Below is a Q & A with former Davidson men's soccer player Aaron West '08, who is currently a member of Fox Sports Soccer Digital Team. Why Davidson? Tell us about what led you to choose Davidson.Aaron West '08 pictured with Italian Andrea Pirlo – currently with New
York City FC in MLS, formerly with Juventus, Milan and other teams.
I chose Davidson for its incredible academic reputation and for the fact that they'd sustained success at a relatively high level in Division I, especially compared to the size and scope of other programs. My brother nearly went to Davidson, but chose N.C. State to pursue engineering, but when I visited the school I fell in love.
While at Davidson, what were some of your highlights and growth in and out of soccer?
I dealt with a number of injuries during my time at Davidson, but learned a lot about pushing through adversity and the value of consistency during my time there. Scoring against Duke my junior year was a big high point for me, despite tearing my groin in the process!
Any tips for current Davidson players?
Make the most of your time there! Train as hard as possible, take the time to play outside of training, take advantage of the facilities, and always remember to broaden your footballing horizons. The game is ever evolving, and it's important as a player to always be seeking a further edge.
What was your academic focus and process at Davidson and how did that shape your life and work post College?
I was a Spanish major at Davidson. I did a ton of writing in Spanish, and it helped to shape my love for writing now. Learning to do research in a second language and communicate in a different tongue was extremely eye opening for me, and my experience with Spanish-speaking culture has only helped me in my career as a writer.
How have you stayed connected such as former teammates and otherwise?
I stay in regular contact with a number of my former teammates. Social media makes it a breeze nowadays, and the beautiful game makes it so there's always something to discuss.
Connect the dots from what you did after graduating to where you are now.
After I graduated, I took an internship working with a Davidson-founded education outreach company. During my free time I started to write about soccer for fun, and it spiraled into something I became even more passionate about. I explored a career in marketing and social media, but kept freelancing for a number of different outlets, and eventually landed at Fox Sports.
Describe your work now, including a typical day.
I'm tasked with finding and shaping storylines around the soccer world. That includes writing straight news pieces, longer opinion pieces, shorter blogs, and more. My hours are typically more traditional 9-5, but can often vary depending on game times (especially with being on the west coast).
What have been perks or highlights of your soccer journalism (such as meeting a famous person, seeing a game etc.)
Having the opportunity to sit down and interview players like Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Clint Dempsey and more has been one of the crowning moments of my young career so far. I was also incredibly humbled and blessed to be able to participate in adidas' Mercury Center roundtable with some of the leading minds in soccer's creative scene.
What's next? Any thoughts of where your career and interests will go?
I plan to be immersed in the soccer world for as long as possible. I'm extremely happy and challenged at Fox Sports now, and I hope to continue my growth and development in this role for the foreseeable future. From there, we'll see where my path takes me!
