decision to pursue a PhD.
Jay described it as a “difficult but rewarding experience.”
The interdisciplinary approach of the Texas Tech program has had a profound impact on Jay’s perspective on content and storytelling, especially as it relates to sports.
“The courses I took offered a comprehensive and interdisciplinary education,” says Jay. “The program included courses in music, theater, art, and philosophy. This approach gave me a well-rounded understanding of aesthetics and greatly improved my learning ability, allowing me to quickly pick up new skills and apply them effectively in my work.”
Peter Martens, dean of TCVPA’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts, highlighted Jay’s pioneering role.
“He’s one of the very few students where we designed something more explicitly interdisciplinary in his degree program because we had students who wanted to do specific things. So we designed something that would make it a lot easier for the next Jiangyu Yang to come along,” Martens said.
Jay’s experience at Texas Tech laid the foundation for his athletic career.
Jay said his experience working in the Athletics Department and the Robert H. Ewald Student Recreation Center prepared him for a future role with an athletic organization, which he called “invaluable” and laid the foundation for his subsequent roles with professional sports teams.
Jay injects his creativity and passion for sports into every project. From designing eye-catching visuals for the NFL Draft to producing compelling video content for the team’s digital platforms, he brings the excitement of the game to life for fans. His work not only highlights the players’ on-field accomplishments, but also captures the spirit and energy of the Cardinals community, making him an integral part of the team’s storytelling and branding efforts.
The appeal of Jay’s current job is the daily interaction he gets with athletes he once admired from afar, something he especially felt during his previous time working for another NFL team, the Cincinnati Bengals.
“It’s great to see the players on TV every day and have the opportunity to interact with them as coworkers,” Jay said. “When the team does well, especially when the Bengals go to the Super Bowl (in 2022), it makes me feel like I’m part of the team.”
One of Jay’s most memorable moments in professional sports was watching Steven Vogt retire from his first major league baseball team, the Oakland Athletics.
“Being able to tell the stories of these legends through my lens, through my creativity, makes my work feel so important and makes me feel so proud,” he said. “To see my work broadcast on different platforms, especially on the big screen with thousands of people watching, is an incredible feeling.”
Jay’s path to his current role hasn’t been without setbacks, but he remains optimistic throughout.
“NASCAR hired me, but it didn’t work out because of timing,” he recalled. “That was frustrating, but then an opportunity came up with the Bengals. If I had gone to NASCAR, I would never have experienced the whole NFL journey from training camp to the Super Bowl.”
When asked what advice he would give to students aspiring to work in the sports sector, he replied, “Keep your passion and tenacity. The sports industry is as competitive as the athletes themselves. Be enthusiastic and willing to continually learn and adapt. Embrace unique perspectives and don’t be afraid to take creative risks. Building a strong network will also provide you with valuable support and opportunities.”
This point was emphasized by Janice Killian, one of Jay’s closest mentors, when she described Jay in two words, “absolute tenacity,” and elaborated, “Tenacity is probably a really good thing for most people, and he has it in abundance.”
Additionally, Jay was honored with the Sports Emmy Awards, which he regards as another major milestone in his career.
“Serving as a judge for the New York Emmy Awards has been an honor and an education,” he said. “It validated my expertise and gave me a platform to contribute to the industry’s standard of excellence.”
Despite his many accomplishments, Jay remains down to earth and grateful.
“I’m especially grateful for my time at Texas Tech,” he said. “When I talk to people outside of athletics, I sometimes realize how great my job is. It’s important to remember how I got here and cherish the journey.”
While working on his PhD, Jay never envisioned his current career path.
“Even though my professor told me, ‘Jay, you prove our slogan, ‘From Here, It’s Possible™,’ I never expected this outcome. At times I doubted myself, but I knew the solution: just do what you love, focus on what you can control, and do your best.”
