How one person is telling the full story of a two-year athletics program — one recap, one feature, one athlete at a time
May 21, 2026
The scoreboard has never been the entire story.
At the community college level, that runs deeper than most. These student-athletes are working toward something — a transfer opportunity, a degree, a shot at the next level — and often doing it while balancing academics, athletics, a job, and family to name a few. Despite all of the balancing, the games matter just as much as any division. The effort is there. The stories deserve to be told.
And in lots of places, many of those stories don’t get told.
Charlie Martin is working to change that.
As the head of sports information at Kansas City Kansas Community College, he covers seven athletic programs, managing social media, game recaps, feature stories, photography, video, graphics, website updates, and game-day operations.
He does it solo.
The job never really stops. And with FanWord Assist, he’s found a way to do more of what makes it worth doing.
Who: Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC)
Nickname: Blue Devils
Division: NJCAA Region 6
Conference: Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference
Athletic Programs: 7 teams
Location: Kansas City, Kansas
FanWord Partner Since: August 2025
Fun Fact: Before 1928, the official mascot was the Bluebird.
Challenge: Seven programs, one person, every platform
Athletics communications at two-year colleges doesn’t come with a lot of infrastructure.
At KCKCC, Martin handles everything himself.
On any given week that means designing graphics, writing recaps, scheduling social content, shooting photos, filming highlights, managing live game coverage, and keeping the athletics website current. This is all while making sure each of the seven programs feels like it’s being covered with the same attention and consistency.
“No two days are ever the same,” Martin said. “Some days I’m in the office designing graphics, writing recaps or scheduling social media content, while other days I’m out at the field or gym taking photos, filming highlights or helping manage game-day operations behind the scenes.”
A busy weekend could mean sitting down to write recaps for six or more games, which doesn’t leave much room for anything else. At this level, the ‘anything else’ is an opportunity to provide coverage that gives KCKCC student-athletes a sense of coverage that feels like the big time.
Solution: Getting to the stories faster
Martin partnered with FanWord to solve the most persistent problem in his workflow: the time it took to get through recaps before he could focus on everything else.
The impact has been direct. Tasks that used to consume a large portion of his morning (or his night) started moving faster. Game recaps that needed to go out after long multi-sport days were no longer the last thing standing between him and the rest of the job.
“Since partnering with FanWord, it truly feels like I’ve added a teammate who is always available to help,” Martin said. “Tasks that used to take a large portion of my time, like writing recaps for six or more games on a Monday morning, are now completed much more quickly.”
That time savings opened up space for the kind of storytelling that JUCO athletics doesn’t always get — and that KCKCC athletes deserve.
Bonus: The Blue Devil of the Month
With recaps handled more efficiently, Martin had room to build something he’d been thinking about for a while: a way to consistently spotlight KCKCC athletes not just for what they do in competition, but for who they are.
The result was the Blue Devil of the Month series, a recurring Feature Stories series that tells the stories of student-athletes beyond the stats.
“I wanted to find a way to consistently spotlight student-athletes not just for what they do in competition but for who they are as people,” Martin said. “The series gives us an opportunity to share their background, personality, work ethic, challenges, goals and experiences at KCKCC. It helps humanize our athletes and gives fans, family members and the campus community a chance to connect with them on a deeper level.”
The response has gone beyond the athletic department. Staff across campus have taken notice, including people with no direct connection to the programs. It speaks to what consistent, humanizing coverage can do for an institution’s culture.
“There have been several compliments from KCKCC staff who aren’t related to the athletic department,” Martin noted.
At the community college level, where athletes often move fast through a program and don’t always get the visibility of their four-year counterparts, that kind of recognition can be just the thing that helps a student-athlete. And whether that’s in the realm of competition or in the 40 years to follow, it gives athletes a lasting snapshot they can share with family and friends, highlighting a unique, powerful experience at KCKCC.
Result: 176 game recaps created and 20 feature stories
In 280 days as a FanWord partner, KCKCC has created 176 game recaps and 20 feature stories across seven programs for a total time savings of over 128 work hours.
For a one-person operation covering seven sports, getting that time back is the difference between keeping up with the scoreboard and getting to tell the story behind it.
“That time savings allows me to focus on other priorities and be more proactive in telling our student-athletes’ stories,” Martin said. “I couldn’t be happier with the impact FanWord has had on both my workflow and our overall communication efforts.”
The support has been part of it, too. Martin has worked closely with the FanWord team on everything from writing style preferences to minor workflow adjustments, all handled quickly and without friction.
“You can genuinely tell they care about helping programs succeed and making sure student-athletes are highlighted in the best way possible,” he said. “Their team is consistently responsive and willing to make adjustments to ensure the process runs smoothly. At the community college level, where staffs are often smaller and people wear multiple hats, having a partner that’s reliable and invested makes a huge difference.”
For any communicator still weighing whether FanWord is worth it, Martin’s answer is simple:
“It’s a no-brainer. The amount of time you save is truly significant, especially at the college level where you’re often balancing multiple roles. If you’re on the fence, it’s absolutely worth trying.”
Behind every program is a story worth telling
Athletics communicators at every level are doing more with less.
FanWord Assist is built to help, with sport-specific game recaps for 19 sports, automated player bios and conference award nominations, and support that’s in your corner when you need it.
From Division I departments to NJCAA programs like KCKCC, more than 200 programs and conferences are seeing the time savings add up.
FanWord Assist is the go-to solution for athletic communication teams in college sports. While the application may look different at every school, the outcome is the same for every user: more time for the work that matters most to them.
See what FanWord can do for your communications team:
➡️ Request a demo using the contact form below
➡️ Reach out to our CEO directly to talk through your team’s workflow
➡️ Read more case studies: Florida Southern — Tulsa — Illinois Tech — Hamline — Stetson — Northwestern College
