If you ask sports communication students at Clemson University about their favorite class, they will most likely tell you any class taught by Samuel Hakim, Ph.D.
After completing his undergraduate and master’s degrees in communication at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, Hakim had no idea what he wanted to do. Prior to completing his master’s program, he created a sports communication curriculum for a final project, which was the first time he felt an interest in teaching.
Hakim took a couple of years off and taught at an all-boys school, then returned to the classroom as a student at the University of Alabama, where he obtained a Ph.D. in communication information sciences with a focus on sports communication and statistics.
Today, Hakim teaches various sports communication classes, including sports news media. In his second year at Clemson, Hakim was assigned to teach a class with no set curriculum, so it was up to him how he wanted to teach the course.
What makes Hakim so impactful is how he chooses to teach his classes.
“Sam is without a doubt one of the best professors I have ever had. The way that he makes material not only fun, but applicable and intentional is unlike any other teacher I’ve ever had,” David Polli, a sophomore sports communication major at Clemson, told The Tiger in an interview. “He cares for his students on a deeply personal level and relishes in their success both inside and outside of the classroom.”
He was given the new challenge of making this class what it is today. Instead of piling content and listening to countless lectures, which tend to be regurgitated in exams, Hakim implements other ways for students to learn and engage in the class. This relates to his research interest, which is centered on communication and interpersonal relationships between athletes and fans.
“I have learned so much through his classes, and he teaches in a way that keeps the class engaged,” Jade Moyenda, another of Hakim’s students, told The Tiger in an interview. “For example, our podcast assignment was a fun assignment that kept us engaged in the class material while also allowing us to be creative and ourselves.”
Previously, Hakim assigned a podcast as a final project in sports news media. This semester, he took his podcast assignment a step further, assigning four podcasts for groups to complete throughout the semester. Each podcast requires a guest, social media content and a relation to lectures in class.
“The idea of the podcast was to check off a lot of student learning boxes,” Hakim said in an interview with The Tiger. “Working in a group, relating it back to course material, they have to have a guest, and they have to show they can talk it for 30-45 minutes, which is not easy when you don’t know what’s going on.”
Hakim has allowed his students to create a real-world experience in a field that relies heavily on experience rather than coursework.
“The point was to do something experiential because, in my mind, quizzes and exams don’t equate to what sports communication students will be doing,” Hakim said.
The guest component he requires has brought in some big Clemson names for the podcast. Athletes such as football quarterback Cade Klubnik, linebacker Sammy Brown and baseball outfielder Dominic Listi have all guest-starred on certain podcasts, along with gymnasts Trinity Brown and Lilly Lippeatt.
“Obviously, getting high-level names like Cade Klubnik is always going to be fascinating to listen to,” Hakim said. “I really appreciate it because it is a different type of interview. It is usually their teammates, so the stress seems lower, and the conversation seems natural and fluid.”
Trinity Brown suffered a season-ending injury early in her junior year. She appeared on one of the podcasts to discuss her gymnastics journey, specifically how this injury would impact her future.
“So many of these interviews are incredibly personal journeys that I would really love for more people to listen to because they’re special, they’re good, and my students put a lot of time into these,” Hakim told The Tiger.
Hakim said it was hard to pick just one of his favorite podcasts from the semester due to the variety of guests that were selected for each podcast.
“There’s been a lot of great guests on the show,” Hakim said. “The fact that they were getting people in high-level athletics, comm positions and marketing positions to come in and speak is really special.”
This semester, Hakim also added a public component. His students now post their podcasts on YouTube and have an Instagram account for social media content.
“Having a public component and now having a YouTube channel pushes students to practice their professionalism more,” Hakim told The Tiger. “They have to be concerned about who is watching them when, and it just pushes a level of seriousness because it is not just in a folder. It’s real now.”
Hakim’s approach in the classroom does not stop at the assignments. He is committed to helping his students build a future for themselves after graduation. Specifically, Hakim has brought guest speakers from networks like Barstool Sports and Yahoo Sports into class. Some speakers are sometimes even former students who gained essential knowledge from Hakim’s classes.
Bringing in familiar faces is something that Hakim likes to add to his curriculum, bringing in writers from local media and even faces from national television. Last fall, Hakim organized an event with ACC Network analyst and former Clemson offensive tackle Eric Mac Lain. When the network came to Memorial Stadium for the Clemson football home opener against Appalachian State, Hakim gave his students a chance to talk to Mac Lain about the industry, getting tips and even networking with the analyst.
This semester, two sections of sports news media have produced 49 episodes that discuss different topics each week. From high-profile athletes to professionals in the sports industry, Hakim’s classes created examples of what sports communication really looks like. With the semester wrapping up, all episodes are now available to the public on YouTube under “The Sports News Media Podcast.”
