If you’re trying to break into sports, one of the most important things you can do is position yourself as an expert. You do this by narrowing your focus to the one thing you’re most passionate about and tie it to your God-given talent. Employers love experts. They will hire the expert over the…
Chris McKinney
Author Archive | Chris McKinney
2 Things You Must Do to Break Into Sports
Some people get overwhelmed — even frustrated — when they wrestle with the concept of breaking into sports. That’s understandable. After all, sports is one of the most difficult industries to break into. And to make things worse, there’s not a guidebook that shows you how to do it. Well, I’ve got some good news….
The Best Part of Pursuing a Sports Career: Freedom to Choose
The best part of pursuing a career in sports is the freedom to choose. You don’t have to be stuck selling tickets, if that’s not your thing. Instead, pursue your passion! The Sports Industry is Monstrous The sports industry is so enormous that nearly every profession is represented. You can be a Doctor, a Lawyer, a…
3 Ways Industry Experience Can Launch Your Sports Career
Before we jump into the three ways industry experience can help launch your sports career, it’s a good idea to first understand why employers want you to have industry experience. Employers don’t want to spend the time, the money, or the energy to train you for certain aspects of the job. Some things just need…
The Worst Place to Look For a Job In Sports
If you want to discover the black hole of job-searching, the place where resumes and cover letters vanish, and the place I call a “dead-end street” for aspiring sports executives, look no further than the HR department. I’ve heard too many sad stories where students or career-changers blindly send hundreds of resumes and cover letters…
Breaking Into Sports Starts With the Right Attitude
“Attitude is everything. Without a good one, nothing else matters.”– Unknown To reach your goals in life—especially landing your first job in sports—you have to start with the right attitude. (Read: a positive attitude.) Your attitude will affect everything you do moving forward. This might strike you as standard-issue pep-talk language, but I’ll show you…
3 Ways to Get Sports Industry Experience
If you’re pursuing a job in sports, one of the most frustrating things you will hear from employers—that is, if you’re not prepared—are those two dreaded words: “Experience Required.” I always thought, “How in the world can I get experience, when the only employers hiring are those that require experience?” It never made sense to…
The #1 Reason You Won’t Get Hired in Sports
The number one reason people don’t get hired in the sports industry is “Likeability.” In other words, if you’re not likeable, if you have a chip on your shoulder, if you’re a negative person, if you talk trash about other people, or if you’re just a miserable human being all the way around, nobody…
How to Market Yourself for a Job in Sports: 3 Keys to a Killer Pitch
There are many types of pitches. Some pitches are for raising money for a new company. Other pitches are designed to pique the interest of a book publisher or a movie producer. The pitch I’m going to help you with is designed to get you in front of the person who has the power…
Breaking Into Sports Takes Mental Preparation
“Ninety percent of this game is half mental” – Yogi Berra It’s been said that sports are 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical. But most athletes spend nearly 100 percent of their time refining physical skills, and little to no time working to enhance their mental game.
The Mark Cuban No Excuses Policy for Breaking Into Sports
When Mark Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks, they went from NBA laughing stock to perennial winners literally overnight. (Check the win-loss record for the year Cuban bought the team. It will blow your mind.) One of the many things Cuban brought to the organization that helped turn it around was a “No Excuses” policy. What…
What are The Hottest Employment Prospects in Sports?
What are the hottest employment prospects in sports? These days, its the sports-related companies making news. Everyday, something new and exciting is breaking in the sports business world: new product launches, new companies, new divisions, new corporate sponsorships, new vice presidents, new arenas, new channels, new programming, new sporting events – you name it – sports…