A successful sports media day is about much more than taking one team photo. It is your opportunity to collect the athlete photos, group shots and short video clips you will need for social media, schedules, senior recognition, game-day graphics and promotional materials throughout the season.
This sports media day checklist will help coaches, team parents and athletic departments make the most of the day without turning it into an overwhelming production.
What Is a Sports Media Day?
A sports media day is a scheduled photo and content session held before or near the beginning of a team’s season. Unlike a traditional picture day, media day focuses on capturing a variety of poses and content that can be used across multiple platforms.
For fall sports, media day often takes place in late July or August, once uniforms have arrived and the roster is mostly finalized. Winter and spring teams can use the same sports media day checklist before their seasons begin.
This sports media day checklist will help coaches, team parents and athletic departments make the most of the day without turning it into an overwhelming production.
How to Plan Your Sports Media Day Checklist
A well-planned sports media day checklist should start with a list of the graphics, posts and promotional materials your team will create during the season. Before taking any pictures, think about the graphics and posts your team will create during the season.
You may need photos for:
- Game-day graphics
- Final score posts
- Player spotlights
- Senior night graphics
- Schedules and rosters
- Fundraising promotions
- Sponsor recognition
- Recruiting materials
- Posters and banners
Creating a list in advance prevents teams from reaching midseason and realizing they only have one usable photo of each athlete.
Individual Athlete Photos to Capture
Each athlete should have several photos taken rather than one standard pose.
Start with these essential shots:
Straight-on photo
Have the athlete face the camera with a natural or confident expression. This versatile photo works well for rosters, player introductions and profile graphics.
Arms-crossed pose
The arms-crossed pose is a sports media day favorite because it creates a strong, confident look. Capture a full-body version and a closer image from the waist up.
Looking down or to the side
Not every photo needs direct eye contact. A more serious image of the athlete looking down or away from the camera can add variety to editorial-style graphics, schedules and senior designs.
Equipment pose
Photograph the athlete holding equipment connected to the sport. A football player might hold a football under one arm, while a volleyball player could hold the ball at her side. Equipment immediately helps viewers recognize the sport.
Action pose
Ask athletes to recreate a controlled sport-specific movement. Examples include a basketball player preparing to shoot, a soccer player dribbling, a cheerleader performing a clean pose or a volleyball player preparing to serve.
The athlete does not need to be moving quickly. A carefully staged action pose is often easier to photograph and remove from the background.
Capture Different Crops and Orientations
One photo will not fit every design. Your sports media day checklist should include both vertical and horizontal images.
Take some full-body photos that show the athlete from head to toe. These are especially helpful for posters, banners and graphics with background removal.
You should also capture waist-up and closer portrait images. These work well for square Instagram posts, roster graphics and player spotlights.
Leave some empty space around the athlete whenever possible. A tightly cropped arm, hand or piece of equipment can make the photo difficult to use later.
Team, Coach and Group Photos
Individual athlete photos are important, but do not forget the people and relationships that make the team special.
Consider capturing:
- The full team
- Coaches together
- Team captains
- Seniors as a group
- Position groups
- Players with their coaches
- Athletes laughing or interacting
- Team traditions and hand signs
Media day is also a convenient time to update coaches’ headshots and staff photos. Capture a traditional head-and-shoulders portrait, an arms-crossed pose and a full coaching staff photo. These images can be used for team websites, coach introductions, game-day programs and appreciation posts throughout the season.
These photos create opportunities for coach appreciation, senior recognition, behind-the-scenes posts and end-of-season recaps.
Record Short Video Clips
Media day can also provide content for Reels, Stories and season hype videos.
Record a few seconds of each athlete walking toward the camera, turning into a pose, tossing a ball or celebrating with teammates. Keep the clips short and film vertically for social media.
Teams do not need expensive equipment. A phone, good lighting and a simple background can produce plenty of useful content.
Organize the Photos From Your Sports Media Day Checklist
Create folders for individual athletes, coaches, group photos and video clips. Use clear file names that include the athlete’s name and pose.
For example:
- Jordan-Smith-Arms-Crossed
- Jordan-Smith-Full-Body
- Jordan-Smith-Volleyball-Pose
Organized files make it easier for coaches and volunteers to find the right photo when creating graphics later.
Make Media Day Work All Season
The goal of media day is not simply to take attractive pictures. It is to build a reusable library of team content.
With a clear sports media day checklist, your team can capture everything it needs in one organized session. The result is better social media content, more professional sports graphics and far less scrambling before every game or event.
Once your photos are ready, Season Suite Sports Canva templates can help you turn them into polished game-day posts, schedules, player spotlights, senior graphics and more.
