Aspiring sports communication professionals could use the rapid career trajectory of Ryan Disdier ’17, as a playbook for success.
In less than a decade, the Princeton, New Jersey, native advanced from sports editor at The University of Scranton to a global communicator who has captivated audiences of the NFL, NBA, XFL and one of the longest-standing organizations in the UK’s Premier League.
The then-Aston Villa Football Club Vice President of Content tied early achievement in his field to earning a bachelor’s in journalism and electronic media at Scranton. Here, he shares takeaways from St. Thomas Hall classrooms to the Villa Park pitch.
Lesson No. 1: “At Scranton, if you want to do it, you can do it.”
“It’s no secret that Scranton is not the biggest school, and because of that, I was able to be part of a lot. As a transfer student, being able to get involved was such a benefit.
“And it wasn’t just the newspaper. It was campus ministry, it was TV. ... At Scranton, if you want to do it, you can do it. Also, the relationships with the Communications Department professors ... were invaluable in my development.”
Disdier completed two internships with the Philadelphia 76ers, one while at Scranton, and parlayed them into a full-time digital content role with a few months post-Commencement.
In 2018, he accepted a management role with another NBA organization, the Washington Wizards, where a tough season presented a chance “to create content and story tell when it's a little bit more challenging.”
Within a year, American football — the DC Defenders in start-up XFL — presented an opportunity to “build a brand essentially from the ground up.”
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Lesson No. 2: “Maximize the time you have.”
“As a student, maximize the time you have in school right now. It doesn't seem like it, but this is the most free time you'll ever have, unless something unfortunate happens and you get laid off. If there's anything you have a modicum of interest in ... make yourself more well-rounded.”
Disdier referenced a brief period of employment instability during the pandemic when he was disquieted, but undaunted.
“I doubled down on what I did in school. I remember saying to myself every day, ‘I’m either going to create a graphic,a piece of written content or a video.’ And I did.”
Productivity prevailed. Soon Disdier joined an NFL club, planning one of his most challenging career campaigns: a transition from the Washington football team brand and name to the Washington Commanders.
Lesson No. 3: Take the leap — even if it’s across the pond.
Fortuitous circumstances in 2023 led Disdier to a country and sport relatively unfamiliar to him.
“My first time in the UK was when I stepped off the plane for this job,” he said of Aston Villa, where he guided the club’s content and digital team through a 150th anniversary season and top-seven finish in the Premier League.
“It is a culmination of the stops throughout different leagues and sports in the States, and then English football, which is an unbelievable vehicle across so many countries.
Having had an opportunity to be a part of that was incredibly appealing and enticing.”
