Last Thursday Georgia lost to Mississippi 76-72 in the SEC tourney but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs have now made the NCAA tourney for the 2nd year in a row and will open as a #8 seed against St. Louis in Buffalo on Thursday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Georgia cheerleader M’Kaylah Jackson about working in social media and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Flowery Branch, GA: how did you become a Clemson fan while growing up? When I was younger, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney visited our church. Since then, my family has admired the Tigers and the culture he has created. I ran track all through middle and high school with the goal of competing in college, and Clemson was my dream school. I even had 105 Sikes Hall (Clemson’s main address) written on my mirror for years!
What made you choose Georgia instead? When weighing my options, the University of Georgia always stood out to me because of its top-ranked sport management program. I attended a UGA Cheerleading college prep clinic and immediately fell in love with the team’s culture and leadership. After my experience at the clinic and thinking about what I truly wanted from my college experience, I knew Athens was the place for me.
You are majoring in Sport Management with a minor in business and a certificate in sports media: how did you choose those subjects? Growing up, I was always around sports, whether I was playing or just being part of that world. As I got older, I realized I wanted to stay connected to sports, just in a different way than being an athlete. That is what led me to major in Sport Management, with a business minor and a certificate in sports media. It felt like the perfect mix to learn the business side of sports while also understanding how to connect with fans in a meaningful/relatable way.
You are a junior: do you have a post-graduation plan yet? Right now, my plan is to build a career in sports media, with the goal of managing a professional sports team’s social presence. I currently manage the UGA Cheerleading account as well as a local high school soccer team’s account, and I absolutely love it.
How did you 1st get into cheering? I have been cheering since I was 4! Like most kids, my parents put me into every sport they could, from soccer to basketball to t-ball, but cheer is the one that really stuck.
You are Social Media Manager for the cheer team: what does that involve? A few of my teammates and I manage the UGA Cheerleading Instagram account (www.instagram.com/ugacheerleading), so everything you see is created and posted by us. It involves capturing game day highlights, creating engaging posts, and showcasing our team’s energy and personality to fans.
Georgia was 1 of 10 SEC teams who made the NCAA tourney: what is it like to be part of arguably the best basketball conference in the country? It is incredible. It is already such a blessing to be able to cheer at the next level, and getting to do that in the SEC makes it even more special. Being part of such a competitive conference means every game has that big-game feel, and that energy is something you cannot replicate.
How does your school decide who gets to attend the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Getting to cheer on our team on the national stage means the world. As spirit members, we put so much into what we do, and having the chance to do it on a national stage is very special. It is an opportunity to represent our school, share that energy with a wider audience, and be part of such a big moment for our team.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Buffalo? We are planning to visit Niagara Falls: I have never been there before, so I am very excited to experience that with my team!
Any predictions for the Bulldogs this week? It is March so y’all know anything can happen. I have high hopes for Buffalo and am excited for Thursday, and of course hope we advance: Go Dawgs!
