Eric Mangini, Ron Shapiro, and Mark Shapiro all found their own unique way into the Sports Industry, but no one direction is the correct route for breaking into the sports world.
How badly do you want to work in the Sports Industry? What if I told you taking a six week long class may be the key to getting the sports job of your dreams?
Are you willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get a sports industry masters at a top university? How about working 15 hour days during a six month unpaid internship to get your foot in the door? Well if you are looking to get a job in the sports industry ASAP, and you don’t want to work for free or be in debt for over 20 years, then this may be the opportunity for you!
The Sports Executive Academyguarantees students who take this class a20% job placement in the sports industry. I don’t know of any other university or program who can guarantee this… do you? The Sports Executive Academy will deliver its programming not only with academic leaders and scholars, but also with prominent figures and quest instructors who are leaders in the sports business industry. Speakers and workshop leaders include current owners, operators, and executives in all facets of the sports business (e.g. food, financial, media, marketing).
The Academy lasts only six weeks. Morning classes teach “The Ideal”, afternoon sessions teach the Practical Application or “The Real”, and evenings sessions provide experience you can use where you “Try it Yourself” or “Do It.”
WEEK A: Sales, Promotion & Marketing WEEK B: Running the Show
WEEK C: All Things Financial
WEEK D: Building, Running and Knowing Your Facility
WEEK E: The Team
WEEK F: Media, Broadcast, PR and Fan Entitlement
If you are serious about getting a job in the Sports Industry, and this seems like the opportunity for you, then register as soon as possible and save up to $1,200 off your tuition.
Any if you use the code “sportsnetworker” when you register, you will receive and additional $50 off your fees. If you send me your confirmation information, you will be entered in a drawing for an additional $50 off.
##
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me an e-mail, or leave your questions in the comments section below.
Everyone loves a top 10 list so I decided to take a poll and generate a list with the top sites to help you in your quest of being the best sports executive possible.
There are many great sports industry websites out there in a variety of niches. Some are fan related, team related, blogs, videos, job boards, career resources, social networking, and beyond. Although there are too many great sites that are not included, feel free to add the sites that were most helpful to your quest over this past year. Here is what I found most useful in 2008:
I did not rank these from 1-10, and that may make some of you a little upset, but I decided to just give you my top 10 overall. Maybe next year I’ll put out a larger poll, get previous winners to vote like it’s the Heisman, and have a real #1. For now, however, feel free to include any additional sites that you think should have made the list, or at least be included as an honorable mention.
Your personal brand is your most valuable asset. Generating success on LinkedIn has everything to do with enhancing your personal brand. In fact, Gary Vaynerchuck talks about the importance of building your “Me 2.0″ equity within the social media landscape during this motivational video below:
If that video doesn’t charge you up and teach you the importance of doing what you love and are passionate about, I don’t know what will. Without an identity on LinkedIn, your personal brand will suffer tremendously, so please consider this as I lay out my 13 ways to generate success on LinkedIn:
1) Take Control Of Your Personal Brand:
This is the most important aspect for me, and why I included the video with Gary. The best way to take control of your personal brand on LinkedIn is to fill out your entire profile and write concise, compelling, value driven content. If you type in your name on Google, and you don’t have an active blog or produce other content on the web, I bet your LinkedIn profile is one of the top five pages that show up. Control what others view about you by completing your profile, and add to it amazing value.
2) Connect With Your Niche:
There are thousands of groups on LinkedIn; connect with the ones that fit your interests or industry. The more you reach out to those who are targeted in your area, the more powerful you become to that niche.
3) Add Everyone You Know (and don’t know):
I know there are some of you who like to click the dreaded “I don’t know this person” button if you have never seen an invitations name before, but you are only doing a disservice to yourself. If you think about it, the more people you connect with, this expands your searching capabilities, even more importantly, expanding your reach for others to FIND YOU! Don’t limit yourself, expand your reach and let some of the major players find your profile.
4) Ask Compelling Questions:
That’s right. Actually get on LinkedIn and ask a few questions every now and then… is that so hard? I asked two questions that took me five minutes of my time and received over 50 helpful answers in return. Just make sure you ask the right questions and you tag it in the right places.
5) Become An Expert:
You don’t become an expert by sitting on your rear all day, you become one by answering questions attached with insane amounts of value. The more value you give away, the more people will begin to reach out to you as a consultant, hire you for a full time position, or contact you for future opportunities.
6) Host Your Own Event:
You would not believe the energy and enthusiasm created by attending a live LinkedIn networking event. The benefits are many, and the time you work on it is well spent. Just check out my images from my most recent event below, watch my video about how I utilize LinkedIn groups, or learn about the benefits of hosting your own LinkedIn event in this post.
7) Say Thank You:
In the real world, people love it when you say “Thank you”. It really solves a lot of problems and encourages positivity. Be sure to say those two important words every time someone does anything for you… makes a recommendation, comments on your status, makes an introduction, or answers your questions. This will continue the good karma cycle, and more success will flow your way.
8) Become Transparent:
It seems as though the only way to be successful online these days is to become completely transparent and put yourself out there. The more you try to hide something, act like something you are not, or stay too generic, others will see right though this and will never think twice about you. Seth Godin says that being remarkable is nothing more than having others remark about you. Take this advice into account as you go along your LinkedIn ways.
9) Enjoy The Party:
If you are attending a “real world” party or networking event, I hope you are going to this party to enjoy it. Who goes to a party and acts like a stiff? Those are the ones who lose in the end that night and go home miserable, right? Don’t be a stiff, take everything with a grain of salt and have fun. Show some personality, be a character if that’s who you are, and enjoy the ride. The more you do this, the more others will want to party with you!
10) Make Recommendations:
I know Jason Alba, Chris Brogan, or Scott Allen have probably said this in blog posts before, but it holds true with me also. Making a recommendation does a few things: When you write a recommendation for someone else, they usually will return the favor which helps build your street cred. The next time anyone views a profile you recommend, then that adds a link back to your profile as well, which increase your chances of being found. You can’t beat that.
11) Add Your Links:
I was amazed when I recently saw that a friend of mine did not have a link to his website on his LinkedIn profile. He has a multi-million dollar search engine optimization and website marketing company, yet he forgot to add his company site (or any site for that matter) to his profile. He wanted me to help him generate more leads for his company from using LinkedIn, and I told him all he needed to do was add his company link and his service would speak for itself. Since then he has gained new business, go figure
12) Don’t Be A Stranger:
If you never call or e-mail people, or go out to networking events and gatherings, then how do you expect to stay connected to those you know, and build a network with those you don’t know? Follow up with all of the messages you receive in your inbox, and continue to get online and network.
13) Use LinkedIn Applications:
There are many great applications on LinkedIn. I used LinkedIn Events to promote my live networking event and I had over 350 people show up. A friend of mine added the Amazon Book application and included his personal book to his profile and his sales doubled in a month. By adding a few applications that are right for your needs, you’ll be sure to succeed.
##
I left out about 100 additional ways to generate success on Linkedin for a reason… I want to hear ways that YOU generate success as well. I am a co-author of a book entitled “LinkedWorking” that shows you how to achieve any professional goal you have by using LinkedIn, and Ill be sure to add more posts leading up to its release in late January. In the meantime, I would love to hear you thoughts on how to create amazing success on LinkedIn.
I recently had Marc Cuban, Curt Schilling, Jerry Rice, along with many others top Sports Executives connect with me online. Pretty cool stuff right?
Well a friend of mine said he thought some of you may want to know how I did this, so he is going to conduct a tele-seminar with me on Monday.
Before we do this though, I want to know if you would be interested in this program.
I am going to share all my secrets in this program…
How to most effectively network on LinkedIn
How to improve your profile to attract targeted people
How to begin creating your own group most effectively
And many more LinkedIn Secrets that will blow you away…
A great example of this is how I got over 375 people to show up for a local LinkedIn Networking event in Cleveland last night… all by using features on LinkedIn.
Anyhow, make your comments below to let me know specific questions you would like me to address.
Are you looking for a sponsor but are finding it harder to get funding because sponsors are cutting budgets and “spending smarter”? If so, SponsorPitch.com is your answer. Properties are fighting harder for sponsorships and looking for every edge they can get in reaching decision-makers. Luckily for us SponsorPitch is a company that provides a solution for both of these interests and takes on even greater importance, given the uncertain economic environment.
This article talks about how NASCAR is taking a huge hit right now because many major sponsors are backing out on funding. As fans continue to go crazy at the races, NASCAR executives are having a hard time finding something to cheer about.
It is nice to know this world is filled with guys like Kris Mathis, Founder of SponsorPitch, who was able to come up with a great solution for this problem.
Check out this video interview I recently did with Kris as he explains more about why he started SponsorPitch, how you can benefit from joining, and what you need to do to get started:
Additional Comments:
Chris founded SponsorPitch based on his experience within an agency searching for new sponsorship opportunities for their clients, but looking for a more efficient resource for finding, filtering and evaluating them. SponsorPitch’s virtual pitch platform allows marketers to evaluate opportunities in a smarter, efficient, and more comprehensive way.
• It’s free to join. Start browsing pitches or creating a pitch in a matter of seconds.
• No subscriptions. No commissions.
• Open to opportunities of every size, genre and location. Bringing together the “longtail” of sponsorship opportunities and making it easy for brands, businesses and agencies to find them.
• Currently beta testing: they have set aside a limited number of invites for SportsNetworker members so send me and e-mail if you would like to sign up.
• If you’ve got a complimentary site, service or business, SponsorPitch would like to partner. Contact: partners@sponsorpitch.com for more info.
Keep an eye out for more! SportsNetworker and SponsorPitch hope to work together in the future to create more business opportunities within the sports industry.
##
What are your thoughts about this new sports social networking platform? How could it be better? Feel free to share your thoughts on your own sponsorship experiences… how difficult was it, what were your main challenges for finding a sponsor, how could it be easier for you in the future?
The last post I did for Sports Networker was a very applicable, step-by-step approach to utilizing social media with respect to sports. It is a formula I will typically use when Lewis gives me the opportunity to share with you all. However, this week I want to deviate a little bit and provide a call to action. Call it a mini-manifesto if you want.
Despite Marc Meyer’s recent examples of sites elevating how we use social media with sports, it is no secret that sports in general have been slow to adopt social media. Fans, now more than ever, are having conversations online with or without your sports brands. The amount of fans and consumers adopting social media to create fan-generated media continues to increase at exponential rates.
Some sports franchises are even getting it right. There are even a handful of athletes that “get it,” and in doing so they are elevating their personal brand. If you are not a mega-superstar chances are you have time to give your fans access. And what if you are? Well, when Shaq sends a 140-character tweet empowering a young a fan because he rocked out in a local concert; that resonates with people.
So, why then have sports been so slow to adopt? Maybe they just do not get it. I could argue that professional sports have it all wrong these days. I toured the Orlando Magic’s offices this summer and got to see their plans for their new stadium. You know what their administration talked about the entire time? Their luxury suites, that’s what. We got to walk through them, and I assure you they are amazing, but only a select few people ever get to experience a game that way.
I’m not ignorant. I get how much revenue those luxury boxes generate, but I also know what it is like to be regular fan that is thankful to get to attend a few games each year. How many people, especially during these current economic conditions fall into that category as opposed to the luxury suite fan?
Chances are those are the fans that are scattered all over the Internet, passionately talking about your sports brand. It’s expensive to attend professional sporting events (and I don’t want to limit this discussion only to professional teams – there’s a broad spectrum that is guilty as charged). Is it so wrong for these fans to want these sports brands to interact with them where they are already having conversations? Where they can afford to be every night, chatting with friends and reading box scores?
So, how then do these entities strengthen their brand affiliation?
* Make their athletes more accessible
* Foster online fan communities
* Sponsor promotions, contests, etc. in their fans’ space
I am purposely leaving this list short because I want you to use the comments section to continue the discussion surrounding this issue and to offer your own suggestions. Right now, there’s a huge opportunity for sports companies to leverage the power of social media and to learn valuable information from fans through their behaviors, preferences, etc.
As a word of caution do not just jump in without first learning and understanding the social media stratosphere, but start having important conversations. Start right now talking to other people passionate about the intersection of sports and social media and have the discussion, “How is sports different and why does it matter?”
What questions do you have? Feel free to leave questions for me in the comments section. I cannot promise I can and/or will answer them all, but I will try to answer as many as I can, and other may spark future post ideas so please don’t hesitate to contribute.
As always if you have any questions, by all means, I would love to help you anyway I can with respect to Twitter, social media or the intersection of sports and social media/web 2.0.
##
You can read more about Ryan’s bio and contact information here.
The Princeton Sports Symposium is one of those sports industry events that you just don’t want to miss out on. For those of you who did, its my goal to give you the best highlights from the event.
Although I was not able to cover everything, I did get a number of video interviews with some of the most prominent names in sports, along with some up and coming sports executives and companies.
Check out this video interview with Bill Rasmussen, a man who needs no introduction for the global beast of a brand he created with ESPN! He breaks down how he got involved with ESPN and where his big break came from getting into the sports industry.
“Bill Rasmussen is truly the George Washington of ESPN. His accomplishments, however, transcend the boundaries of the sports arena into areas beyond our wildest dreams.” Chris Berman, 1993
Even though Bill is arguably considered the “President” of the sports, you would not think twice about this due to his genuine soul and humble heart. It was a pleasure speaking with him, and I urge you to take a look at his latest company, College Fanz, and become involved with what may be the next best thing since ESPN.
I will be featuring other great video interviews from the Princeton Sports Symposium, plus interviews with pro bloggers from NYC who offer amazing advice on how to take your company or personal brand online, and make it famous.
Watch out!
##
What are your thoughts on the comments Bill made in this interview? Do you agree or disagree with him on the future of the sports industry? Do you have a story that tops his? If so, I’d love to hear it.
Do you want to have a strong, productive network? I am talking about a network where opportunities, information and energy seem to continually flow to you. Is that what you want? If you do, the secret is to give to those around you.
Your response (even if only in your mind) might be, “What? Give! Give to whom? Give what? My money is tight and my time is limited.”
While it might not be clear as to what you can give or where you can give it, know that opportunities for altruistic action are all around you. You just need to open your eyes to the opportunities and then commit to action when you see one.
Just ask Brandon Teel. Who is Brandon Teel? Brandon found an opportunity to give in December 2003. He did not make a large cash contribution to the Salvation Army near the holidays. He did not spend countless hours serving meals at the open shelter. Actually, he found his opportunity to give in a junior varsity wrestling match.
In December 2003, Brandon was attending Kearney Senior High School and wrestling for the high school team, the No. 2-ranked team in Nebraska. As a senior for the Bearcats, he was a backup in the 189-pound weight class.
One day, the Bearcat wrestling coaches approached Brandon with an unusual request. It all started when the head wrestling coach for the Lincoln East Spartans, a nearby rival high school and No. 1-ranked team in the state, e-mailed Brandon’s coach with a request. The Lincoln East coach asked his counterparts at Kearney if one of their wrestlers would compete in a junior varsity match against one of the Spartan wrestlers.
The request was unusual because the Spartan wrestler was a freshman named Trevor Howe. This Lincoln East freshman had Down syndrome, a chromosomal disorder resulting in mental retardation and an inability to fully develop motor skills. Thus, for Trevor wrestling was a struggle.
The Kearney coaches agreed to find someone to wrestle the East Lincoln High freshman. They knew that it was going to take a special kid for this situation, so they quickly decided to ask Brandon Teel to take on this challenge.
However, the challenge was not in winning the match. Under normal circumstances, an experienced senior would be too much for a freshman. And under these special circumstances, Trevor did not stand a chance against Brandon.
The challenge was in the stipulations placed on the match. The coaches asked Brandon not to pin Trevor for two periods as well as not hurt him. The Lincoln East coaches just wanted Brandon to let Trevor experience wrestling in a competitive match.
Brandon accepted his role. Additionally, Brandon further agreed that he would not pin Trevor at any point during the match. Rather, Brandon would allow the match to proceed for a full six minutes and he would beat Trevor on points.
For a young competitive athlete at a wrestling powerhouse like Kearney Senior High School, Brandon’s agreement to allow Trevor to remain competitive was noble in and of itself. If the story were to stop there it still would be worth telling. However, it did not end there.
Once the wrestling match began, something happened to the Kearney Bearcat senior. Brandon Teel was overcome with what can be described as a tremendous wave of class, generosity and compassion. Picking the appropriate time, Brandon allowed himself to be pinned, giving the victory to the freshman.
“He was really working – he was trying so hard,” Brandon told Craig Sesker, a sportswriter for the Omaha World-Herald. “I was supposed to win on points in the third period, but I didn’t think it would be right for me to beat him. It ended up being better this way anyway.”
When the referee declared victory for Trevor, the entire gymnasium erupted. Trevor jumped up and down. He hugged his coach. He hugged his dad. Both wrestlers received a standing ovation. Brandon received accolades for his sportsmanship.
(This is an image of Howe just before he pinned Teel)
On Saturday, December 13, 2003, 17-year-old Brandon Teel gave Trevor Howe something he might not otherwise have had – the thrill of a lifetime to step onto a wrestling mat and earn a victory. He gave Trevor’s parents something that they might never have expected. He gave all those in attendance a wonderful experience – the sheer joy of one person’s unlikely triumph. And Brandon Teel gave us all a lesson.
The lesson is that moments of great compassion and generosity do not find us. Rather, we find them. Brandon did not have to lose. He did not have to allow himself to be pinned. He could have done exactly what the coaches had agreed – give Trevor a hard fought experience, not hurt him and take the victory in the third period – and no one would have thought less of him. Rather, Brandon chose a nobler course. He saw an opportunity to give to another and he took it.
More importantly, consider that Brandon Teel was just a 17-year-old kid competing in an obscure junior varsity wrestling match somewhere in small-town Nebraska. If he could find an opportunity to give, it should not be that difficult for us to do the same, considering we are mature adults, dealing with real world matters with metropolitan connections.
Do you have an inspirational networking story you feel should be covered in The Huddle? If so, please leave a comment and Frank will respond to your suggestions.
If you enjoyed this article, check out Agin’s last post on:
