Tyler Ingle: Life Changes, and So Have I

Five years after first sharing his mental health story with The Hidden Opponent, former Campus Captain Tyler Ingle returns to reflect on everything that’s changed — and everything that still drives him. In this Q&A, Tyler talks about navigating identity after sport, finding meaning in the sports industry, and the impact he hopes to make in Division III athletics.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey—from being a student-athlete and Campus Captain with The Hidden Opponent to now working with the Atlantic East Conference?

Time flies! It’s crazy to think that it was five years ago when I first shared my story (Male Athletes Aren’t Immune), when I decided to open up to anyone who may have been in a similar spot, felt the same things, and had the same struggles, but thought they were alone or didn’t want to talk about it. From being one of the first men to share my story on The Hidden Opponent platform to now seeing the immense growth has been so exciting.

No longer being a student-athlete or a coach, I was at a crossroads of identity. Couple that with deciding to make a huge life change—reclaiming who I am by changing my name from Tyler Lewin to Tyler Ingle. Having a dad who was emotionally absent for most of my life, which eventually turned into a physical absence after walking out, was always a struggle for me. I had to teach myself how to do all the things—how to shave, change a flat tire, tie a tie. It’s a bit weird to have all my athletic accolades tied to that name, but knowing which side of my family and my genes I want to represent, who I want to be and not be, and who has supported me, it was one of the most empowering things I have ever done.

I’m sure you’re reading this and thinking, okay, so? Well, I want to tell you that it’s okay to feel lost. I thought my life plan was to become a coach after playing. Well, if you know anything about me, you know that my playing career ended short and I tried to be a coach  (Loving The Game Again), but that just wasn’t in the cards. However, I knew that I wanted to stay in sports. I’ve done plenty of freelance writing, which I would heavily encourage, but I distinctly recall working on an article about a zoning proposal, in which I had to listen to a one-and-a-half-hour town hall meeting to take notes and turn the piece around the following day. It was at that moment—the second that the town hall call ended—that I knew the sports world is where I am meant to be.

I ended up landing my first full-time job with Loudoun United in the USL. I loved every second of it and had great success personally and professionally. I built true, meaningful relationships and helped grow the club in great ways, like completely revamping the club’s social accounts, which saw it grow by 21%, the highest in the USL (league average of 14%). But professional sports isn’t all it’s made out to be. I still felt like I was missing something. It all felt too salesy and like I wasn’t truly making big impacts in the lives of others.

From there, I went into the collegiate sports world, working at the NEC, a D1 conference. Continuing my love for communications, I was able to stay in sports and feel like I was in a position where I felt like I was making more of an impact. Having worked for the Washington Spirit, Loudoun United, and Annapolis Blues, I was able to garner an understanding of the professional sports world that would now allow me to try and emulate it in college sports. For many of these student-athletes, this is their last go-around—four years, and that’s it—so I want to make them feel like they truly matter.

Now, I’m the Assistant Commissioner at the Atlantic East Conference (AEC), a D3 conference with schools in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Here, I get to do a bit of everything. I have creative freedom when it comes to social media. I’m in charge of all things communications, managing the website, leading the charge on weekly awards, organizing, and serving as an outlet for the sports info directors at schools, and more. It really is a jack-of-all-trades job when you work in college athletics.

What does your current role at the Atlantic East Conference involve, and what do you enjoy most about the work you do?

Being a ripe 25 years old, I’m fortunate enough to still be around the same age as the older student-athletes, which has allowed me to stay in touch with things they are going through—being in a similar mindset and stage in life, being relatable, and being able to understand things they may enjoy. So when I come up with a new graphic, new social media campaign, etc., and the student-athletes love it, it feels amazing. I also love being able to help out Sports Information Directors; I know how busy their lives are, so being able to take anything off their plate that I can, I try to do. I’m also continually learning new things, like gaining better knowledge of legislation, legal matters, budgeting, and more.

I think it’s also important to add that some people find and need fulfillment in their job, while others are okay just doing work. There’s no right or wrong, but I know I’m someone who needs to feel that fulfillment and meaning in my job. Not only do I get that working in college sports, but I’ve found another passion. In my free time, I go to a local school and help out at aftercare. I get to spend three hours with kids from Pre-K3 to 8th grade. This grounds me more than anything and gives me so much joy and fulfillment. Seeing the things they derive joy from—the things they care about and don’t—just reminds me how often my stresses and worries are so silly.

How did your experience as a Campus Captain or student-athlete prepare you for your career in college athletics administration?

Being a Campus Captain, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of college athletics. Having worked with SAAC as a CC, I started to understand the business side of things, including legislation, which becomes important as you work your way up in college sports. It also allowed me to make connections that I still have to this day, whether professional or personal.

I think one thing that would surprise people about the conference world is how far in advance you must think about things; we’re already making plans for the 2027–28 year! I would also say that it can differ between divisions. At the NEC, there are more logistics that come into play when making conference play schedules because the distance to travel is more significant than here at the AEC.

What advice would you give to current student-athletes or recent grads who are interested in pursuing a career in college athletics, sports administration, or conference work?

If I could give advice to anyone who wants to get into the sports world at any level, it would be to not give up. I hear A LOT about connections. Guess what? My mom is a teacher, I had zero connections in this world. Yet, here I am. Yes, as I’ve grown, I’ve made new connections with people and developed relationships; I’m not saying those connections haven’t helped, they have. I’ve been blessed to freelance for FC Tulsa, running their social media, managing communications for the Annapolis Blues, and more. BUT, I got my start with zero connections. I had no connections to the Spirit; I had no connections to Loudoun. I wrote for small blogs, which led me to having work to showcase to the Spirit, which led to that job. That work helped me get to Loudoun, and so on and so on. I would encourage you to connect with people and have talks. Be willing to learn things on your own—be active about it. I didn’t know how to use Photoshop very well or Premiere Pro, but I NEEDED to at Loudoun. Fortunately, I took time to learn and created some super cool content pieces. I’ve had hundreds of informational interviews. Those have not only given me great insight, but I’m able to give back and connect people I know with others, too. Best of all, I’ve developed genuine relationships with these people!

How have you seen the conversation around athlete mental health evolve at the conference or institutional level?

The conversation around mental health over the last five years has honestly been mind-blowing. When I first brought THO to Ursinus, no one really knew what it was. Now, at both conferences I’ve worked at, almost all of our schools have chapters, and nearly everyone knows what it is! It went from being “Hey, have you ever heard of this organization called The Hidden Opponent?” to “How many THO events and games are we having this season?!” At the conference level, we’re able to have guest speakers come to SAAC events, career days, online Zoom calls, etc. Schools are also more conscious of the mental well-being and overall experience of the student-athlete, with it having significant weight when discussing both big-picture and small-picture things. I think the more resources we can provide to both coaches and students, the better we will be. At the AEC, we have the Positive Coaching Alliance, which will be running two mental health workshops for coaches this upcoming spring. As a conference, we can be a facilitator and distributor of these resources and events!

At this stage in my career, being a part of THO means checking in on others. Realizing how much work goes into the day-to-day operations on campus means being grateful and appreciative of the work they all do. Sending a thank you, a positive encouragement, and a compliment after a job well done at a host site, because I genuinely appreciate the work that others do. I want to make sure they feel seen, heard, and understood. It means finding ways to share my story and be an open book—an outlet—for others to connect with. It costs nothing to be kind, and that’s what I live by!