By John Armwood III
The Pennsylvania native, Morgan Alston, has made quite an impact on the sports entertainment scene. Before starting the industry, Alston’s unique journey benefited her with tons of experience. Growing up, she was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, however she moved around the country a ton. Frequently, as a child, Alston was forced to move because of her mom's occupation, therefore she was forced to learn multiple languages and grasp the art of communication at such a young age. Eventually, years of nurturing these skills of connecting to others and being outgoing ultimately played into the multi-faceted talented media personality she’s become.
Despite being a production assistant for ESPN, her origins stem from a much more humble place and proves that anything is possible with hard work, innovation, and some grit.
Where did it All Begin?
Naturally, being involved in the sports industry her passion and love for the game had to stem from somewhere or someone. That said, Alston admits that her father introduced her to basketball, and while she could never grasp how to be good at basketball, she always enjoyed the game. Nonetheless, her true interest stemmed from her older brother, Darian Alston, participating in track. She realized as the youngest, her older siblings were occupying most of the attention from their parents, initially she decided to join the track team to earn attention. This led to her being naturally talented at the sport which later grew to her competing in National Championships and even being rewarded a Division I scholarship to Monmouth University.
“I saw my older brother, Darian Alston, run track and he attracted a ton of attention from it,” Alston states. “So, I wanted attention and I asked for spikes because I believed I could do it too. Nonetheless, I went on and I was good, in fact I went on to go to the States and then the Junior Olympics. This led to a Division I offer at Monmouth University, and the rest is history.”
Despite competing throughout college, it didn’t seem like a real option for Alston to go pro. That said, she came to a crossroads where she was forced to make decisions that would dictate her future. Naturally, being an athlete she believed she could relate to other athletes fairly easily. That said, heading into her senior year she had zero internships and few options to begin building her future. Something that set her apart from her peers was her successful podcast, “She Gets What She Wants”, she managed to expand this podcast to immense heights. Ultimately, she ended the year with six internships from the SNY, The Post, and FOX Sports.
“I’ve run track since I was eight, and I always knew I was good but I wasn’t sure if good enough to go pro,” Alston explains. “ I had to be realistic, however I still love sports and being an athlete. In my senior year, I stepped away from the track to focus on my career and there are no regrets. I realized I’m able to relate to athletes because I have the mindset of an athlete. ... Heading into my senior year, I had zero internships lined up, however by the end I had six.”
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It Wasn’t All Glits and Glamor!
These internships would later turn into opportunities for growth and learning experiences. Some of those learning experiences were tougher than others. Nonetheless, one of the aspects Alston had to learn to cope with since a young girl was the lack of diversity within the sports industry. She admits that she struggled to be taken seriously in these rooms, in fact she provides an anecdote showcasing the lack of respect she had to persevere through.
“In college, I joined the sports industry club and was the only African-American woman throughout the entire club,” Alston emphasizes. “I wanted to run for the board and they wouldn’t even acknowledge my efforts. Ironically, those same boys are asking for recommendations and tips on how to break into the industry.”
“The moral of the story, once people see the work, they’re going to begin respecting you,” Alston continues. “I don’t take no for an answer and I’ll never give up!”
Some are interested in where Alston’s resiliency and grit stem from because of the unfamiliarity that it brings to people in these spaces. Naturally, Alston openly admits that she gets her toughness from her mother, Monica Alston. At a young age, Alston’s mother instilled in her that she set the standard and always advocate for yourself. Many reporters find inspiration in other reporters, however Alston felt inspired and admits that the first empowering woman she began looking up to was her mother.
“My mom while still pregnant with me, yet still managing to get her PhD,” she expressed. “She inspires me and she’s shown me by setting the bar to a standard to never give up or stop believing in yourself. Not to mention, to always advocate for yourself!”
Her mom experienced similar issues that Alston expressed in her industry. Her mother was the only African-American woman engineer in the industry, not to mention the only one of her ethnicity in the room. Therefore, one can see the difficulty in navigating through these parameters, indirectly Alston inherited her mother‘s adversity but also her success as well.
Morgan Alston’s “Sh3GotGame Moment”
Oftentimes, many feel undeserving or feel that they’re not prepared for the opportunity at hand. This is known as imposter syndrome which plagues many creatives altering their confidence and productivity. That said, here at Sh3GotGame, we always highlight the moment when ur feature overcomes this adversity and how that affects them moving forward in their careers. One of Alston’s biggest accolades was when she interviewed NBA superstar Kyrie Irving. This proved to be so impactful for her because heading into the interview the perceived notion of Irving's disdain for the media, however for Alston he was open and very welcoming to the interview.
“My Sh3GotGame Moment is when I interview Kyrie Irving,” Alston explains. “Normally, he hates the media so the fact that he allowed me to sit down with him was a huge deal. Tons of people ask for interviews all the time and in my first year, he granted me an opportunity of a lifetime. Therefore, he must have seen something in me and most importantly he trusted me.”
Alston later goes on to express her thoughts about how impactful she believes the “Sh3GotGame Moment” movement is. She expresses that opening remarks on first glance at the content was women empowerment. Frequently, women athletes get overlooked by media outlets and as a former athlete, she takes that personally. Therefore, the platform only displaying powerful and talented women athletes is the start of great change she enthusiastically explains.
“When I first looked at the page, all I saw was women empowerment,” she emphasizes. “You guys take female athletes and put them on a platform. … In this age, we are slowly making a change, but it starts with people like you.”
“You guys are killing it and leaving a powerful movement out there by highlighting amazing women athletes, reporters, and coaches,” Alston continues.
In conclusion, when asked if was there any advice you would offer to any young aspiring broadcasters, journalists, and possibly athletes who may be following your journey, Alston responded:
“Don’t take no for an answer! If you’re passionate and confident enough, if someone says no to you it won’t matter. Take it from me, I’ve gotten over 200 rejections and now I’m at ESPN. So, don’t take no for an answer and just keep going and always keep improving yourself and the rest will come.”