PHLSportsNation – February Spotlight: Saraiya and Fripp

Philadelphia Sports Nation February Spotlight – Social Admin: Dhwani Saraiya

Hi! My name is Dhwani Saraiya and I contribute to Sixers Nation Twitter.

*This is Dhwani Saraiya’s 1st WegENT Spotlight Selection

As a New Jersey native, I was a Nets fan growing up. My dad used to watch the Nets and Bulls in the ’80s and ’90s and would tell me all the time about the games. When I got to middle school, through high school, I sort of lost interest in being a fan of any team, not just basketball. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I was just randomly watching an NBA game and came across the Sixers. It’s hard to describe but something just drew me in. The players, the atmosphere, and most importantly the fan base was something that made me proud and excited to be a Sixers fan. Since then, many of my friends would say it’s all I talk about, but that’s fine. I love the city, the people, and the gritty Philly sports culture!

Obviously, as a fan, you naturally follow a bunch of fan accounts to keep yourself updated. I saw that PHLSportsNation was looking for some new members. It seemed like a really great opportunity to meet some new people who shared a similar interest and to be involved with something. I love all the people I have met so far and it’s so refreshing to be among others who love a team as much as you do!

As a communications major, I love working with social media and digital content. In the future, I want to work in some sort of creative arts and sports field. I think designing graphics for a team or being involved in their creative direction would be something I would thoroughly enjoy. I love drawing and doing art and have done a couple of pieces of some Sixers players and the response and engagement I’ve gotten from that were insane. If I could do that in the future, it would be a dream come true. On a personal note, one day I want to open a nice little coffee shop.

Philadelphia Sports Nation February Spotlight – Blogger: Marquell Fripp

Hi everyone! My name is MarQuell Fripp. I am a Blogger and Social Media Admin for Eagles Nation.

*This is Marquell Fripp’s 1st WegENT Spotlight Selection

Where does your fandom stem from?

Before developing the love I have for the game, many years ago about 140 miles from the “City of Brotherly Love” was a wet behind the ears young man eager to learn any and everything possible about football. Usually, around these times I’d be in church but on this particular Sunday, I was at home eyes glued to the Fox pregame show. There I was patiently awaiting kickoff and across my screen comes one Terrell Owens entering ” The Linc”. This instantly grabbed my attention; a player with my last name having the success Owens was at the time seemed unreal. It was from that moment when the butterflies that I still feel up until this very day formed. The feeling I get when I see the men in midnight green hit the field became and remains unmatched. Though it was hard fitting into a family full of Washington Redskins fans, if being an Eagles fan has taught me anything it’s “no one likes us, and we don’t care.”

How did I get started with Wegryn?

My start with Wegryn Enterprises is a pretty funny story. I initially contacted the

company after an application for PHLSportsNation crossed my feed on Twitter. I’ve been an inspired journalist from a young age not too long after becoming an Eagles fan actually. So when I heard back from Wegryn Enterprises that they’d like for me to work with them it, was and still is a pleasure and an honor. Though this is where things got interesting. I thought I was initially being brought on the team to be a blogger for the team, asking questions as to where and how he’d like me to post. However, I didn’t realize that Wegryn had brought me on as a Social Media Admin. It didn’t take long for me to settle into the role of having the opportunity to communicate with the greatest fan base in sports. Still, in my spare time, I’d write articles, it was here when I released my “21 Questions” about the Eagles end of the season presser where Wegryn gave me the opportunity of a lifetime.

My aspirations?

As I mentioned earlier, I aspire to be a journalist. It’s a dream of mine to have the opportunity to work around the Philadelphia Eagles in the role of a reporter. I watch each press conference after the games, during the week, and after the season. Listening to guys like Zack Rosenblatt, Eliot Shorr-Parks, and Howard Eskin speak on the availability and insight they have to the team is quite inspiring and would be almost a dream come true to fill the position. The goal is to be able to work multiple platforms, one as a draft analyst while also having the chance to continue to post my work for the world to see. I also aspire to return to college to finish my last couple of semesters to get my degree in communications after attending Lincoln University for a while and to fulfill my promise of buying a house for my mom. Despite her passing away when I was 12, it has always been part of the plan and a constant reminder of the goal at hand.