By Reilly Cahill

Lindy Noel couldn’t imagine working in sports after college.

Now, she has a Stanley Cup ring from the St. Louis Blues and serves as the corporate communications specialist for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Noel joined Ohio State’s Sports and Society Initiative on Nov. 5 to share her career journey as part of the group’s Lunch ‘N’ Learn series, helping students understand what it takes to land—and keep—a job in sports communication.

After earning a master’s degree in public administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2014, Noel planned to work in the nonprofit sector.

That path led her to a role as marketing and communications manager for the Enterprise Center—the home of the St. Louis Blues—which later opened the door to her current position with the Blue Jackets’ communications team in 2021.

Noel said she has applied skills from her nonprofit background, such as emotional storytelling, to her work in professional sports.

“My nonprofit background helps me because in nonprofits, it’s all about connecting with someone,” Noel said.

With the Blue Jackets, Noel collaborates with the communications team to develop strategic plans, build media relationships, manage publicity and handle communication crises.

She said roughly 60% of her job centers on relationship-building and pitching off-ice stories about the Blue Jackets organization.

“I’m more about the team’s image—the brand of the organization,” Noel said. “What are we doing in the community? How do I show that the players are humans off the ice, not just players?”

As she concluded the session, Noel offered candid insight into the fast-paced nature of public relations work.

“If you’re going into PR or communication because you want to do the same thing every day, it’s probably not for you,” Noel said. “It’s constantly changing, it’s constantly evolving—and that’s what I like about it.”