Sports Professionals Networking Event: Buenos Aires

by Lewis Howes | March 8th, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Bill Rasmussen and Lewis HowesDuring 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 NY Times Sports Editor Tom Jolly

by Lewis Howes | October 28th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

tom jolly

I had the pleasure to meet up with Tom Jolly who is senior editor of the NY Times sports section.  Needless to say, the NY Times is a huge publication.  Funny enough though, they have seen massive growth with their online presence and are starting to see more readers online than offline (more details about this in the video below).

I was glad to hear that the NY Times has evolved during the idea of “print going dead” and has embraced other ways to attract readers, produce more (and better) content, and continue their path in being a premier news publication.  Don’t take it from me, watch what Tom has to say in this brief video below.

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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 | No Comments »

U.S. CellularRecently 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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Sports Media PR, Then and Now

by Gail Sideman | August 2nd, 2009 | 2 Comments »

erin andrews

As the old Virginia Slims tagline for the Women’s Tennis Tour said  in the 1970s, “WOW!” Oh, wait … that line was,

“You’ve come a long way, baby.”

The way publicists communicate with sports editors and reporters has changed along with the rest of the media world. What people on the outside of the industry may not know, however, are that the details that were carried out with physical and cerebral strength years ago, are today, combined with professionals’ organizational and technical abilities.

But I digress…

I venture to say that the most visual change among sports publicists and media are in the way each look. Sports were once all about the guys…the good ol’ boys…reporters chain-smoked or fashioned cigars hanging out of the corners of their mouths. Along came Title IX , which brought more women to the playing field. At the same time, press row began to show its feminine side.

While the majority of sports executives remain male, the overall composition today, is mixed. Issues from locker room access to who is allowed to play, put a spotlight on society’s shift as more women delayed marriage and took jobs outside their homes.

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Ticket Sales and Social Media: MLB Dilemma

by Lewis Howes | May 13th, 2009 | 10 Comments »

Ticket Sales are tough to come by these days due to the economy and other excuses people seem to come up with.  I was lucky enough to attend a Cubs game with Tyler Johnson (who happens work for the White Sox, but the team was out of town that weekend we watched the Cubs).

Tyler talked to me about the challenges he faces trying to integrate social media with the Sox, due to the stipulations MLB.com has on all of the teams.  Watch this brief video below to hear his thoughts, feel free to add your own in the comments section, and tweet about this video on Twitter.

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Find a Sports Job by Giving First

by Tim Evans | April 26th, 2009 | 8 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 | 3 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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Featured Sports Networker: Tim Hayden of Vivid Sky

by Lewis Howes | October 10th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Tim Hayden is the CEO of Vivid Sky, and creator of the in-stadium wireless initiative where fans can access unlimited content through a cell phone or through Vivid Sky’s rugged handheld devices.  His product is perfect for venues, stadiums, and arenas to provide more for fans including  instant replays, stats, and stadium services directly from their seat. 
 
Tim also serves on the board of many non-profit organizations in St. Louis and is an adjunct professor at St. Louis University where he teaches several Entrepreneurship classes. Tim is a prime example of someone who creates innovative products that improve the sports industry.  If you are interested in connecting with Tim and learning more about his various ventures, please connect with him on LinkedIn and check out his Vivid Sky Web site.

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