Resources for Athletes

by Michelle Hill | June 30th, 2010 | View Comments

Pro athletes always seem to have an abundance of resources at their disposal; whether they need to make a cross country move, assess their personality and skill level, get their financial picture in order, or simply find a post-sports career job or business. A multitude of businesses clamor for the athletes’ attention but which ones can they trust? I found two businesses that really put their heart and soul into helping pro athletes manage their career and life.

One such business is Sportsdrive. The highly educated, synergistic team performs various levels of athlete assessments using a scientific approach specifically developed to evaluate sports performance and sports behavior.

Annika Olofsson, a sports psychologist with Sportsdrive, works with athletes on the German Olympic squad. I caught up with her via email last week and asked how Sportsdrive can help not just the pro athlete but their supporting cast. Annika stated, “Sportsdrive helps coaches select the right athletes; those who are not only physically strong but mentally fit and committed to achieving greatness on their specific sport. Assessment results will reveal the following to coaches; potential for development, talent, and the internal fire of the athlete as well as the best way to support the athlete in reaching his goals.”

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Athletes Performing Under Pressure

by Michelle Hill | June 2nd, 2010 | View Comments

Pressure is a perceived expectation of the need to perform well under challenging situations. Athletes in particular are known for either choking or excelling under extreme pressurized circumstances. Often, fear of failure is tied to pressure and can either fuel or exhaust athletes’ efforts. A few examples of how fear plays into an athletes’ performance:

Fear of disappointing others (coaches, parents, fans)

Fear of feeling embarrassed if they blow it

Fear of losing their place on the team if they underperform

Fear of not performing perfectly; of making mistakes

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An athletes’ level of experience, confidence, and self-belief play a vital role in how well he/she performs under pressure.

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How the NFL Labor Negotiations Impacts Your Sports Career

by Lewis Howes | April 8th, 2010 | View Comments

(This is a guest article by Jason Kobeda)

No matter what sport you’re aspiring to work in, it’s time to focus one eye on the business developments brewing in the National Football League. The policies and court proceedings currently under review have the ability to influence sports business as a whole and more importantly, thousands of jobs.

CBA Negotiations

Most discussions surrounding the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) have been focused on the start of the league’s first uncapped salary year since 1993. Fortunately, the most recent CBA agreed to in 2006 provided enough safeguards to protect the league’s parity in an uncapped year. As the free-agency period continues business as usual, the clock continues to tick on the March 2011 expiration of the CBA.

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Sports Professionals Networking Event: Buenos Aires

by Lewis Howes | March 8th, 2010 | View Comments

During my stay in Argentina I have had a number of Sports Networkers looking to meet up. Since I’m only here for a few more days before I leave for SXSW I decided to put together a Sports Networker meet up in Buenos Aires to bring together some of the best minds in the industry.

This is more of a meet up instead of a large Sports Networker event, but I’m expecting a great turn out.

The event will be held at the well known Hard Rock Cafe in Recoleta starting at 7:00pm on Wednesday March 10th.

Here is the address:
Av. Pueyrredón y Libertador
Buenos Aires Design
1119 – Buenos Aires

This event is free to attend so bring your co-workers, dress casual, have your business cards ready, and let’s have a fun night connecting with some great sports professionals in the Buenos Aires area. See you there!

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Interview with Terry Savarise- Senior Vice President of U.S. Cellular Field and The United Center in Chicago

by Tyler Johnson | August 20th, 2009 | View Comments

Recently I was able to sit down with Terry Savarise, the Senior Vice-President of both U.S. Cellular Field and the United Center here in Chicago. With a full slate of major league baseball, the United Center hosting over 220 events a year, and recently developing the Chicago White Sox & Los Angeles Dodgers new spring training facilities in Glendale, Arizona; Terry is a busy guy.

After graduating from Ohio University’s Sports Administration program, Terry launched his career as an intern for the Cleveland Cavaliers during their All-Star Game season in 1980-81. Shortly after, Jerry Reinsdorf hired him here with the Chicago White Sox. Click here for full bio.

How did you get to where you are today and what qualities do you attribute to that?

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Find a Sports Job by Giving First

by Tim Evans | April 26th, 2009 | View Comments

Part of my thoughts in starting SportsNetworker was to use my contacts in the sports industry for the purpose of helping others find or advance a career. That has worked out for many people. I enjoy hearing about people’s success.

While some people look to find an existing position in the sports industry, others simply blaze their own trail. These stories are unique and are often worth telling. Consider Joe Davis, who just a few short years ago launched Big-Game Preserve Video Production.

Davis originally started Big-Game in the living room of his rural Michigan home. At that time, his operations consisted of nothing more than two VCRs, a crate full of VHS tapes, and a record/pause button.

From these humble beginnings, Big-Game has evolved into a professional production company with state-of-the-art editing equipment and clients from around the country. Big-Game uses Final Cut Pro editing suite (which is the same program Hollywood used in making “Batman Returns”). This allows Davis’ team to offer a variety of products including team highlight films, recruiting films, promotional videos, commercials, and more.

Equally impressive, is the fact that each film option is fully customizable and Big-Game will work with its clients to create the perfect video for their purpose. In fact, Davis and the team at Big-Game produced the video used to promote LinkedWorking, the book I co-authored with Frank Agin and released on March 1st. (Watch Video Below)

If you are looking for a professional yet affordable post-production company, then consider Big-Game. They provide a top-of-the-line, customized product, but they do it without forcing their clients to “go deep” into their pockets.

With Big-Game, the game plan is simply … you provide the footage, and they capture it forever. To learn more about Big-Game Preserve Video Production visit its website at www.biggamepreserve.com or contact Joe Davis at 517-316-5826 or via e-mail at davisj@stu.beloit.edu.

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One-On-One with Chris McKinney, Publisher of Sports Career News

by Lewis Howes | November 25th, 2008 | View Comments

Chris McKinney is the president and publisher of Sports Career News, a nationwide, glossy magazine that caters to aspiring sports executives and the companies who want to reach them. He has created a new magazine to help individuals create more opportunities to find a job in the Sports Industry. Please take a moment to Download a Free Copy of Sports Career News magazine and write your feedback in the comments section of this article. I had the fortune to write an article for Sports Career News and I sat down with Chris to learn more about the magazine.

SportsNetworker: Sports Career News is a brand new magazine you just launched. Why did you decide to publish it?

Chris McKinney: First and foremost, I love helping people achieve their career goals. And the purpose of Sports Career News is exactly that – to help people succeed. Secondly, I know more about the sports industry than any other industry, so it was natural for me to combine my passion for helping others with my knowledge and experience within the sports industry.

SN: How did you come up with the idea?

CM: Sports Career News is a publishing concept I’ve been thinking about — and tinkering with — for a number of years. I looked around and saw these incredible career resources geared toward sports and thought someone needed to create a bridge that would link a carefully targeted audience with all these great resources.

SN: Who is the audience?

CM: Sports Career News is designed to reach individuals who have a passion for sports and a burning desire to work in the industry. Primarily, we find them on college campuses enrolled in sports degree programs and participating in recreational sports. We also reach thousands of college athletes through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). As for the young professional audience, we target various “Sport & Social Clubs” in key markets. And it’s a free publication, in case you were wondering.

SN: What if I’m not in college anymore or not part of a ‘sport & social club,’ where can I get a copy?

CM: You can download a free sample copy of the premier issue at www.sportscareernews.com. And at some point, we’ll make every issue available online.

SN: Are you happy with the premier issue?

CM: Tom Peters likes to say, “No matter what, you never, ever get it right the first time.” And there’s a lot of truth in that. However, to answer your question, yes, I’m happy with the premier issue. It’s a good starting point and it will serve as a nice introductory tool to readers and advertisers. But what you see next fall will be a lot closer to how I envisioned Sports Career News from the beginning.

SN: How so?

CM: You’re going to see a lot more resource-driven companies profiled. Back when I was trying to launch my own sports career (1990) there were no career resources dedicated to sports (that I knew of). And I remember the frustration. Today there are plenty of sports job boards and sports degree programs to choose from. We intend to showcase them in a really cool way. And we’ll rank them. Essentially, we’ll provide a service to our readers they can’t find anywhere else.

SN: Did you get any investors or seed money?

CM: No. I don’t like raising money for a small business. For me, business is fun. I love new ideas and really enjoy creating and building something meaningful. But once you bring in investors, suddenly the whole dynamic changes. Plus, I believe that if you have a good idea and you’re meeting the needs of your customers, the business will sustain itself and will grow.

SN: Is this your first publication or have you done something like this before?

CM: I published my first magazine about 10 years ago. It was called, Next: The College Guide to Life. Also published a spin-off from Next called Job+ Magazine. Both were career-related titles targeting college students. Both were profitable.

SN: Besides the PDF download, any plans to rollout an online version of Sports Career News?

CM: Yes. When the time is right. It’s important to lay the foundation just right and to partner with the right people and the right organizations. I have a pretty nice vision for Sports Career News and the ancillary business that surrounds it. But I’m not in a big hurry. Fortunately, I own another company, Bang! Advertising (www.bangadvertising.com) that does very well. Sports Career News feeds my passion. But Bang! Advertising feeds my family.

Chris McKinney is the Founder and Publisher of Sports Career News. SCN is a carefully-targeted, full-color, glossy magazine dedicated to serving aspiring sports executives and the companies who want to reach them. Sports Career News is an independent voice, designed to highlight and profile the very best Sports Degree Programs and the top Sports Job Boards in the United States.

Sports Career News reaches a nationwide audience of 20,000 sports-minded men and women and can be found free-of-charge on 200 college campuses and inside key retail establishments throughout the country.

The purpose is to give readers the competitive career edge by highlighting the industry’s most valuable resources, delivering the most relevant advice, and profiling the most inspiring professionals.

The mission is simple: to be the #1 career publication in the sports industry.

For more info, call Chris: 214-686-8822 or email chris@sportscareernews.com

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