Top Menu

Good News and Bad News About Working in Sports

If you want to work in sports, and I think most of you do, I have a question for you: What do you plan on doing in the sports industry?

What company, if they hired you, would be a dream come true? The New York Jets? New York Yankees? San Francisco Giants? How about Adidas? Or Under Armour? Keep that in mind for now.

I’ve got some good news. And some bad news.

The Good News

You can work for Adidas. You can land a job with Under Armour. You can even land a job with the New York Yankees! Or whichever team you love the most.

The reason I say this is because every one of those companies hire new people every year. So do thousands of other sports-related companies.

The real question is, will YOU be one of the chosen ones?

The Bad News

Landing your first job in sports is a huge challenge. The demand for sports jobs is incredibly high. The opportunities are limited. And the competition is fierce.

According to Sports Business Journal there are 24,000 college students majoring in Sport Management today. Not to mention the thousands of Business majors, Journalism, PR, Marketing, Advertising, Communications and Finance majors that share the same dream.

It seems that everyone wants to work in sports, including experienced executives currently in other industries.The sports industry is one of the toughest job markets in U.S. history.

What are you going to do?

You Need a Game Plan

If you truly want to break into the business, you’re going to need a game plan. Start by asking yourself these ten questions:

  1. Which companies do I really want to work for?
  2. What job (or jobs) can I do better than anyone else?
  3. Who are the executives that hire for those positions?
  4. How do I get my foot on the door?
  5. How do I stand out from the competition?
  6. How do I position myself as the best candidate?
  7. How do I network effectively?
  8. How do I write a cover letter and resume that gets me the interview?
  9. How do I prepare for the interview?
  10. And most importantly: How do I knock it out of the park?

You Control Your Own Destiny

The only person responsible for your sports career is you. Not your friends. Not your parents. Not even your professors. It’s you. You control your own destiny.

There are two types of people breaking into sports today:

  1. Those who hustle
  2. Those with relatives in the business

Do yourself a favor. Take a look at your last name and figure out which one you are. Most of us have to hustle.

You don’t accidentally land a job with the Yankees. You don’t accidently end up working for Under Armour. And you don’t accidentally break into Adidas.

Like I’ve said before, landing a job in sports happens on purpose.

Take Action!

If you’re feeling frustrated because you don’t know where to begin, you’re not alone! Getting started is one of the biggest hurdles.

The way you get over that hurdle is by taking action. Taking action is the key to a successful career launch. Anyone can say they’re passionate about sports. But not everyone can turn that passion into a profession.

To make that happen, you’ve got to be aggressive, or you will lose. President Lincoln said it best, “Good things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

It’s time to hustle.

ACTION ITEMS:

  1. Get a spiral notebook and write, “GAME PLAN” on the cover using a big marker.
  2. On the first page, write: “My #1 Goal In 2011 Is To Land A Job In Sports.”
  3. On the next 10 pages, write each of those TEN QUESTIONS at the top of the page. (If you’re not into pen and paper, use your computer instead.)

These action items will establish a solid starting point for your sports career-launching plan. In the coming weeks we will discuss various strategies and tactics that will help you answer those 10 important questions.

###

, , ,

20 Responses to Good News and Bad News About Working in Sports

  1. tejones January 12, 2011 at 9:06 am #

    Nice advice. . . I’m going to pass it along.

  2. ChrisMcKinney January 12, 2011 at 10:50 am #

    @tejones Thanks tejones! Appreciate that! – Chris

  3. tejones January 12, 2011 at 11:13 am #

    @ChrisMcKinney you’re welcome. . . i have a young man who writes at one of my websites who wants to be a sports writer. . . i try to help him all i can!

  4. ChrisMcKinney January 12, 2011 at 5:53 pm #

    @tejones Would love to see your site… what’s the URL?

  5. tejones January 12, 2011 at 10:36 pm #

    @ChrisMcKinney that URL is http://www.dfwfootball.net/ thanks for visiting!

  6. ChrisMcKinney January 12, 2011 at 10:46 pm #

    @tejones @ChrisMcKinney DFW. Love it! Didn’t know you were local. Haven’t spent time on your site, but if I was you, I would showcase the rich history of DFW talent that went to the NFL. The entire country would take notice. And the locals, all the more. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.

  7. tejones January 12, 2011 at 10:49 pm #

    @ChrisMcKinney thanks for the input. . . . i have taken more the direction of the minor leagues. . . . not sure if it will pay off, but its hard to compete with the regular media on mainstream football. But, you make a good point! Tons of guys have gone on to the NFL. I have visited with Everson Walls and Michael Downs, two from Dallas, but there are definately others for sure!

  8. ChrisMcKinney January 12, 2011 at 11:01 pm #

    @tejones OK, when I saw Allen helmet, I thought H.S. I’m a lot of the players in this league were stars in the local high schools. Maybe your writer does some back stories of the players… everyone enjoys the human interest story… you see it every Olympics. Gives people a reason to root.

  9. tejones January 12, 2011 at 11:05 pm #

    @ChrisMcKinney yep, a lot of former NFLers and major college football players in the minor leagues. The Dallas Observer did a great story on the Dallas Diesel a couple of years ago. The wrier joined the team!

    good stuff! thanks

  10. catsampsontweet June 13, 2011 at 9:29 pm #

    Great post. I am posting an interview I had with an ESPN correspondent about working in sports. I’ll letchya know. 🙂

  11. Attorneys In Peoria Il July 15, 2014 at 12:39 am #

    Your mode of describing everything in this article is in fact fastidious, every one
    be capable of effortlessly be aware of it, Thanks
    a lot.

  12. Chantal Z. Cumley September 20, 2014 at 6:19 pm #

    This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
    I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your wonderful
    post. Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!

  13. Idell Q. Wilmot September 23, 2014 at 11:10 am #

    Hi to every body, it’s my first pay a visit of this webpage;
    this blog consists of amazing and really fine stuff for readers.

  14. fiberglass marine coolers September 23, 2014 at 11:32 am #

    She has a charm that is slightly reminiscent of the childhood favourite Rosie and Jim’s Ragdoll, with a modernized interior to suit the
    21st century traveller. After users select their avatar they’re transported into their
    apartment. But have you ever thought about living in your boat full time.

  15. Lilli R. Matsuda September 24, 2014 at 4:14 pm #

    It’s amazing in support of me to have a web site,
    which is helpful in favor of my knowledge. thanks admin

  16. Twanna O. Friehauf September 25, 2014 at 3:08 am #

    Very good blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring
    writers? I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.

    Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a
    paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely confused ..
    Any tips? Thank you!

  17. Amelia I. Ernspiker October 1, 2014 at 11:03 am #

    Thank you for the good writeup. It actually was once a entertainment account it.
    Glance complex to more brought agreeable from you!
    By the way, how could we keep in touch?

  18. Staci J. Goldhammer October 5, 2014 at 5:21 pm #

    We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
    Your website offered us with valuable info to work on. You have done an impressive job and our whole community will be thankful to
    you.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Tweets that mention Kickstart Your Sports Career, Tips to Work in Sports -- Topsy.com - January 12, 2011

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ryan Knapp, Ty Baldwin. Ty Baldwin said: @theEMlife followers here is a good article to read @sportsnetworker: Good News and Bad News About Working in Sports http://bit.ly/eQbiQB […]

  2. Getting A Degree In Sports Marketing | Sports NetworkerSports Networker - June 25, 2014

    […] first time in a month, I know first hand that it’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. There were days where I really didn’t know what day it was because of the constant time zone […]

Leave a Reply