Chelsea junior shines off field for football team

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Julia Gigis, Reporter

After moving from urban streets of New Jersey to the small town of Chelsea, Alabama, Hamad Haider wasn’t sure he would fit in. However, just the opposite happened; Haider connected with the football team and formed what felt like a family.

Disappointed that he couldn’t play football again because of injuries, Hamad Haider sat down with Coach Elmore for a talk about future possibilities. Haider knew he wanted to stay involved with the team, but he never imagined playing such an important role. Putting down the football and picking up a camera, Haider became the leader of the broadcast journalism team for the football season.

The team welcomed him with open minds as he grew more involved in the media coverage for the season. Haider says “sports has been everything, but I never had the mentality of pursuing a career in playing.”

This chance of fate directed Haider to his true passion of sports journalism. During the season, he decided to edit his face onto the bodies of the players for a laugh which became an inside joke for the team. Haider now posts these edits on his Instagram as a tribute to the team.

“I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve developed with the coaches. As a player I wouldn’t have been able to have one on one conversations with the coaches like I do now.” Haider explains.

Sports journalism has a huge role in the south and taking on this position for Chelsea’s football team has innovated the way media is perceived within the school. There’s been ideas of authenticating the position Haider holds as a team manager for the football team as well as the other sports at Chelsea.