--Courtesy of La Verne Athletics--
College athletics in Division III is an inextricable part of the educational experience. Former University of La Verne soccer player Jamie “JJ” Weaver took that to heart, combined her experiences on the field and in the classroom, and turned it into a profession.
Weaver was a team captain, an All-Region and All-SCIAC selection at La Verne, and worked as an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team for five seasons. She hasn’t been away from soccer since leaving La Verne, but she did trade in orange and green for USA red, white, and blue.
Weaver, who earned her bachelor's degree in broadcast television, works as a videographer for several organizations, most notably the United States Women’s National Team. After graduating from La Verne she worked as a technical filmer for US Soccer's youth national teams. Her work included covering three U-17 CONCACAF Championships and one U-17 Women's World Cup.
From there, Weaver had an opportunity to fill in on the video staff for a USWNT game and then began working with the team consistently. A trip to France for the 2019 Women’s World Cup and a chance to celebrate on the field after the USA claimed the title highlighted the experience
Weaver directly credits her time at La Verne to her success professionally.
“The thing that I loved about La Verne was being able to be a student-athlete and enjoy that experience while also getting an education in a field that I really enjoyed,” said Weaver. “After high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do for a career yet. I was looking at the different degrees that La Verne had to offer and thought that broadcasting might be something fun to get into. The small class sizes created a welcoming environment. A lot of our live multi-camera productions in school have been super beneficial to working in the professional field today,” said Weaver.
“The relationships you gain while in school can help you find connections in your career and help you land jobs in the future. Being an athlete at La Verne is also such a tight-knit community where you really get to know other athletes. Playing sports at a Division III school like La Verne allows you to not miss a lot of classes due to close travel for most games and allows you to compete at a high level in any sport.”
Weaver has continued working with the USWNT and has since worked two World Cups three CONCACAF qualifying tournaments, six She Believes Cups, one Women’s Gold Cup, and one Tournament of Nations, along with regular training and games with the team.
In addition to her work with the USWNT, Weaver also works with the Los Angeles Angels, the Ontario Reign, and as part of Long Beach State's ESPN+ broadcast.
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