Rider alum to longtime Flyers beat reporter

By Logan  K. VanDine

Moving from the desk chairs of Rider to the stadium seats of the Wells Fargo Center has been quite the journey for Rider alum Jordan Hall ’12, who says he has the university to thank for getting him into his position as the Philadelphia Flyers beat reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia.

‘I really wanted to pursue this’

Hall first fell in love with journalism in high school, where he started contributing to his school’s newspaper.

“I first really got into [journalism] during my junior year of high school. That’s when I kind of realized I really wanted to pursue this field,” said Hall, who attended Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. “My dad really helped me out. He knew that I loved sports … and I really enjoyed creative writing. He really wanted me to start realizing important life skills from communication skills,” said Hall.

When it came time to pick where he wanted to take his journalism talents at the college level, Rider was not in his first plans. 

“I originally wanted to go to Temple. I’m from the area, a lot of my classmates went to Temple, and Temple was very well known for its journalism program,” he said. “I applied and I didn’t get in because I definitely struggled in high school … that was a kind of a dose of reality and I was saying to myself, ‘Okay what’s next?’”

‘This was perfect’

What awaited Hall was an opportunity to take his sports journalism skills to a smaller school.

“My family and I visited [Rider], we … learned about the journalism program, people from that department, The Rider News spoke to us, and I realized right away this was perfect.” 

When Hall started at Rider, the first thing he really wanted to get involved in was the school newspaper. 

After Hall went to that first meeting, he immediately picked up a soccer story to write.

“It [is] just so cool seeing your name in the paper. I remember picking up the paper and picking up stacks of them to give to my parents, showing people, and it was just a really cool moment,” Hall said. 

As a freshman in his first semester, he was able to expand his role within The Rider News.

“When they were looking to promote others for higher positions, they were looking for an assistant sports editor,” said Hall. “I picked up a story every week, and they saw my involvement, and they gave me an assistant sports editing position, which I was so thrilled about.”

Hall also hoped to become a full-time sports editor for The Rider News.

“I was co-sports editor with Josh Veltrie, who’s a super successful Rider graduate. … I did [it] until I graduated and I absolutely loved it,” Hall said. 

Being heavily involved with The Rider News opened the door for Hall to start finding internships, and he did just that with Comcast SportsNet.

“I knew coming around in my junior year I wanted to pursue as many internships as possible. … Growing up in the Philadelphia area, Comcast SportsNet was something that I watched growing up,” he said. “I reached out, I applied, I put together a portfolio of my work at The Rider News and went in to interview, and I was fortunate to get the internship.” 

Through the internship, Hall gained experience in multiple aspects of journalism.

During his internship, Hall worked on photo editing, writing blogs and more. He then went on to have five internships at NBC Sports Philadelphia. Hall took his talents to a new level when he became the Philadelphia Flyers beat writer.

‘Hopped on the beat’

“My first year on the beat was 2016. I was part-time with NBC for four years and … I was freelancing with this company called the Sports Exchange,” Hall said. “It was at the tail end of the 2015-2016 season and my boss said, ‘We really need you to cover the Flyers,’ and I hopped on the beat full-time, and I was thrown into the fire, but I love it.”     

Charles Bausman, a sports media professor, praised Hall for taking on internships that led him to where he is right now.

“Jordan was smart to pursue internships. Once a student gets their foot in the door, it’s up to the student to succeed,” said Bausman. “Jordan obviously did a great job as he moved through Rider and landing internships.” 

Hall credited Rider for the opportunities that allowed him to become a beat reporter for the Flyers for almost eight years.

“What I loved about Rider was that it was sort of a blessing in disguise for not getting into Temple,” said Hall. “Temple is such a big school and I feel like getting involved right away might have been delayed.”

Bausman said he could not be more proud of Hall for covering a professional team in such a crowded field.

“To see Jordan succeed in a demanding business and on a competitive beat is something to be proud of. Philadelphia is a tough media market with a smart fan base that knows every aspect of the four major teams,” he said. 

When asked if he sees himself doing anything beyond beat reporting, Hall gave a humble answer. 

“I do enjoy the beat-writing aspect of it, especially where I work,” said Hall. “I have a lot of freedom to write different types of stories: I can write features, I write breaking news, I can write columns. If I have an opinion, I’m allowed to express it, and that is what I love about the beat writing position.”