Students attending Orlando Magic game February 21, 2025. From left: Amyre Alford, Lee Gilliam, and Alexander Randolph
The Orlando Magic basketball team has always done a lot in its community. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that they celebrate Black History in a big way. Earlier this year, the team celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday by having a weeklong of volunteering. 250 staff members volunteered at various organizations: Clean the World, Quest Camp Thunderbird, The Sharing Center, three Ronald McDonald Houses, United Against Poverty, Rescue Outreach Mission, A Gift for Teaching, Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank, Boys & Girls Club, Keep Orlando Beautiful, and UCP of Central Florida. In a press release, Orlando Magic states that being “fearless, relentless, doing the dirty work, and competing as a team is something that sets them apart from their competitors.” They use this same effort and energy by being leaders in the community and honoring those who came before them.
To continue their traditions of giving back, during Black History Month the team hosted their annual Magic on the Yard event where they celebrated History Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). This year’s event took place on February 21, 2025. As a part of Magic on the Yard, the HBCU culture at the Magic game could be felt from pre-game and throughout the night. There were performances from Bethune-Cookman University’s drumline “Sudden Impact” and Disney’s on the Yard Mickey Mouse. I had a chance to experience this. Having students be a part of this experience and gain insight will be something to remember for a long time.
B-CU Mass Communications students, including myself, got the opportunity to be a part of the media for the game. Students witnessed how the media works, how to stay professional, and how to ask questions. It was an amazing hands-on experience.
Before the game, I also networked with other reporters and asked questions to both teams. The atmosphere and professionalism are something you can only get by being thrust into this experience. It was amazing to have the opportunity to witness it firsthand. But before the game starts, it’s interesting to listen to the coaches and players, as well as hear their mindsets and expectations for the season going into the game.
Now that we are past the All-Star break and into the second half of the season, things start to ramp up as teams look to secure their playoff spots, while some fight just to make the tournament. Orlando Magic is in a great position to make the playoffs, and even with injuries, they still are finding ways to win games, which is a testament to the resilience of the team. But there are still a lot of balls to play, and all we can do is watch and see.
As part of the media team, with a desire to be in sports media, one of the things that I learned was staying alert during the game. The Magic team played the Grizzlies at home in Orlando. The game was highly anticipated by fans as it was a match between two young teams with different playing styles. Magic prefers to keep a slow pace and play smart and aggressively, while the Grizzlies are at their best when playing at a faster pace.
Being observant as a reporter and paying attention to key details in the game with statistics, history, seed placing, and injury for both teams are key when it comes to developing questions to ask at the press conference. Orlando Magic players have always put others before themselves and go out of their way to make sure fans have an experience like no other. Doing for the community is who they are, and this shows that it’s more than just basketball.
