It wasn’t easy, but Lexie Murphy decided it was time she left campus rec. Here she shares why and what changes she’d need to see in the industry in order to return.
My name is Lexie Murphy, and I just finished my first season with an amazing organization, the San Antonio Spurs.
As I look back on my first season working in the NBA, I reflect on the amazing opportunities I’ve had this season and all the amazing individuals that have helped me reach this milestone in my career. I want to talk about how campus recreation shaped me into the professional I am today.
But, I also want to talk about how it could have done better for me and other staff during a global pandemic, and how I transitioned successfully into a new career field.
A little about me:
- I grew up in Arizona.
- I moved to Texas in 2016 to attend St. Edward’s University where I studied religion and sports management.
- I was a member of the St. Edward’s dance team all four years I was there and captain of the team for two.
- I also worked in Campus Recreation three out of my four years.
I realized campus recreation is where I thrived. It’s where I found my closest friends, my mentors and it challenged me to grow professionally. It’s where I was able to go out of my comfort zone and learn how to be a leader. I also learned my passion for development and growth. Being in campus rec taught me so much about who I am and where I wanted to be in my career. So, let’s talk more about my journey and how I ended up working with the NBA.
My Journey into the Industry
I started my involvement in campus recreation as a member of the St. Edward’s University dance team my freshman year of undergrad and I loved it. I loved I could be involved with my team, the other club teams, and cheer at the NCAA basketball and volleyball games. We got to travel for tournaments and competitions. Being in the Rec all the time I decided why not work there, too. So, I began working for Informal Recreation. I got to know more students and some really awesome administrators. They saw my potential and challenged me to grow.
As I continued through undergrad, I became captain of the dance team my junior year. Senior year I grew even more in my leadership and became the coordinator for the Competitive Sports Program under the direction of Clint Jones and Andy Lemons.
I was learning to hire, train and continuously develop staff. I was organizing competitive leagues and teaching professional development to club leaders. My administrators constantly challenged me to try new things and branch out. I helped in the registration process for a National Intramural Tournament. I was on the leadership team getting ready to open an $8 million renovated recreation center to launch a new wellness initiative to the St Edward’s student population. Campus recreation was where I was meant to be.
And Why I Left Campus Rec
I continued on to a new university, hoping to further grow and challenge myself. I was also excited about the opportunity to work with students and encourage them to become the best possible versions of themselves.
However, I entered this position during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once we were in post-pandemic operations, things changed in higher ed and campus rec:
- The students we were serving were gone, sitting behind their computers all day every day. The hands-on engagement we thrived on switched to a virtual setting. We racked our brains on how to support students in any way possible.
- We started to notice a mental health decrease in the students and patrons we were interacting with.
- We also started noticing a divide in the workplace. Our tenured staff were pushing for consistency, holding onto the way campus rec had been operating in the pre-pandemic world. The younger staff on the other hand wanted to pursue a new way of engagement and operation.
Sharing in the trauma of the pandemic, some of us were fighting to take the industry into the post-pandemic age of intentionality in our work and flexible work options, allowing for an increase in support for students and staff. I felt unsupported and unguided by the professionals who were supposed to be teaching me. For my own mental health I had to step away. I could no longer pour my heart and soul into supporting my students while not receiving the same support from my leadership and watching my peers also struggle with their mental health.
EXTRA CREDIT: To those who have stayed in the industry, here’s what you should consider.
As such, I made the difficult decision to leave higher education and campus recreation to start re-charting an unknown future career. It was the toughest decision I ever made because I found so much joy and pride in watching my students grow and develop throughout their college experience. I didn’t know if I would get that same experience in any other line of work.
What Would Have Kept Me in Campus Rec?
In 2021 I focused on my master’s and developing my business administration skills. Once I completed school, I began to discern whether I wanted to re-enter the campus rec industry or pivot to a different field.
When looking at all my options I had to consider not only the job itself but the support offered to teams. A culture that focused on wellness, support and growth were extremely important for me, as well as flexibility in the office and innovative thinking.
I re-entered the sports world in a different capacity, joining the Spurs. Now, I would have considered re-entering higher education if I knew things would have been different.
Here’s what I would need to see changed:
- Administrators who pour their hearts into campus are becoming fewer. We need the passion to come back.
- Professionals who will go out of their way to help students grow whether in rec or outside of it. We need them to act as mentors and role models.
- More training on how to handle mental health crises with students and other individuals. Plus, I see a need for resources and guidance for graduate assistance and full-time staff.
- A more flexible work environment allowing for creativity and growth not only for staff but the industry as a whole.
- More resources to help graduate assistants navigate the balance between school and work.
- Someone to help me train the new professionals that came in after my leaders moved on, not to just be told to manage up.
- Leadership to help me with the hard conversations with students about their mental health and to check on me following conversations to make sure I was in a place where I could aid them. In fact, when I approached my leaders about my concerns I was met with statements like “your generation needs to be tougher” or “this is how the real world works.”
Applying Campus Rec Skills to Professional Sports
Now, working in professional sports has been a challenge for me. I struggled with the feeling of being worthy or capable of leading a large team of staff who average over the age of 50. I doubted I was prepared and my staff would take me seriously. There was a lot of anxiety about entering the new space and proving I belonged there. I had to do a major reality check for myself to prove I was not an imposter and truly deserved this.
In reflection, I realized campus rec prepared me for the task at hand:
- I had been exposed to event and facility management.
- I had been a key player in creating and implementing emergency action plans. This has made me prepared to handle any situation I got thrown into.
- Working with club sports, I learned organizational skills of managing people and teams.
All these lessons I now implement on a daily basis. The lived campus recreation experience gave me the confidence to support my staff effectively and still learn from their experiences. Campus recreation taught me how to be a leader, and an advocate for those around me and for myself. It taught me how to manage and execute strategic initiatives. The biggest thing it taught me was to always be curious, to always ask questions and continue to grow.
How this New Job Gives Me What I Wish Campus Rec Had
Joining the Spurs was the right choice for me. It has allowed me to enter a space that is continuously evolving and asking staff to rise to the occasion. It has allowed me to grow my network across various industries in both sports and entertainment. I am learning more about not only sports but venue management and various types of entertainment — concerts and more. I am exposed to every aspect of the business. If I have a desire to learn more, my curiosity is welcomed and encouraged.
Plus, our lives outside of the office are always being encouraged to create balance. Wellness initiatives are being offered regularly to ensure we are able to succeed. I have also been exposed to the most amazing freshman season I could ask for:
- A USL Championship for the San Antonio FC.
- The 50th Anniversary Season for the Spurs which allowed for events such as the record-breaking attendance of the Back Home at the Dome Game.
- Being a part of the team to work the first NBA games to take place in Austin, Texas, at the Moody Center — also breaking its facility attendance record.
It has been such a great opportunity to come in during such a groundbreaking season.
A Word of Encouragement
There is always a fear of the unknown, no matter what stage you are in your career. You have to look back on all the small details and experiences you have had and see what they taught you. If you are in your career, just starting out or still have no idea what you want to be when you “grow up,” everything is a learning opportunity and a chance to grow. It can be scary but the experiences you have gone through are there to guide you. Never shy away from the unknown. It’s where you learn the most about you and who you are capable of becoming.
