The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

What if there was a way to use science to figure out the best career path for you? A way to narrow down the many options into a much more manageable choice. Well, Brian got a big hit of inspiration while watching Oppenheimer. He donned his lab coat and pocket protector, got out his calculator, and started testing. I picture Brian as more of a Bill Nye than an Einstein in the lab. Either way, he's giving you a new approach to finding what you are good at and what you will love and thrive in.

Like any good science experiment, you'll have to break a few eggs to make the omelet; you won't always nail your first hypothesis. Still, Brian's idea revolves around eliminating false positives on your way to finding a satisfying line of work. But I'll let Brian explain his stroke of genius and prove that he is no mad scientist.

75% of resumes don't pass through ATS (applicant tracking systems). Recruiters spend an average of 7.6 seconds reading the ones that do. The sports industry is highly competitive because… well, sports.

You need to take every advantage offered, and AI is the quickest way to get your resume into the right hands.

Brian covers 21 ways —that's right, 21 ways—that you can ask Chat GPT, Gemini, Jasper, and all the other robots to not only make your job application materials shine but also do it faster than ever.

Don't want to analyze job descriptions for keywords to stuff into your resume? Copy and paste that thing into a chatbot and ask it to give you a tailored resume. Can't think of any good follow-up questions to ask at the end of an interview? Get the machines to analyze the job description and research the company. They'll even write the questions for you! Feeling stuck in your job search? Skynet can scan your resume and suggest career paths you may have never considered.

That's just a taste of the tips that Brian drops. He also covers how the need to use AI will continue after your job hunt; Brian's ideas will get you reps with the tools employers expect you to be comfortable with.

Now, don't go nuts and start firing off fully AI-generated resumes and cover letters; it isn't that good… yet. But these tools can take so much off your plate and get you very close to a finished product. AI might even be able to write a pretty good podcast description.

But not this one.

Get your portfolios, reels, and certificates ready… As Gangstarr put it, this episode is all about "skills, skills, skills." R.I.P. Guru.

Skills-based hiring is trending in the sports industry, raising the question, "Do you really need a college degree to make it in the sports industry?"

Join Brian as he breaks down the shift happening in sports job hunting. Is it a temporary trend or here to stay? Brian shares tips for job seekers to take advantage of the change, helping you win with employers who value what you can do over your alma mater.

Don't assume that Brian is out here trashing associates and 4-year programs; he explores the advantages a degree can provide you, too. With the right approach, you can break into the sports industry in ways that weren't possible in the past.

Whether you're just starting out or seeking a promotion in the sports industry, Brian Clapp shares the top strategies for advancing your career during this week's WorkInSports Podcast. Calling upon his journey from the video editing room all the way to the director's chair for a sports network, Brian can provide first-hand experience of how to lock down promotions.

It's not always a straight path in the sports biz, and there are simple steps you can take to get your foot in many doors without closing any behind you. From scripts you can use with your boss to general philosophies that put you on the path to advancement, Brian gives you everything you need to take your next step.

Everyone knows that networking is one of the keys to career success. YOU know you have to do it... but, like... HOW DO YOU DO IT? For real, what are you supposed to say? Networking is scary and awkward for many job seekers. Anyone can hit the "connect" button on LinkedIn, but the task is daunting after that.

So Brian is laying out the exact blueprint for you to start building meaningful relationships. It's simple and repeatable, too! His tips aren't a magic pill to make networking suddenly easy, but he gives you exact instructions to make an immediate impact.

How many of your connections do you actually talk to? Hopefully, that number will increase after hearing Brian's strategy.

Join Brian Clapp as he explores three indispensable attributes you need to develop for a thriving career in sports: curiosity, competitiveness, and coachability. Brian breaks down the significance of these traits in the sports industry and offers tips for job seekers aiming to showcase these qualities during the interview process. Discover how curiosity fuels continuous learning, why competitiveness shows employers that you will outwork others, and the pivotal role coachability plays in professional development.

Whether you're an aspiring athlete, sports professional, or someone seeking a career in the industry, Brian's expertise provides actionable insights to propel you toward success in the competitive world of sports.

Sports internships are among the best ways to gain experience, connections, and skills as you build your career. In addition to providing an excellent training ground for you to apply your abilities, they also offer organic opportunities to build a network that can help you get a job. Getting varied experiences through multiple sports internships is one thing; taking advantage of the opportunities they present is another.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Alana Meraz, MLB International Partnership Activation Coordinator. Meraz graduated from Arizona State University in 2019 with a Business Sports and Media degree. Meraz’s proactive embrace of sports internships and building her network played a big role in getting her a job in MLB within three years of earning her degree.

With only four prominent leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) comprising around 30 teams each, jobs in professional sports are highly competitive and, therefore, notoriously difficult to obtain. From 2017-20, Meraz took five internships to establish herself and form a community of professional advocates. Those experiences included:

• Phoenix Rising (Community Relations/Sponsorship Activation Intern)

• Arizona State Athletics (Game Day Intern)

• Arizona Public Services (Events Intern)

• Sports as a Job (Social Media Marketing Intern)

• ISL (Sponsorship and Tours Coordinator)

Additionally, Meraz spent a year as a part-time game operations assistant with the Arizona Diamondbacks. While the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 provided an obstacle to getting her career started in earnest due to canceled events, she founded Latinx in Sports to build a community of professionals looking to break into the industry, which she still runs today. Her efforts landed her a Fan Experience Coordinator position with the US Soccer Federation in 2021, and she has been with MLB since 2022. On today’s episode, Meraz and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Meraz’s sports internships set her up to get where she is now

• What her day-to-day role as International Partnership Activation Coordinator consists of

• Why Meraz founded Latinx in Sport

• How important networking was for Meraz’s career growth

• What sports career advice she has for aspiring professionals looking to enter the industry

Enjoy the full episode to learn how to get a job in professional sports. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube Channel!

If you type “job search advice” into Google, you’ll come up with nearly endless results that cover the gamut. But there is one aspect of the job searching process that is often overlooked – the toll it takes on mental health. Brian not only provides practical tips for managing the stress and exhaustion of job hunting but also empathizes with long-term job seekers. Job search fatigue is a real challenge, and it is ok to feel lost. Whether you’re actively seeking employment or supporting someone in their job search, this episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the competitive landscape of the job market.

Emerging sports outside the big four of football, basketball, baseball, and hockey can face an uphill climb in gaining participants and a fan base. Leagues such as Fan Controlled Football and the World Surf League must get creative to find their niche among sports fans in a market saturated with options.

However, when a sport catches on, it can grow rapidly. That’s the case with pickleball, which entered 2023 enjoying a three-year stretch as America’s fastest-growing sport. A 2022 survey by the Association of Pickleball Professionals estimates that there are 36.5 million pickleball players in the US, making it the third-most popular sport/activity in the country behind only biking and running and ahead of established stalwarts like basketball, baseball, and soccer. Moreover, the sport is popular across age brackets and even has a multi-year distribution deal with streaming giant Amazon Prime, which will broadcast four tournaments per year.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, USA Pickleball Director of Communications and Content Melissa Zhang, joined the organization in late 2022 and is channeling the sport’s explosive growth in popularity. Zhang specialized in growing Olympic sports through her time with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (stints in 2018– 19 and 2020– 21) and USA Handball (2019– 21). She also spent a year doing internal communications with PointsBet (2022) during its growth period after sports betting became legal in more states. On today’s episode, Zhang and WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Zhang got into the sports industry as a political science/psychology double major at UCLA

• How she approaches USA Pickleball’s content strategy to continue the sport’s growth

• How she has grown as a leader in her Director role

• How aspiring sports professionals can forge their path in the sports industry

Enjoy the full episode for all of Zhang’s sports career advice, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to catch every episode when it gets published. You can also check out additional content on our YouTube channel!

Daily fantasy sports is booming. More customers = more money = more JOBS. The best part is that the competition for jobs in the industry is less fierce than in traditional sports because there is so much untapped potential.

That's why we're speaking with our guest, Dylan Cooper, Senior VP of Revenue at PrizePicks, a rapidly growing daily fantasy platform. Dylan's unexpected journey into the industry started as a daily fantasy junkie, tracking every stat of every game like all good sports nerds do. While in college, he took on a side gig as a fantasy sportswriter that didn't break the bank, but it opened up relationships that helped steer his career.

Dylan's current (very full-time) gig is a far stretch from his days as a fan and daily fantasy player. He started at PrizePicks in 2017 as an analyst when it was a true start-up. Dylan worked his way up through various roles as the company needed him to grow, and now, he's able to share his wisdom and strategies that can help others break into the fantasy sports field.

Travis Kelce has dominated the NFL on the field for nearly a decade, but he's exploded in the media over the past couple of years. Two big-time players in his growth are Aaron and Andre Eanes, the leaders of A&A Management Group. The Eanes twins aren't just financial guys; they are true day ones that have pushed their clients, like Travis, into life-changing opportunities.

While we've only mentioned Travis Kelce (and no T Swift mentions... at least 'til now), A&A represent other big-time athletes and provide top-tier management that makes clients feel like they are part of the Eanes family.

If you've dreamed of managing athletes, striking big money deals, or becoming an athlete, the Eanes are going to be so relatable. Aaron grew up playing Madden franchise mode with a career as a GM in mind. Andre carried his pro sports aspirations into college before discovering his passion for finance. As their vision evolved, they took well-informed and direct steps to achieve their goals. They are so down-to-earth as they share their stories, and you can glean actionable advice from listening to their experience.

When looking for a job, especially your first one in the sports industry, salary negotiation can take a back seat to getting a foot in the door and starting your career. However, starting at a lower salary leads to lost earning potential that you have to make up later. A pair of WorkInSports Podcast listeners are dealing with the nuances of negotiating salary in the sports industry and are looking for guidance:

“Hey Brian, I’m a recent college grad who just got my first job offer! I’m stoked! The salary is a little lower than I had hoped. Should I negotiate or just accept and get cracking? I’m worried if I push too hard, they’ll move on to someone else and withdraw the offer.”

-Janice in Massachusetts

“Hey Brian, I’m a 33-year-old dude who has been working in the sports industry for the last 12 years. I had been at one team this entire time. Now, I’m making the jump to a sports marketing agency. I’m excited, the salary is good, not great, and I really want to negotiate...what is your take on negotiating? I’ve never done it before, but I want to push this time around as I feel I have more leverage than I did as a recent grad last time I was in the market.”

-Bill in Pennsylvania

Salary Negotiation in Sports

According to Fidelity Investments, 58% of Americans accepted their initial job offer without negotiating salary or benefits. However, 85% of candidates who countered an offer got at least some of what they asked for. Additionally, a 2021 XpertHR survey found that 89% of companies are open to negotiating salary for some or all positions once they make a job offer.

Here are a few keys to successfully negotiating salary in the sports industry:

• Mind your Tone: Don’t come off as entitled, demanding, or adversarial, or the employer may reject your counteroffer.

• Be Timely: Don’t ask for more than 48 hours to review an offer because hiring managers must move quickly to hire.

• Do Research: Make sure you know what you can expect to earn in your profession in the sports industry so you can make an informed counteroffer.

Catch the full episode for more salary negotiation tips, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

Fundraising is the lifeblood of competitive college athletics. While TV contracts, ticket sales, and sponsorships make up a sizable portion of an athletic department’s revenue stream, securing donations is the main catalyst for the capital projects, scholarship funding, and endowments that drive programs forward.

Getting these projects off the ground takes dedicated workers in development offices who can appeal to donors’ fandom and pride for their favorite programs. Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, Nebraska Assistant AD of Annual Giving Mattie Fowler Burkhardt, does this work for the Huskers Athletic Fund. A former softball player at Nebraska, Burkhardt now tries to pay it forward to build an even better environment for current and future student-athletes in Lincoln. She joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to talk about:

• How her experience as a student-athlete set her up for success in her current role
• What drew her to a job with the Huskers Athletic Fund
• The importance of development/fundraising to becoming an athletic director
• What skills are required to succeed in development

Enjoy the full episode and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel!

Making it to the national stage in sports broadcasting is a tall order. WorkInSports Podcast host Brian Clapp made it far in his career behind the scenes with CNN/Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports Northwest. However, doing so on camera is even more competitive, with fewer available jobs. To climb the ladder on air takes a lot of repetition to create an opportunity in the spotlight, potentially a bit of luck for said opportunity to materialize, and nerves of steel to take advantage of what could be your only chance to move up.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, Fox Sports Reporter/Host Jenny Taft, capitalized on her shot, and that translated into a meteoric rise from sideline reporter for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx to a fixture on national College Football (and BattleBots) broadcasts. On this episode, Clapp and Taft discuss:

• How her background as a standout athlete helps her connect with her interview guests

• Her first gig as one of the FSN Girls with Fox Sports North

• What working as a social media contributor for? the Minnesota Timberwolves, Twins, and Wild did to establish herself in the sports industry

• How she maintains work-life balance in the sports industry

• What advice she would give to a young woman looking to fill her shoes in sports broadcasting

Enjoy the full episode for Taft’s perspective and experience of telling sports stories to a national audience. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice and check out our YouTube channel for additional content!

With employers facing a shortage of skilled candidates, learning in-demand skills is one way to stand out in a competitive job market. That is what our guest, Director of Partnership Sales for the Pittsburgh Penguins Luke Mohamed, did.

Mohamed cut his teeth working for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon for five years. He began as an intern, which required him to wear many hats on their small staff, and he learned to love the creative side of sales. That experience showed him a career path that interested him, and he decided his next step was grad school.

After earning his MBA at South Florida, Mohamed spent five years working in corporate partnerships with MLS’ DC United. He eventually became their Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships before landing his current position with the Penguins. Catch the full interview for some of Mohamed’s sports career advice on topics like:

• Why he decided to get a master’s degree.

• What working in sales entails.

• What the most important skills are for partnership sales.

Be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!

Pulling off a career change requires preparation as you highlight how the skills you built transfer to a new field. Today’s question for the WorkInSports Podcast comes from Alex, an aspiring career changer looking to pivot into the sports industry:

“I’ve listened to a lot of episodes where people don’t know what they want to do in the sports industry, but I haven’t been able to find one where it’s someone with a lot of experience but none in sports who wants to change. I’ve owned a company and worked sales/key account management jobs. In December, I was laid off after working 100-hour weeks at a company and figured it was time for a change. I want to switch to either pro sports (maybe start in the minors) or go into college athletics and go online to get my master’s. How can I do that?”

Successfully switching careers to the sports industry is an involved process, but it can be done by following these seven steps:

1. Do an HONEST Self-Assessment: Figure out what you like and dislike about your current job, do a SWOT analysis of yourself, and lean into the strengths and skills you bring to the table.

2. Explore the Possibilities: After you analyze yourself, take note of the career possibilities that emerge, then do your research (request informational interviews, attend conferences, read relevant articles, etc.).

3. Get Specific: Seek out the job titles that appeal to you and narrow your search to obtaining one of those positions.

4. Promote Transferable Skills: Show how the skills that made you valuable at your last job translate into a sports position.

5. Be Realistic: It is likely that you will start in an entry-level role to establish yourself all over again.

6. Paint a Picture for Employers: Storytelling is powerful, so think back to some of your top career moments and how you achieved your goals to give potential employers a chance to visualize you excelling in their organization.

7. Be Extra: Showcase your skills in the interview phase by adding something more, such as a sample report or a KPI analysis.

Enjoy the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for concrete ways to navigate a career change in sports. Also, subscribe to the show for more sports career advice and catch additional content on our YouTube channel.

With technology like artificial intelligence emerging into the spotlight in 2023, making your resume stand out is becoming more difficult. In a 2023 survey, 78% of job seekers who used AI during their search landed an interview, and 59% got hired. As these advances creep into our office and job search, how important is your resume? That’s what Uriel in Pennsylvania wants answers to these questions three from the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hi Brian, I am starting my junior year of college, studying sports management, and I feel my resume really needs some help. Three-part question: Are resumes still relevant, or has technology surpassed the need? Can I use Ai to generate my resume? And finally, what are some of the best practices to make sure I nail this?”

Resume Advice for the Sports Industry

The resume is still relevant, probably more than before. Nearly every job you apply for requires you to submit a resume, and most companies use an applicant tracking system to weed out resumes that don’t fit what the organization is looking for and ensure that only the most qualified candidates get their materials seen by a hiring manager. This is why you must put effort into crafting a resume tailored to the job you are applying for to ensure your application isn’t cast aside.

According to iHire's 2023 State of Online Recruiting Report, only 2.8% of job seekers used artificial intelligence during their search. Using AI to help polish your resume is acceptable, but you must be wary of letting a machine write it entirely. AI programs are best utilized as a starting point, not a final product.

As for the best practices, here are a few tips:

• Make multiple versions of your resume
• Prioritize data and accomplishments over tasks
• Highlight the skills you bring to the table

Enjoy the full episode for more resume tips, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also catch additional content on our YouTube channel.

While ‘Deflategate’ put the Patriots’ equipment staff under a microscope the profession tends to avoid, this overlooked aspect of football is of utmost importance to teams. An NFL team’s equipment staff has numerous responsibilities, such as inflating footballs (properly), repairing and ordering equipment for the full roster, storing and cleaning jerseys, and packing/setting up gear on road trips. Along with a roster of 53 players and the coaching and support staff, equipment managers also need a ‘customer service’ mentality to satisfy the needs of many people within their organization.

On today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content Brian Clapp chats with the Los Angeles Chargers’ Chad Jessop. Jessop is the Chargers’ Equipment Assistant and has spent 14 years handling football teams’ equipment and locker room needs. He and Clapp discuss:

• How to become an equipment manager
• Jessop’s rise from the high school ranks to a training camp gig with the Dallas Cowboys
• The biggest challenges of working in his field
• How important building relationships is in an NFL locker room environment

College is full of opportunities to form lasting memories and build the foundation of a fruitful career in the sports industry. Students have endless chances to create social bonds in all sorts of settings, but keeping your eye on why you are pursuing a degree in the first place is also important. Today's question for the WorkInSports Podcast comes from Jasmine, who is looking for strategies for launching her career after she graduates:

"Hey Brian – I'm headed into my junior year of college, what should be my biggest focus this year to set myself up for my sports career?"

Getting the right experience early on in college sets the tone for creating a dynamic sports resume upon graduating. If you wait until you are a junior to build that experience, you are already behind your peers for high-level internships and entry-level jobs. Your goal each college year is to build upon your credentials from the year before. Here are three things you should be doing each year to ensure you are a can't-miss candidate when you hit the job market:

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

Listen to the full episode to hear details from VP of Marketing Brian Clapp on successfully executing each step of your college journey. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to catch more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

Despite the likelihood that you or your peers have claimed to be expert multitaskers, almost no one can multitask effectively. If you work in the sports industry, you WILL be asked to juggle many projects simultaneously, and managing time effectively will determine whether your career prospects sink or swim. Today's question for the WorkInSports Podcast comes from Justin in Atlanta, who wants to know how he can build his time management skills into an asset in his career:

"Hey Brian – I'm having major trouble with time management lately -- I feel unorganized, scattered and stressed. Working in sports is hard, but I really think if I got better at time management, I could enjoy this a lot more. Can you help?"

Time Management Skills in Sports

There are few better examples of time management skills at work than the day-to-day lives of collegiate student-athletes. Throughout their careers, student-athletes must manage the following:

• Physical training

• Practice

• Travel

• Competition

• Rehabbing injuries

• Classes

• Homework

• Exams

If a student-athlete falls behind significantly in those areas, their career can end instantly. It takes discipline and dedication to juggle their expectations, and any lapse in judgment or performance is costly.

Part of the thrill of working in the sports industry relative to others is that no two days are exactly alike. On a game day, you may be hosting a company party in corporate suites of an exciting home contest, and the next, you're catching up on emails about possible season ticket sales leads with no in-person interaction. The first part may be a lot of fun, but you won't last long if you can't buckle in and attend to the latter tasks and keep the revenue coming into the organization.

Time management is about prioritizing where you spend your effort on the job and why, then creating a system that allows you to accomplish tasks efficiently. For VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp, that comes in organized lists. Here's a look at how his mind works:

• Break down tasks into categories:

• A1: Must be done today

• A2: Finish these in 2-3 days

• B: Important, but not time sensitive

• C: Long-term goals (reading, skills exercises, and career development)

• Spend 30 minutes every day reviewing these tasks and goals

• Tackle the A1 list (no multitasking) in the first part of the day

• Reset with a quick break

• Visit the A2 list and start working on those tasks

• Evaluate the remaining tasks and re-order assignments as necessary

Enjoy the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to learn more time management skills to apply to your day-to-day work. Subscribe for more sports career advice and catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

While sports brands are ubiquitous on all social media platforms and snark is popular with many well-known company feeds, that wasn’t always the case. During their 2012 surprise Stanley Cup championship run, the Los Angeles Kings made waves with their Twitter account. They pushed the envelope and established a unique voice that drew humongous engagement from their fan base and opposing fans. Over a decade later, the Vegas Golden Knights refined that approach during their 2023 Stanley Cup journey.

While social media content is a significant and visible part of sports communications jobs today, these roles contain numerous other responsibilities, such as coordinating availability for players and coaches, pitching stories to media members, and breaking news to reporters. On today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp dives into what a modern sports communications job entails with Nate Ewell, Vegas Golden Knights’ VP of Communications and Content. The two discuss:

• How the demands of sports communications jobs have changed between his time as the Washington Capitals’ VP of Communications and his current role in Vegas

• What his stint as College Hockey Inc.’s Deputy Executive Director taught him about cultivating a niche fan base

• The strategies he employed to further an already popular brand in Vegas when he arrived in 2021

• How he makes hiring decisions when looking at resumes

Catch Nate Ewell’s perspective by listening to the full episode, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can view additional content on our YouTube channel.

When VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp speaks with recruiters in the sports industry, they say without hesitation that partnership sales jobs are the hardest to fill. With TV contracts providing a dependable income stream and ticket sales having a built-in cap of seating capacity, corporate partnerships represent a spot to continue growing revenue within professional and college sports.

Previous WorkInSports Podcast guests making their name in this area include the Pittsburgh Penguins' Luke Mohamed, the Vegas Golden Knights' Alain Monroy, and today's guest, the San Francisco 49ers' Riley Danford.

Danford, the 49ers' Sr. Manager of Partnership Sales, followed the roadmap Brian preaches. He volunteered in his athletic department during college and gained diverse experience. During his undergraduate at Oregon, Danford served as a student intern in UO's athletic communications department for four years, spent three years as a television broadcast assistant, and was the athletic communications contact for the Ducks' men's and women's tennis programs as a senior.

While his experience was in communications and broadcasting as a student, Danford transferred those external skills into a job with the San Diego Padres right out of college as an Account Executive (Membership Development). He was part of a team that earned accolades from the Sports Business Journal as MLB's top-ranked season ticket sales staff.

After two years with the Padres, Danford spent a year with the 49ers in Business Development for the newly opened Levi's Stadium before shifting into partnerships with the San Jose Sharks. Three years later, he completed the professional sports career cycle (working for teams in MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA) when he returned to Oregon as the Portland Trail Blazers' Sales Manager for Corporate Partnerships. On today's podcast episode, Danford speaks with Clapp about:

• How his undergraduate experience led to getting hired by an MLB franchise right after graduating.
• What the differences and similarities are working in sales across four different sports.
• What hiring managers look for when looking for talent in partnership sales.
• How vital teamwork is to succeed in partnership sales jobs.

Sports management programs have grown at colleges across the country. According to Georgetown University, sports management occupations are projected to grow 7% through 2029. While sports management degrees are commonplace now, not every university offers one. WorkInSports Podcast listener Joyce goes to one of those colleges and is looking for advice on how to break into sports without a sports management degree:

The sports industry has numerous roles within it. For example, say you want to work for a professional team. The organization will need employees in:

• Business and Finance

• Marketing and Communications

• Event and Facilities Management

• Administration and Front Office

• Sales and Sponsorship

Whatever subset of the sports industry interests you should influence your academic path. If working behind the scenes in media relations and marketing is appealing, go into marketing or public relations. A business major transfers into the sports industry for anyone who wants to manage an organization’s day-to-day operations.

The major attached to your degree is a small part of preparing for a career in the sports industry. As VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp constantly says, internships and volunteering are the ticket to building your experience and carry more weight on your resume than the specific degree you obtained. Focusing on honing your skills via gaining relevant experience is important, and the major you choose, even if sports management isn’t available, will support your credentials upon graduating.

Enjoy the full episode for detailed advice on what to do if a sports management degree isn’t available. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

There are many benefits to working in minor league sports. The WorkInSports Podcast chats with Zack Raab about possible career paths in the minors.

One of the most effective ways to set yourself up for a long career in the sports industry is by gaining the right experience as soon as possible. While internships are a great way to get your feet wet in the business, how do you find your fit in sports? One area that can help you narrow your focus is minor league sports.

One of the many benefits of working in minor league sports is the relatively small size of the staff compared to the demands of the business. The small teams require workers to merge job duties and get involved in many departments, such as ticketing, marketing, public relations, equipment, and partnerships. In the minor leagues, employees need to wear a lot of hats, making it a perfect atmosphere to learn what aspects of the industry you are most passionate about pursuing.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Major League Baseball's Zack Raab, Minor League Baseball Club Services Coordinator. Raab is a liaison between every minor league baseball team and the specialists that enhance their marketing and fan engagement efforts. He took a circuitous path to landing in minor league baseball, doing freelance gigs and traveling to Israel to work with the Israel Association of Baseball before landing his current role. He discusses the following with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp:

• What drew him to working in baseball

• What he did to stand out and land his position

• The benefits of working in minor league sports

Listen to the full episode and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content can be found on our YouTube channel!

Promoting college athletics requires workers to know about different sports, as student-athletes from all university programs deserve support. The athletic calendar is usually active year-round, with Division I schools offering at least 14 sports.

Sports marketing is one way to generate student-athlete support for their day-to-day college experience, and externally through fan attendance and community engagement. While established winning programs at the Power 5 level can generally draw legions of fans to any home event, smaller schools and struggling teams must get creative to keep their supporters engaged and grow their fanbase.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is University of Colorado Associate Athletic Director Ricky Zum Mallen, who joined the Buffaloes’ athletic department in the fall of 2022. Excluding the 2020 COVID-shortened season, Colorado’s football program hasn’t had a winning season since 2016. Despite the struggles, Colorado’s hiring of Deion Sanders generated buzz in Boulder, with CU selling out its season tickets in April, the first time that season tickets sold out since 1996. In this episode, Zum Mallen and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How the award-winning sports marketing campaigns he produced at Eastern Michigan were conceived

• What goes into optimizing a huge marketing moment like hiring Deion Sanders

• Why being willing to move (Zum Mallen worked at six schools in 10 years) helps you climb the ladder for college athletics jobs

• What the path to working in a Power 5 athletic department looks like

Enjoy the full episode to learn more about sports marketing in college athletics. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also access additional content on our YouTube channel.

Leadership skills manifest in different ways in all forms of organizations. In sports, some lead by example while exuding confidence, like hockey legend Mark Messier when he scored three goals in a game he guaranteed the New York Rangers would win en route to a Stanley Cup. For others, like Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu, it’s about the quiet consistency of showing up for your teammates as he continued attending optional offseason practices to mentor young players.

Leaders aren’t always team captains or rank atop an organizational chart, but building leadership skills is essential to giving your career upside in the sports industry. Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Casey Katofsky, co-owner of three minor league teams (Northern Colorado Owlz, Northern Colorado Hailstorm, and the Grand Junction Jackalopes).

Katofsky is also the Executive Director of Operations for the newly opened Future Legends Sports Complex, a 118-acre sports complex with a professional stadium, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor bubble sports arena, lodging, and retail in Windsor, Colorado, that is set to become a mecca for sports tournaments (and the commerce that follows it). He talks with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp about:

• How to become a leader regardless of your role in an organization
• How he built his leadership skills
• The role of influential MLB players such as Ryan Spilborghs, Torii Hunter, and Carlos Gonzalez in making the Future Legends Sports Complex a reality
• What traits he looks for when deciding whom to hire on his staff

Content creation is a growing profession, as 30% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 40% of 25- to 34-year-olds consider themselves content creators. The social media/digital influencer industry closed 2022 valued at $16.4 billion. On the one hand, creating content on your own is easier than ever. Still, on the other, the explosion of social media’s popularity in the past two decades developed a noisy space that can be difficult to stand out in.

While still serving as leaders in sports content creation, legacy entities such as Fox Sports and ESPN are always changing with the market to find new ways to connect with sports fans. Over-the-air studio shows are produced with a mind for generating soundbites tailor-made for spreading throughout social media and keeping fans glued to their websites.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Fox Sports Digital Sr. VP Michael Bucklin. Bucklin landed a job with ESPN shortly after graduating from the University of Georgia in 2006 and spent 10 years in Bristol, Connecticut, becoming a senior manager (and eventually producer) for social production in 2013 before joining Fox Sports in 2016. He and WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How ESPN began integrating social media into its strategy in 2006

• Why he moved to Fox Sports

• How he measures success with Fox Sports’ digital content

• What the career path looks like for sports content jobs today

• What he looks for when hiring his staff

Catch Bucklin’s perspective by listening to the full episode, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. In addition, you can view additional content on our YouTube channel!

There are many directions you can take a career in sports management, but those options can be overwhelming when deciding where your passion lies in the industry. That is the case for Nasheen in Minnesota, who is looking for career clarity from the WorkInSports Podcast:

WorkInSports is all about making your passion your career. Not every aspect of the sports business will appeal to you, and that’s okay. One effective method Brian has found is to conduct a self-analysis of your traits and look at career options that are a natural fit. For Brian, those traits are extroversion and being comfortable speaking to people, and he ended up working as a sports TV producer (and now hosts this podcast!). Since loving sports is why you listen to the podcast and visit WorkInSports, see if your qualities and interests align with categories such as:

• Coaching
• Fitness/Recreation
• Sales/Business Development
• Media/Creative
• Marketing/Communications
• Technology/Data Analysis

Someone extroverted may be more inclined towards sports jobs in sales or communications, while an introverted type can find their niche in data analysis.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how to find a job in sports that’s right for you. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can catch additional content on our YouTube channel.

Emerging sports outside the big four of football, basketball, baseball, and hockey can face an uphill climb in gaining participants and a fan base. Leagues such as Fan Controlled Football and the World Surf League must get creative to find their niche among sports fans in a market saturated with options.

However, when a sport catches on, it can grow rapidly. That’s the case with pickleball, which entered 2023 enjoying a three-year stretch as America’s fastest-growing sport. A 2022 survey by the Association of Pickleball Professionals estimates that there are 36.5 million pickleball players in the US, making it the third-most popular sport/activity in the country behind only biking and running and ahead of established stalwarts like basketball, baseball, and soccer. Moreover, the sport is popular across age brackets and even has a multi-year distribution deal with streaming giant Amazon Prime, which will broadcast four tournaments per year.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, USA Pickleball Director of Communications and Content Melissa Zhang, joined the organization in late 2022 and is channeling the sport’s explosive growth in popularity. Zhang specialized in growing Olympic sports through her time with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (stints in 2018– 19 and 2020– 21) and USA Handball (2019– 21). She also spent a year doing internal communications with PointsBet (2022) during its growth period after sports betting became legal in more states. On today’s episode, Zhang and WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Zhang got into the sports industry as a political science/psychology double major at UCLA

• How she approaches USA Pickleball’s content strategy to continue the sport’s growth

• How she has grown as a leader in her Director role

• How aspiring sports professionals can forge their path in the sports industry

Enjoy the full episode for all of Zhang’s sports career advice, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to catch every episode when it gets published. You can also check out additional content on our YouTube channel!

Every spring, millions of college students don their cap and gown, sit through keynote speeches, and grab a piece of paper that says they graduated from college. After that triumphant moment, the reality of finding a job hits. Since this process can take a long time (an average of 22.1 weeks in 2022), today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast is dedicated entirely to how to find a job out of college in the sports industry.

Until you have an entry-level sports job, finding one IS your job. Assuming you secured at least one internship (hopefully multiple) as an undergrad, you should have enough relevant material for a well-tailored resume that will clear an organization’s applicant tracking system. Here’s what treating your search as your job looks like:

• Set time aside throughout the workweek for job search-related activities (browsing job boards, refining your resume, submitting applications, preparing for interviews, etc.)
• Establish goals and metrics for applications, informational interviews, skill building, and industry research
• Develop a 30-second elevator pitch for yourself that sells you to potential employers
• Clean up your social media accounts to ensure you are presenting yourself professionally

The time you spend gaining experience and making connections through internships or volunteer work can help you find that first job if you nurture them. It is never too late to reconnect, even if you have lost touch with some of your former colleagues/peers. As long as you don’t treat the relationship as transactional, your network is a great source for job leads and referrals.

Are you willing to relocate? What are your salary expectations? Where do you want to work if you had the choice? Answering these questions will narrow your search so you aren’t spraying and praying your resume to organizations that aren’t a good fit, and help guide you when you reach the interview stage.

Championship sporting events are a huge draw, with the Super Bowl regularly drawing 70,000 fans, the 2022 World Series averaging over 43,000 fans, and the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals averaging 18,000 fans in their respective six-game series. Naturally, these fans spend big money to get a seat, with the average Super Bowl LVII ticket costing $8,000. When paying those prices, fans expect an experience of a lifetime, and that’s where today’s WorkInSports Podcast guest comes in.

Claire Lessinger is the Vice President of Events for the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, where she has worked since 2012. In that time, the city of Tampa Bay has hosted the following professional sporting events:

• Super Bowl LV (won by the host Buccaneers)
• 3 Stanley Cup Finals (2022 won by the Lightning)
• 4 MLB Playoff Appearances by the Rays (who made the 2020 World Series that was played in Texas due to COVID)

Lessinger played a major role in bringing Super Bowl LV to Tampa Bay, serving as Chief Operating Officer for the Super Bowl LV Committee. In addition to her duties with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, she is President of the Tampa Bay chapter of Women In Sports & Events (WISE). She talks with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp about:

• How her time as a student-athlete at Florida prepared her for the professional world
• What she learned about the sports business from her tenure as USF’s volleyball coach
• How she transitioned out of coaching into the Tampa Bay Sports Commission
• What goes into putting together a compelling bid for the Super Bowl
• Why it’s important to pay it forward to women in sports in organizations such as WISE
• What sports career advice she has for people trying to get established or move up in the industry

Enjoy the full episode to learn from Claire’s depth of experience, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content can be found on our YouTube channel.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the way people work has dramatically shifted, with companies increasingly offering some form of work-from-home jobs. While the sports industry is somewhat insulated from this trend, given the need to be present at events, remote sports jobs are available. Jared in Portland, Oregon, has enjoyed the shift to remote work and is looking for advice on finding work-from-home sports jobs from the WorkInSports Podcast:

According to a Stanford study, 13% of full-time employees had fully remote work-from-home jobs in January 2023. As of May 8, 497 (2.3%) of the 22,000 openings on WorkInSports were completely remote sports jobs nationwide, indicating an uphill climb in obtaining one compared to other industries.

Bear in mind that most full-time roles in the sports industry require an on-site presence. However, organizations are increasingly allowing a hybrid setup to offer flexibility and recruit talent.

Listen to the full episode to learn how to find remote sports jobs, and subscribe for more sports career advice from the WorkInSports Podcast. You can find additional content on our YouTube Channel!

Sales is the engine that drives every business. The amount of money coming in must clear what’s going out, or an organization won’t last long. Sales acumen is, therefore, a valuable skill that potentially provides a fast track to career advancement and high income in the sports industry.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Cherie Cohen, Chief Revenue Officer for the World Surf League (WSL). Cohen established herself managing marketing and media campaigns after graduating from Rutgers, and later seamlessly transitioned into sales roles in the TV industry. She picked up her first in a series of sports sales jobs with ESPN in 2004, a company she spent nine years with, and eventually rose to VP of Multimedia Sales. After a six-year stint with NBCUniversal Media, where she climbed to Senior VP of Portfolio Sales and Client Partnerships, Cohen moved on to the WSL in 2019. She oversees global brand partnerships, media sales, and ticket sales for the WSL and speaks with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp about:

• Why sports sales jobs appealed to her

• The cultural differences she observes between surfing and other sports

• How important green sports initiatives and sustainability are to their business model

• How the WSL got surfing into the 2024 Olympics

• Why college students looking to work in sports should consider sales

Enjoy the full episode to hear how lucrative sports sales jobs can be for the right candidate. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also access additional content on our YouTube channel!

Sports internships are among the best ways to gain experience, connections, and skills as you build your career. In addition to providing an excellent training ground for you to apply your abilities, they also offer organic opportunities to build a network that can help you get a job. Getting varied experiences through multiple sports internships is one thing; taking advantage of the opportunities they present is another.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Alana Meraz, MLB International Partnership Activation Coordinator. Meraz graduated from Arizona State University in 2019 with a Business Sports and Media degree. Meraz’s proactive embrace of sports internships and building her network played a big role in getting her a job in MLB within three years of earning her degree.

With only four prominent leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) comprising around 30 teams each, jobs in professional sports are highly competitive and, therefore, notoriously difficult to obtain. From 2017-20, Meraz took five internships to establish herself and form a community of professional advocates. Those experiences included:

• Phoenix Rising (Community Relations/Sponsorship Activation Intern)

• Arizona State Athletics (Game Day Intern)

• Arizona Public Services (Events Intern)

• Sports as a Job (Social Media Marketing Intern)

• ISL (Sponsorship and Tours Coordinator)

Additionally, Meraz spent a year as a part-time game operations assistant with the Arizona Diamondbacks. While the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 provided an obstacle to getting her career started in earnest due to canceled events, she founded Latinx in Sports to build a community of professionals looking to break into the industry, which she still runs today. Her efforts landed her a Fan Experience Coordinator position with the US Soccer Federation in 2021, and she has been with MLB since 2022. On today’s episode, Meraz and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Meraz’s sports internships set her up to get where she is now

• What her day-to-day role as International Partnership Activation Coordinator consists of

• Why Meraz founded Latinx in Sport

• How important networking was for Meraz’s career growth

• What sports career advice she has for aspiring professionals looking to enter the industry

Enjoy the full episode to learn how to get a job in professional sports. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube Channel!

Regardless of what field you work in, job interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience. That nervousness can strike any candidate no matter how qualified they may be since they only get one chance to make a first impression with a hiring manager. Morgan from Miami is dealing with some job interview nerves and has these questions for the WorkInSports Podcast:

Morgan froze up at one of the most common job interview questions that hiring managers ask. Confidence is key to easing the tension in an interview setting, but interviewers will see through bravado quickly if there is nothing to back it up. One of the best ways to gain that confidence is by researching the company.

When a hiring manager asks, "Why do you want to work here," they are finding out if you have taken the time to learn about them. Forty-seven percent of employers would reject candidates who knew little about the company. So don't skip this crucial step in your preparation. Here's what your research should include:

• Their social media presence (how they brand themselves externally)
• Their business model (how they make money)
• Their competitors (who the big players in their industry are)
• Their history (newsworthy accomplishments over the years)
• Their culture (what it's like working there)

The college athletics landscape has changed significantly since 2021, when the NCAA approved legislation allowing student-athletes to profit from their name,image, and likeness (NIL). That legislation opened revenue streams for student-athletes and sponsorship/branding opportunities for companies looking to invest in this space, including professional sports teams.

With college athletic departments offering anywhere from 14 to over 30 sports, hundreds of athletes per school are eligible to earn money off their NIL rights. Overseeing NIL is a growing part of working in college sports, as keeping track of such a high level of potential sponsorship requires organization and personnel.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Jamaal Walton, University of Washington Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sport Administration and Strategic Initiatives. Walton joined the Huskies’ athletic department in 2021, when NIL legislation was passed, and now oversees its implementation for UW’s student-athletes. He and WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Walton’s time as class president and football team captain at Virginia Military Institute built the foundation for his career.

• What Walton expected NIL to affect in college sports when it was passed and what the reality of the legislation has been.

• How Walton moved around the country to move up into his position at UW.

• What advice Walton has for someone trying to get into the sports industry.

Enjoy the full episode to learn of Walton’s experience climbing the ladder while working in college sports. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

Making good money in the sports industry early in your career can be challenging, given the typically high volume of applicants for each open position. Another challenge for job seekers is a lack of comfort in negotiating salary, which can lead to you earning less than you otherwise could have.

On today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discusses salary negotiation. For job seekers and employees who don’t know how to negotiate salary, here are seven mistakes to avoid:

1. Accepting the first offer: Bypassing salary negotiation entirely potentially starts you off at a below-market wage. According to a 2022 Fidelity study, 85% of people who countered an offer got at least some of what they asked for.

2. Revealing how much you would accept: Try to keep your minimum acceptable salary to yourself. If asked to provide your salary requirement on the application, leave the answer blank or state it’s negotiable based on the total compensation package.

3. Ignoring data: Whether you are countering an offer or asking for a raise, you must know what your job is worth on the market to gauge what to ask for (iHire’s Salary Research Tool can help).

4. Picking a bad time: Knowing when to negotiate salary is as important as knowing how. For a new position, you should wait until you get the official offer before countering. If you are seeking a raise, don’t bring it up if the company isn’t performing well, they laid people off, or you missed performance goals.

5. Blindsiding your supervisor: Salary negotiation is best done in person and with some advance notice. Avoid emailing your supervisor out of the blue to start a negotiation and opt instead to set up a meeting in person (or on camera if working remotely) to broach the topic.

6. Letting emotions/personal feelings take over: Discuss why you should make more based on market factors and your skills/accomplishments, not individual issues such as financial hardship or believing it’s “your turn” to get a raise.

7. Not considering other factors: If your request for a raise or higher offer is rejected, consider other benefits that can satisfy you (more PTO, flexible hours, remote/hybrid work, title change, etc.).

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to gain more confidence negotiating salary. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube Channel!

Getting the right experience early in your sports industry career is critical to establishing yourself to future employers, and minor league sports is one of the best places to do so. Minor league organizations run on lean staffs and budgets but are expected to put on a major-league quality sporting event regardless. Those expectations lead to staff members wearing many hats and fulfilling various roles (ticket sales, marketing, fan engagement, media relations, and broadcasting) throughout each season. That versatile experience is why minor league sports should be part of everyone’s sports internship strategy.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Greg Kigar, Lansing Lugnuts’ Assistant General Manager for Stadium Events and Operations. Kigar has spent nearly three decades working in minor league and college sports and has also taught aspiring sports professionals as an adjunct professor. Throughout his career managing stadiums and facilities, he has supervised hundreds of workers at countless sporting events and observed the traits of those who reach their career goals and those who fizzle out of the industry early. He and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• What a typical game night looks like in Minor League Baseball stadium operations

• How Kigar identifies and develops talent for minor league sports jobs

• How MiLB helps MLB evolve, and how else baseball can modernize itself

Enjoy the full episode to learn more about Kigar’s experiences and who he looks for when hiring his staff each season. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and check out more content on our YouTube channel!

Sporting events are magical affairs that can spark a lifelong love of sports. Over 125 million fans attended games in the four US professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL) during the 2022-23 season(s). College football stadiums routinely pack 100,000 fans on gameday, while traditional college basketball powers such as Duke and Kentucky frequently fill out their 15,000-20,000 seat arenas. Television coverage allows fans to engage with their favorite teams and sports, with the 2023 Women’s Final Four averaging 4.5 million viewers per game.

While fans show up and tune in to see a spectacle, countless workers toil behind the scenes to put it all together. Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Stephanie Davis, University of Minnesota’s Associate AD for Event Management, who oversees all aspects of game day for the Golden Gophers. Davis and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• Davis’s early career in sports as an equipment manager at Florida

• How she juggled her time between her work and pursuing her master’s

• The hours and demands of event management workers

• How to build a career in sports event management

Enjoy the full episode to learn the ins and outs of working in event management, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to catch more sports career advice. You can find additional content on our YouTube Channel!

One of the allures of pursuing careers in sports is the uniqueness and unpredictability of the day-to-day work within the industry. Between popular events, a variety of roles that bleed over into other departments, and recognizable athletes bringing recognition to the organization/sport, no two days are ever the same.

WorkInSportshas helped aspiring sports professionals make their passion their career since 2000. Today’s guests on the WorkInSports Podcast, WorkingNation’s Joan Lynch and Melissa Panzer, are showing what that looks like in their “How to Make Money Doing What You Love” series. Lynch, a former Vice President and Executive Producer at ESPN, serves as Chief Content and Programming Officer at WorkingNation. Panzer is an Executive Producer for WorkingNation who also spent time creating content for ESPN. In this episode, the two talk about the future of work in the sports industry with Brian Clapp, with topics including:

• The inspiration behind the “How to Make Money Doing What You Love” series
• Whether the sports industry is facing a crisis in the way it operates
• How the sports world has changed for employees and what the future of work holds in the industry

Listen to the entire episode for Lynch and Panzer’s perspectives from their experience at WorkingNation. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more advice on careers in sports, and check out additional content on our YouTube channel!

Bad company culture can ruin even the most exciting job in the sports industry. The most common reason workers gave for leaving their positions in the past year was being unhappy with their manager/supervisor, who are main drivers of employee experience in company culture. So how do you determine if a company will fit you well? That’s what Joanna in Seattle wants to know from the WorkInSports Podcast:

How to Find a Company With a Good Culture

Before determining if a company is a good fit for you, you must look inward. That involves examining your values at work and analyzing potential employers to see if they match with what you find important.

Once you have a concrete set of traits important to you in a work environment, it’s time to research. If you apply for a job, potential employers will find as much as they can about you online. You should do the same for them. Here are a few places? to learn more about a company before you work for them:

• Your Network: Find people who work or have worked for an organization and ask about their experience.

• Google: Dive into a company’s online profile (e.g., its website, news reports, its leadership staff, and employee review sites).

• Social Media: Look for their social media accounts and analyze how they interact with the public.

• Interviews: If you secure an interview, use the opportunity to inquire about their company culture.

Enjoy the full episode for detailed tips on how to find a company with a good culture. For more sports career advice, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast. You can find additional content on our YouTube channel!

Your resume is a living document that provides potential employers with a snapshot of what you bring to the table. It needs to be constantly tweaked to reflect your most up-to-date skills and experience, tailored to the job you are applying for, and demonstrate the impact you have made at each organization you have been with. So how long should it be, and how do you choose what stays and what goes? That’s what Hannah from the University of Missouri-St. Louis wants to know from the WorkInSports Podcast:

While keeping your resume to one page is a good rule of thumb, your resume length can vary depending on your experience and how relevant the information you put in the document is to the job you are applying for. That said, if you are looking to condense your resume, here are 10 things worth dropping entirely for length or other considerations:

1. Objective Statements and Introductions

An objective statement is a waste of space. If you are applying for a job, it’s assumed that you want it. Replace this with a summary paragraph that explains the skills and qualities you bring to the table.

2. Older Jobs With no Relevance

Employers want to see what you have been doing recently and how that ties into your desired job with them. Therefore, if there is a relevant accomplishment from a long ago position, you may leave it in (or weave it into your summary paragraph). This can also protect you from age bias.

3. Graduation Year

This won’t save you a ton of space, but it’s another way to avoid age discrimination if you obtained your degree more than 5-10 years ago.

4. Unprofessional Email Address

Again, not a space saver, but a consideration. A provocative or unprofessional email address allows employers to eliminate your resume from the pile quickly.

5. Multiple Phone Numbers

This may be less of an issue as personal home landlines are nearly extinct, but if you have multiple phones for whatever reason, pick one number and stick to it so you don’t confuse employers.

6. Irrelevant Personal Information

Your resume should only include information that tells employers how to contact you and why you are fit for the job. While volunteer information may have a place in your document, hobbies and personal interests don’t.

7. Headshot

Including a headshot within your resume can be hard to read for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and open you up to possible discrimination. Employers will get a look at you if they are interested in interviewing. You don’t

Sports internships are the gateway to getting your foot in the door in the sports industry, and the more of them you secure, the better your career prospects will be upon graduation. The WorkInSports Podcast host Brian Clapp spoke at a few college classes and got this insightful question from Matthias at the University of Missouri-St. Louis:

How to Have a Successful Internship

An internship is an opportunity to grow into the professional you want to be while learning what position you want to have. However, regardless of what career path you want to pursue, some universal behaviors will benefit your experience and reputation, and others will harm it.

Do: Show Curiosity

Internships are an extension of your classwork; therefore, you are there to learn. Curiosity will serve you well and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job if a permanent position opens up while you are there. Take advantage of your time with the people doing the job you are learning to do and ask questions.

Regardless of how much you know, you can always learn more. However, coming off like you know everything is not endearing and risks making your peers see you as arrogant and unwilling to grow.

You are going to wear a lot of hats in sports internships. Being proactive in doing tasks (and finding others) will put you in a good position for a possible referral and allow you to build your skills.

Even if your assigned work isn't glamorous, it must be done to keep the office running smoothly. Acting like you are too good to do something your intern supervisor assigns is a fast way to face an early exit from your opportunity and build a bad reputation when pursuing more sports internships (or jobs) in the future.

Enjoy the full episode to learn how to have a successful internship and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel!

Becoming a preferred candidate for any sports organization requires a mix of hard technical skills and soft skills, but which skills are valued most by employers? That’s what Stephon in Dallas wants to know from the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hey Brian – I read an article recently that included a quote from a recruiter at Google saying that self-awareness and emotional intelligence is the number one things she looks for when hiring. BUT, they didn’t explain why or how to convey this soft skill. Any ideas? Thanks, you’re the best, and I trust you more than googling.”

A study by Leadership IQ revealed that 89% of failed hires are due to attitude rather than a lack of technical skills. The biggest culprits of attitude problems were coachability (26%) and emotional intelligence (23%). People who are taught emotional intelligence and self-awareness have a better ability to reflect on their leadership skills and build a stronger sense of teamwork.

Self-awareness is one of the most valuable soft skills at work and is the ability to be conscious of your strengths, weaknesses, actions, and presence. In addition, it requires a degree of vulnerability to help connect you to your co-workers, such as a willingness to admit mistakes (and learn from them).

Hiring managers dig for self-awareness with behavioral interview questions, such as:

• Tell me about a time you tried to do something and failed.

• How have you responded to negative feedback from your boss?

• What do co-workers find rewarding about working with you?

• Have you ever needed to ask for help on a project?

Here are a few ways to incorporate to handle these kinds of questions:

• Be open about your weaknesses

• Balance information about your strengths by discussing where you can improve

• Explain clear plans for how you intend to improve

Listen to the full WorkInSports Podcast episode for an in-depth look at showing self-awareness in an interview, and subscribe for more sports career advice. You can view additional content on our YouTube Channel!

Job applications are time-consuming, but you must do additional work after you click submit to improve your chances of landing a job. Phil in Atlanta is tired of playing the waiting game on his applications and is looking for guidance from the WorkInSports Podcast:

"Hey Brian – I'm a senior in college, which means I am actively looking to break into the industry. Reading the news is tough – layoffs, ghosting, inflation – it can make you feel pretty bleak. Your podcast has been a lift. You've provided a ton of great advice that has given me a plan I can execute on. But, I'll admit, applying for jobs and then just waiting for a response has not put me in a good headspace. I'm constantly worrying. Anything I can be doing right now to be more proactive?"

Why Following Up Is Important

Unless a job posting specifically says not to follow up on an application, the door is open to reach out. While it is easier to play the waiting game and hope you hear back from the hiring manager, there are a few compelling reasons to follow up and take matters into your own hands:

1. It confirms that they received your materials

2. It shows your genuine interest in the job

3. It keeps your name at the top of the hiring manager's mind

4. It provides you with a status update on your application

How to Follow Up on an Application

Before following up on your application, you need to figure out the right strategy for touching base with a potential employer. When should you follow up? Are you going to send an email or make a phone call? What are you going to say?

A good rule of thumb is to wait a week before following up on your application and don't do so more than once a week. Whether you follow up via email or phone, remember that your objective is not to force your way into a formal interview on the spot, but to get an update on the search process. With that in mind, here are questions you should ask in your follow-up emails or phone calls:

• What is the time frame for filling the position?

• Are interviews currently being scheduled?

• Do they need additional information for your application?

Listen to the full episode to learn a template for follow-up emails and phone calls to help with your job application. Also, subscribe to the podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube Channel.

There are many career options within the sports industry. You can choose to work in a myriad of departments, like sales, marketing, and broadcasting, to name a few. There are also many levels within the field, such as professional (major and minor league), college, high school, and youth/club sports. Finally, you need to find the sport you’re most passionate about to build your career around.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast found hockey to be his calling. Mike Snee is the Executive Director of College Hockey Inc, a marketing and promotions arm for NCAA Division I men’s hockey. Growing up in a hockey-hotbed state like Minnesota, Snee graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 1991 amid his hometown Minnesota North Stars making an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, he saw how quickly things could change in pro sports as the North Stars moved to Dallas two years later.

When NHL hockey returned to Minnesota a few years later, Snee joined the Wild in 1998, a year before their inaugural season, as Director of Corporate Sales. He moved on to amateur hockey in 2008, serving as Minnesota Hockey’s Executive Director before joining College Hockey Inc in 2012. On today’s episode, Snee and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• What challenges he faced getting a new pro franchise off the ground

• What drew him to transition to hockey’s amateur levels

• What advice he has for young sports professionals looking to find their fit in the industry

Enjoy the full episode, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also catch additional content on our YouTube Channel!

Putting together a compelling resume is hard work, especially if you are following best practices like customizing your resume for each application after analyzing a job description. A good resume includes a mix of the hard skills you possess that align with the technical aspects of the job, and soft skills that reflect the kind of worker you will be on a day-to-day basis. Those soft skills are the topic of Jameel’s question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hey Brian – I’m a college junior and a big fan of the show. I’ve been listening since my freshman year and have learned a ton from you. I’m a true super user, subscribed on YouTube, download every podcast episode, follow every social media channel AND I’m a member of WorkinSports.com. You’re my guy.

"I've got a question for you – my professors keep talking about showing off your soft skills, but I’m not sure I know how to do that. Can you explain? I feel like you explain things better than some of my profs.”

How to Show Soft Skills

As mentioned above, hard skills are the tangible abilities you have to do the job you are applying for. Showcasing those skills is pretty straightforward. If you want to be a graphic designer, you need to be proficient in Photoshop. Someone working in public relations needs to know how to write a press release. A business operations manager needs to know budgeting and finance.

Soft skills, such as communication, leadership, and organization, are the traits that display how you work and learn. Since they are more nuanced skills, promoting them in a resume can be trickier than hard skills.

Showcasing soft skills effectively requires checking job descriptions for what a company is searching for. If the description says they are looking for someone who can handle multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment, you need to showcase your ability to do so with a bullet in your resume (Ex: Published five time-sensitive articles within deadline per week).

Your cover letter is an important place to elaborate on your soft skills as well?. If you were a student-athlete in college, you can go into detail showcasing your time management skills (Ex: I maintained a 3.5 GPA while juggling a rigorous practice/competitive schedule), or you can expand on how you’ve learned the value of teamwork from literally being on a team. Make sure the cover letter doesn’t simply regurgitate your resume in paragraph form; it is another chance to sell yourself as the type of person an organization needs to hire.

Learn more about soft skills by listening to the full podcast episode. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can access additional content on our YouTube channel.

Sports social media content is the lifeblood of teams and organizations in today’s digital landscape. Social media is where the next generation of supporters are, as 43% of Gen Z fans use social media platforms while watching sports. Creating digestible content that captures attention is critical in a competitive online space. This content is about generating hype for events, athletes, teams, franchises, and even the sport itself to create lifelong fans and brand advocates.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Dylan “Mamba” Smith, NASCAR Chief Hype Officer. Born in Haiti, Smith moved to the US as a child and grew up in Vermont, where he gravitated toward motorsports. He began as a mechanic in Rev Racing’s K&N Pro Series and continued working on race cars with different groups until landing a marketing and public relations specialist job with MDM Motorsports in 2017. He founded his own company, Mamba Media, in 2020 and secured his current position with NASCAR in 2021.

Smith joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss:

• The impact of Rev Racing’s Drive for Diversity (D4D) team in helping him launch his career in motorsports

• How he made an impression with NASCAR to earn his role as Chief Hype Officer

• What a typical race weekend looks like from his job’s perspective

Catch Smith’s entire perspective by listening to the full episode. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additionally, you can find more content on our YouTube channel!

Sports broadcasting is one of the most popular (and competitive) aspirations for people looking to work in the sports industry. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, broadcasting/journalism degrees were the seventh- most common degrees awarded in 2018–19, with the career path expected to grow 6% this decade.

While the expansion of sports betting media and teams creating more content themselves means more opportunities to thrive in the field, traditional play-by-play gigs at live events remain highly coveted and just as difficult to obtain at the highest level of professional sports. Generally, becoming a successful sports broadcaster involves calling games for high school or college sports part-time while working a full-time job elsewhere to pay the bills as you refine your craft and work your way up.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, Everett Fitzhugh, climbed that mountain and is currently excelling as a radio play-by-play announcer for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. Fitzhugh began honing his on-air chops as a student at Bowling Green State University, where he regularly called the Falcons’ hockey games on the radio. However, his road to an NHL broadcasting booth took a detour when he stepped away from calling games and spent two seasons as the USHL’s Manager of Communications.

In 2014, Fitzhugh combined the two jobs with the Youngstown Phantoms, where he served as the club’s Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting. A year later, he broke into professional hockey in a similar role with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, where he spent five years broadcasting games and executing the team’s PR strategy. Next, he joined the Kraken before their inaugural 2021–22 season, becoming the first Black full-time team play-by-play announcer in NHL history. He joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss:

• Where his enthusiasm for broadcasting the sport of hockey came from

• How stepping into media relations helped him on his path to the NHL

• Creating space in the NHL for minorities to thrive

• What advice he has for aspiring sports broadcasters looking to create their break

Enjoy the full episode to catch Everett Fitzhugh’s sports broadcasting journey. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel.

To find a job in the sports industry, you need to gain experience in the form of internships, and volunteering before you earn your degree. Today’s question for the WorkInSports Podcast addresses this topic:

“Is it better while in college to get a lot of different types of experience or specific experiences?”

Getting multiple sports internships is one of the most effective actions you can take to start your career on the right path. It is okay if you don’t have a specific idea of where to focus your attention within the sports industry when you are a first- or second-year student, and taking a wide view of the industry can be useful. The first couple years of your undergraduate are the best time to figure out what specific career path is right for you, so pursue any internship or volunteer opportunity you can find that is somewhat related to the sports industry. If the experience doesn’t resonate, you still have plenty of time to find something that better fits your skills and interests.

If you go into these career opportunities with an open mind, you should better understand where to focus your efforts by the time you are a junior or senior.

When thinking about the history of the struggle for racial equality in America, prominent individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass often come to mind. However, sports have also been a vehicle to driving American society forward, with key moments including Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Muhammad Ali refusing to go to war in Vietnam, and Tommie Smith flashing the Black Power fist at the 1968 Olympics.

These acts were met with vitriol at the time, but these athletes made their mark on and off the field by pushing society forward. When Colin Kaepernick began kneeling instead of standing for the national anthem to open a dialogue about Black people and policing in America in 2016, it also angered a significant portion of the NFL fanbase and franchise owners. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since then, despite being 29 at the time, never officially retiring, and having made a Super Bowl appearance as a starting quarterback. Before Kaepernick, former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf similarly sat for the national anthem as a silent protest for his religious beliefs. He was also met with derision and left the league two years later at age 28.

On today’s WorkInSports Podcast, we examine the societal impact of Black athletes throughout American history to contextualize today’s climate of athlete activism. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp speaks with Dr. Shaun Anderson, Associate Professor of Organizational Communication at Loyola Marymount and author of The Black Athlete Revolt. The two discuss:

• Sports’ role as a catalyst for bringing societal issues to light

• The history of athletes, particularly Black athletes, using their voice to drive societal change and why that movement stopped in the 80s and early 90s

• The price Black athletes like Abdul-Rauf and Kaepernick pay for speaking out

• The effectiveness of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in what specifically?

Enjoy the full episode for an enlightening perspective on the impact of Black athletes on society. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and check out our YouTube channel for additional content!

Applying for a job is a competitive process, and candidates always look for that extra 1-2% to help them stand out to a prospective employer. Networking is frequently that added boost for candidates, but it can be intimidating to get started. That's where Maggie's question to the WorkInSports Podcast comes in:

Networking is all about building relationships. To do so successfully, you need to establish common ground. Most of this is done organically through building up experience and meeting people throughout your day-to-day activities.

As for networking after you apply, it is a good idea to be proactive with hiring managers. Showing an interest in the specific job within an organization is a welcome sign for employers that you are more than just a fan and have the enthusiasm to fill the role they are hiring. Here's the strategy for reaching out effectively after you finish applying for a job:

• Reach out on LinkedIn (and add a note, not just a connection request)

• Choose someone at the beginning of their career as they are frequently more available to have these conversations

• Show appreciation for their time

Other ways to network intentionally include:

• Pick workers in departments you are interested in

• Only request a chat, not a referral or a connection to someone else

• Choose one person from the organization, not the whole staff/department

Learn how to build a network that works for you by listening to the full episode, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel.

The late 2000s were a tumultuous time to work for newspapers. Around 2007, social media companies like Facebook and Twitter began establishing a foothold on the internet and upended how legacy media companies operated. Reliant on subscriptions and advertising while facing strict deadlines to submit a final copy to print, newspapers worked under tighter constraints than the new kids on the (digital) block. Important events could happen and be revealed instantly on social media after a paper’s printing deadline, meaning the news was already old by the time the paper arrived at your front porch.

Due to a combination of these new social media companies’ quick rise to prominence and an audience consuming their news online instead of on paper, print circulation and newspaper staffing plummeted nationwide, with several local newspapers closing shop forever. Between 2008 and 2020, newsroom employment dropped 26%. In addition to having more resources to start with, the papers that survived found success by leaning into digital content creation and meeting their audience where they are on social media.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press Sports Editor. A Detroit native, Crawford is a local success story who broke into the industry as the Free Press’ Web Producer in 2006, right as the shift away from print media began. He has seen the digital evolution of sports journalism and spearheads the Detroit paper of record’s sports content strategy. He and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• The value of the Detroit Free Press apprentice program that got his foot in the door in high school.

• The rarity of finding a sports job in your hometown and advancing while staying with the same company.

• What responsibilities modern journalists have in the digital age.

• How today’s sports journalism students can succeed in the industry.

Enjoy the full episode for Crawford’s complete perspective on modern sports journalism. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and enjoy additional content on our YouTube channel!

Layoffs happen in every industry. While the sports industry is generally more stable for employment once you have your foot in the door, it is not completely immune from downsizing staff. That's the topic of today's anonymous listener question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

"Hey Brian, I'd appreciate it if you don't say my name since this is kind of a sensitive question. I work for a pro sports team in an entry-level position, I absolutely love it. I am really worried about layoffs. Do you think layoffs are coming to the sports industry, and if so, what should I be doing to avoid or prepare for the worst?"

Mass layoffs made headlines at the end of 2022, and continued going into 2023 as massive tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Salesforce all significantly reduced staff. These companies partner with sports teams and leagues with their advertising dollars, so smaller budgets from them mean less money funneling into the organizations, which affects the bottom line and can lead to staffing cuts.

It is understandable to be worried about being laid off, but worrying alone isn't going to help you if it happens. If you want to take matters into your own hands, following these two tips will help:

1. Add Responsibilities: Learn new skills and offer more to help in your current role

2. Advocate for Yourself: Show your value, be a good teammate, and be someone people like working with

Enjoy the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for ways to protect yourself from being laid off. Also, subscribe to the podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel.

Your resume is the first impression a hiring manager gets of you and what they can expect if they bring you into their organization. So how do you craft a sports resume that make you a winning candidate? That’s what Neil in Boston wants to know from the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hey Brian, I’m a 25-year-old who really loves your show. I graduated with a finance degree a couple of years back and really am not happy in my career. I want to change to a sports career, and I’m putting together my plan to get there. My question is, is a sports resume different from a traditional business resume?”

How to Write a Good Resume

When it comes to sports resumes, here's what matters to hiring managers (in order of importance):

• Skills

• Experience (which ties into skills)

• Education

So how do you determine which skills you need for your sports resume? Check job descriptions of the positions you are interested in. Doing so will provide a roadmap to what the job requires and how your skills stack up. Here are some more resume writing tips to get you started:

1. Highlight your student-athlete experience (if applicable): the sport, years played, and accomplishments

2. Include valued soft skills (with examples from your experience) such as teamwork, competitive, coachable, and loyal

3. Use statistics: social media engagement rates, sales revenue, performance metrics, etc.

4. Show how you solved a challenge with your actions

5. Make different resumes based on the types of positions you are applying for

6. Tell a compelling story with your resume that showcases your personality

7. Have a resume that clears the Applicant Tracking System and another for showing employers at the interview

When you look at the rising values of sports franchises, the lucrative TV contracts that teams and leagues are signing, and the explosive growth in supporting sectors such as sports gambling, it’s easy to see the increased consumer demand for sports. That demand also means more opportunities in the sports industry, and makes a sports management degree attractive for college students aspiring to enter the field. So what sports management jobs are out there today?

How to Get a Job in Sports Management

A degree in sports management can help you get established in the industry, but it isn’t a requirement. Gaining real-world experience while in college holds more weight on your resume than a single line detailing your major. When VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp speaks at college classrooms about this topic, students generally picture these sports management jobs:

• Sports agent

• General Manager

• Athletic Director

• Social Media Manager

All those titles are high-visibility roles that directly relate to the success of teams, athletic departments, athletes, and brands. Each of these roles is competitive, and it can take a long time to rise to that level.

How do you figure out what area of the industry is the right fit for you? Researching people who hold the roles that you hope to attain is helpful. For example, you can find a college Athletic Director’s online profile and look at their path and how long it took for them to reach their position. One additional step that can give you a leg up while in college is to check out the entry-level positions (frequently listed as coordinator or assistant) in a part of the industry that interests you and read the job descriptions, so you know exactly what skills and experience you need to stand out when you are starting your job search.

Pushing through discomfort and finding success is a trait of the best workers in every field, including the sports industry. At the beginning of his career, WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp worked as a producer with CNN/Sports Illustrated. As an avid sports fan, Clapp possessed a deep knowledge of nearly every sport — but NASCAR was a blind spot.

When covering NASCAR at CNN, Clapp relied on producers and anchors who were more knowledgeable about the sport. This served him well enough until NASCAR hero Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s fatal crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. Instead of outsourcing a part of an hour-long program’s content to others, NASCAR became THE story of the day from the higher-ups at CNN. With nowhere to hide, Brian and his team leaned into the story and met the moment with informative content.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Amy Anderson, NASCAR Head of Content Strategy. Anderson has experience leaning into areas outside of her comfort zone. Before joining NASCAR in 2021, she spent nearly 20 years with Fox Sports in various positions. She spent four years as a traffic and sales coordinator before moving into a role handling content and marketing. Anderson eventually rose to Vice President of Fox Sports Content Studio – Brands and decided to shift to NASCAR. While both Fox Sports and NASCAR are popular sports brands, the similarities end there.

A national network like Fox Sports serves a wide array of content across all sports, mostly at a surface level. When working for a league like NASCAR, you are leaning into content for superfans of that particular sport who will pick up on a lack of comfort and sports knowledge. With that in mind, Clapp and Anderson discuss:

• How she moved from traffic/sales coordinator to an opportunity to work on the content side at Fox Sports

• The challenges of working in a sport with a rabid fanbase such as NASCAR

• What skills she values when hiring her staff

Listen to the full episode to catch Anderson’s perspective. Then, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel!

The sports industry is a high-demand field that utilizes diverse skill sets, but the earning potential varies greatly depending on which area you pursue. Kyle in Texas wants to know how to make money in sports and is seeking sports career advice from the WorkInSports Podcast:

What Sports Jobs Make the Most Money?

With the popularity and visibility of spectator sports, there is no shortage of aspiring professionals who want to break into the industry. That demand tends to drive down compensation. When VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp began his sports career as a video editor at CNN/Sports Illustrated, his starting salary was $21,000. Management would ward off compensation concerns because they could easily replace anyone due to the number of applications they had for any open position.

To effectively negotiate your salary, you need leverage. To gain leverage, you need to become irreplaceable by building skills that few (if any) people can replicate. That involves building skills that the average applicant doesn't have. Here areThese five skills that are the ticket to improving your salary in the sports industry:

1. Business Intelligence: Knowledge of analytics software, statistical analysis, revenue optimization, etc.

2. Fundraising: Convincing people to invest in your team or product

3. Social media analytics: Understanding what organic content resonates with fans to further brand presence

4. Sales: Being able to sell products effectively

5. Athlete Marketing: Creating audiences and building connections between athletes and fans

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to learn how to build these valuable skills and improve your earning potential. Also, subscribe for more sports career advice. Check out our YouTube Channel for additional content.

College is an ideal time to gain real-world work experience in your chosen profession, and the sports industry is no different. Micki just started her college journey and is looking for advice from the WorkInSports Podcast to get her foot in the door:

“Hi Brian! My name is Micki, and I am a freshman in college who intends to work in sports. Currently, I am working with my school’s football team in recruiting and also with the athletic association promotions/fan engagement department. I really want to find an internship for this summer to continue to gain experience and get ahead of the game, but I feel as if I’ve hit a wall since there are such limited options for freshman internships since everywhere will only take a junior or senior. Are there any tricks/tips that you have for freshmen/younger students that are also looking for experience? Or should I wait it out until I am a junior and have more options? By the way, your content is great and has been very helpful to me!”

WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp is a big fan of securing multiple internships throughout your time in higher education. It gives you an opportunity to look at organizations of different sizes and immerse yourself in various roles to get the full range of possible experiences. Beyond internships, here are a few more ways to build your experience up:

• Starting a blog/podcast/vlog and interviewing people in the sports industry

• Join industry-specific associations

• Volunteer for teams and companies, particularly your college athletic department

• Job shadow a professional in an area you want to work

• Seek leadership opportunities in campus organizations

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how to gain experience in the sports industry. Also, catch more sports career advice by subscribing to the WorkInSports Podcast. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel!

The path to getting hired in the sports industry is always changing, particularly in the past two years. Sports betting is one of the largest catalysts for this growth as the market is projected to grow from 2021’s $89.5 billion figure to over $144 billion by 2031 as more states set up shop in this space.

Beyond gambling, emerging NFT markets are changing how fans interact with their favorite athletes and teams. At the collegiate level, the continued integration of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has added new jobs. With content creators also thriving in a digital environment as fans continue to consume sports content anywhere they can, the future of the sports industry is full of opportunities for people who recognize them.

With so many new ways to engage fans, it is more important than ever for sports workers, regardless of role, to find ways to connect their brands and athletes to their customers. On this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp compiles the best sports career advice from experts working in the new frontier of the sports industry. They to share how to get a job in sports in 2023 (and beyond). These experts include:

• Xavier Gutierrez (President/CEO, Arizona Coyotes)

• Scott Warfield (VP of Gaming, PGA Tour)

• Camille Buxeda (Director/Sr. Content Producer, WSLAM/SLAM)

• Greig Carlson (CEO, Hall of GOATS)

• Zack Raab (MiLB Club Services Coordinator, Major League Baseball)

• Sarah Flynn (CMO, Boardroom/35 Ventures)

• Becca Genecov (Social Media Manager, Dallas Mavericks)

• Nicole Williams (Lead Sports Producer, Snapchat)

Be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast wherever you listen to get more sports career advice. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel!

The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on everyone in 2020, with its effects lingering today. As with many facets of society , such as financially (both before and since the pandemic), it did even more damage to the lives and lifespans of Black and Hispanic communities.

Addressing our society’s disparate impacts on minority groups is the core of the mission of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. One of the fastest-growing fields since 2020, DEI job postings increased 123% between May and September 2020. That trend carried over into the sports industry, particularly with college athletics jobs, where athletic departments have created positions earmarked for DEI on their senior staff. The WorkInSports Podcast spoke with one staff member, Dr. Christopher Brown (now commissioner of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association), during his tenure as the University of Delaware’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We discuss:

• The effectiveness of the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for a head coach or coordinator position

• The mission of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs

• The sports industry’s current level of inclusion

Enjoy the full episode for Dr. Brown’s full synopsis of the state of DEI in the sports industry. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content can be found on our YouTube channel!

With the end of the 2022 calendar year fast approaching, the WorkInSports Podcast is bringing back some of its most impactful sports career advice from the past 12 months to help you start your job search with confidence in 2023.

The sports betting industry has exploded since the federal ban on sports gambling was lifted in 2018. Americans wagered $52.7 billion on sports in 2021, and with that amount of money flowing in, jobs to manage and grow the industry have followed.

As newsrooms at traditional media outlets downsized over the past decade (which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic), laid-off journalists found they could use their talents to transition seamlessly into sports betting content jobs. For example, in 2017, iconic college football announcer Brent Musburger launched the Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN), and in five years, it has become a hub of sports betting content. One of the laid-off journalists from legacy media who found a home with VSiN is Femi Abebefe, who joined the network in 2021 after he got let go from his position as a sports anchor with Seattle’s KOMO TV.

In today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, we revisit VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp’s conversation with Abebefe as the two talk about:

• The importance of his early career years at KTVZ

• How he dealt with being laid off at KOMO during the pandemic

• What working for a sports betting company like VSiN is like

• How to get a job in sports betting

Check out the full episode to learn more about sports betting content jobs like Femi Abebefe’s. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content can be found on our YouTube channel!

With the sun setting on 2022, the WorkInSports Podcast continues to look back at some of the best sports career advice our expert guests provided throughout the past 12 months.

On today’s episode, we revisit our conversation with the Los Angeles Chargers’ Chad Jessop, who serves as the team’s Equipment Assistant. There are myriad ways to enter the sports business, and Jessop’s journey into the NFL puts that on display. Having equipment needs met is seen as a given in football, but a lot of effort goes into ensuring a full 53-player roster (plus staff members) have what they need daily. The best equipment managers must have a customer service mentality to tend to the constant demands of their teams for practices, game days, and road trips. In this episode, Jessop and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How to become an equipment manager

• Jessop’s rise from the high school ranks to a training camp gig with the Dallas Cowboys

• The biggest challenges equipment managers face in the NFL

• The importance of building relationships in an NFL locker room

Enjoy the full story from the Los Angeles Chargers’ Chad Jessop, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can find additional content on our YouTube channel!

For all the effort it takes to find a job in the sports industry, the workplace you land with needs to be the right fit. Carol in Washington is having that issue and seeking advice from the WorkInSports Podcast:

After interviewing for any job, you need to ask yourself questions if you get an offer to determine whether or not you mesh well with a potential employer. These questions include:

• Does the salary meet your expectations?
• Do you like and respect your potential co-workers/supervisor?
• Are there opportunities for growth in the organization?

Beyond weighing the pros and cons of joining a company based on your expectations, several interview red flags can signal that a work environment is not a good fit for you. If any of these seven issues pop up during the interview stage, you may want to reconsider taking the job:

Enjoy the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to learn how to spot these interview red flags. Subscribe to the podcast for more sports career advice, and check out additional content on our YouTube channel!

As the sun sets on 2022, the WorkInSports Podcast is gearing up to deliver tips that will give your career prospects a boost in 2023. Before we jump into the new year fresh, we’re taking time to reflect on some of the best sports career advice our expert guests have provided over the past 12 months.

Broadcasting is a popular aspect of the sports industry, and as such, it is competitive and difficult to break into, especially in bigger markets and at the national level. Take the New England Patriots’ Tamara Brown, who currently serves as the team’s reporter/producer. Brown’s journey into sports media began during her undergraduate years at Virginia Tech, where she worked in the Hokies’ media relations department during the school year and interned with the Washington Football Team and various TV stations in summertime.

Brown’s grind didn’t stop upon graduating from Virginia Tech. She held rolesacross the country in freelance, intern, and full-time capacities, honing her craft in front of and behind the camera before landing with the Patriots in 2021. She joined VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss:

• How to become a sports broadcaster

• Standing out from your peers in the competitive sports broadcasting field

• Why aggressively seeking out internships is important

• Developing trust with athletes and coaches in storytelling

Enjoy the full episode and subscribe for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube Channel.

As the world recovered from the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak, a new labor market hit the economy. Companies that laid off employees started hiring again, but finding talent required more money than before. Workers utilized this newfound leverage by voluntarily leaving their posts for greener pastures during the following Great Resignation. With inflation eating into some (or all) of the gains employees made in compensation, some economists are wary of a looming recession. That possibility has Jack from Indiana nervous and looking for answers from the WorkInSports Podcast:

Recession-Proof Careers in Sports

The last time a recession hit (unrelated to COVID-19) was 2007-09 when unemployment peaked at 10% in 2009. Here are a few highlights from what happened in sports at the time:

The Bad

• The NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes went bankrupt

• The WNBA contracted a team and reduced roster sizes

• IndyCar’s Detroit Grand Prix was cancelled

The Good

• TV ratings for sports held steady or grew as fans turned to their screens instead of going to the stadium

• Large market teams like the New York Yankees still spent money, doling out $460 million on three free agents in that span

The TV ratings side is important in the pro sports space because media rights deals for professional sports have ballooned sports franchise values. For example, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, purchased for $183 million in 2003, are for sale and valued at roughly $2.5 billion two decades later.

So, are sports careers recession proof? Not entirely. While the high-dollar professional sports mostly hum along uninterrupted, college sports, start-up leagues, and fringe sports feel the pinch with their limited resources. Unfortunately, those are frequently areas for entry-level employees to find their footing in the sports industry. So, how do you get your foot in the door if a recession hits? Here are a few tips from the WorkInSports Podcast that we explore in the full episode:

• Diversify your skill set
• Level up your networking efforts
• Polish your interview skills
• Focus on quality, not quantity, in your job applications

Catch the full podcast for more tips to recession proof your sports career. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube Channel!

No two career paths are the same, but there are similarities in how workers advance in the sports industry. One of the most observable trends is that to move up in the field, you frequently have to move away from your location. That’s been the case with several guests of the WorkInSports Podcast, including James Price (now Oklahoma City Thunder Director of Social Media), New England Patriots’ Producer/Reporter Tamara Brown, and Tennessee Titans’ Stadium Experience Manager Sam Fischer.

On this episode, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp chats with McCullers Sports Group Founder/Principal Mark McCullers, who relocated often to progress in his career. After beginning his career as a Sales Executive at CBM Computer, McCullers transitioned into the sports industry where he spent eight years as an Assistant Stadium Manager for the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. He then became the General Manager of Columbus Crew Stadium and began climbing the ranks with the Crew organization, eventually becoming the team’s President and General Manager. He and Clapp discuss:

• How McCullers sees a potential recession affecting the sports industry based on his experience with the Crew during the 2008 recession

• How McCullers’ first sports opportunity at DC Sports and Entertainment laid the foundation for his rise through the sports industry

• Why McCullers launched the McCullers Sports Group and the value of sports startups

Enjoy the full episode and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast wherever you listen. Additional content is available on our YouTube Channel.

There are many benefits to working in minor league sports. The WorkInSports Podcast chats with Zack Raab about possible career paths in the minors.

One of the most effective ways to set yourself up for a long career in the sports industry is by gaining the right experience as soon as possible. While internships are a great way to get your feet wet in the business, how do you find your fit in sports? One area that can help you narrow your focus is minor league sports.

One of the many benefits of working in minor league sports is the relatively small size of the staff compared to the demands of the business. The small teams require workers to merge job duties and get involved in many departments, such as ticketing, marketing, public relations, equipment, and partnerships. In the minor leagues, employees need to wear a lot of hats, making it a perfect atmosphere to learn what aspects of the industry you are most passionate about pursuing.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Major League Baseball's Zack Raab, Minor League Baseball Club Services Coordinator. Raab is a liaison between every minor league baseball team and the specialists that enhance their marketing and fan engagement efforts. He took a circuitous path to landing in minor league baseball, doing freelance gigs and traveling to Israel to work with the Israel Association of Baseball before landing his current role. He discusses the following with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp:

• What drew him to working in baseball

• What he did to stand out and land his position

• The benefits of working in minor league sports

Listen to the full episode and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content can be found on our YouTube channel!

At its core, the WorkInSports Podcast teaches you how to sell yourself to an employer in the sports industry. Jennifer in Massachusetts is seeking some sports career advice on that front with this question for VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp:

What Employers Want

Hiring managers need to feel confident making a hire, so they don’t have to repeat the same process a few months later. So what are employers looking for when they scan resumes? Well, for one, your college GPA isn’t a critical consideration, as only 37% of employers screen recent grad applications by GPA, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). On the other hand, here are six traits that employers seek when deciding who to hire:

1. Problem-solving skills (61.4% said the skill was extremely important)

2. Ability to work in a team (61%)

3. Strong work ethic (52.4%)

4. Analytical/quantitative skills (50.4%)

5. Communication skills (50%)

6. Technical skills (50%)

Until 2005, elite basketball players could jump immediately from high school graduation to the pros. That system produced standouts like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. The 2006 draft was the first that the NBA instituted an age limit requiring basketball players to be one year removed from their high school graduation before entering the draft. This age limit led to an influx of highly regarded ‘one-and-done’ players who enrolled at a university to play one collegiate season before jumping into the draft the following summer.

While some players spend the year after graduating playing basketball overseas (or in the NBA’s G-League), playing at an NCAA institution is by far the most common route to the NBA. One league, however, is attempting to change that.

Overtime Elite played its inaugural season in 2021-22, and it is positioning itself as an alternative path to the NBA. The Atlanta-based league is owned and operated by Overtime, is for 16- to 20year-old basketball players, and pays players a minimum of $100K per season. Entering its second season, the league has two projected top-10 NBA draft picks in Amen and Ausar Thompson.

One of the keys to longevity for startups like Overtime Elite is to build an army of sponsors and media rights deals, and that’s where today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, Trebor Goodall, comes in. Goodall serves as an Account Manager for Overtime and is in charge of building brand partnerships to grow the league. He joined Overtime shortly after graduating from Notre Dame in 2019, and he chats with Director of Content Marketing Brian Clapp about:

• What the day-to-day work environment is like working at a sports startup like Overtime

• What skills are required for his role

• The value of his internship experience with Creative Artists Agency

Sports media has undergone an astronomical shift since the turn of the century. When the internet started, catching a game on television (when it was available in your area), reading about last night’s results in the newspaper (with the occasional Sunday morning features mixed in), and subscribing to Sports Illustrated were basically the extent of the content available for sports fans.

Fast-forwarding to today:

• Fans can access nearly countless games without a cable subscription.

• Newspapers have shrunk, with several no longer printing.

• Dedicated sports websites feed a 24/7 diet of content.

Thirty Five Ventures (35V), which NBA all-star Kevin Durant launched in 2019 as a multi-faceted media and entertainment company, is one of those new media companies finding its footing. Its media network, Boardroom, covers sports and its relationship with entertainment, business, and culture. On today’s WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp chats with Sarah Flynn, Boardroom and 35V’s CMO, about:

• Flynn’s transition into sports from the music and entertainment industry

• How she tries to differentiate Boardroom in a market saturated with sports websites

• What skills are needed to succeed in marketing in the current sports media landscape

There is no one answer to how to get a job in sports, but there are definitely ways that you can sabotage your search if you aren’t careful. Lorena in Texas is having a hard time getting her career started and has this question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hi Brian, I’m pretty new to the podcast, a friend told me about it and I’ve been really enjoying the guidance you provide. You may have covered this question in the past, but I’m struggling for answers and hoping you can help. I’ve got a good degree, I’ve done internships, and I’m just not getting job offers. I’m frustrated, but even more than that I’m scared. Do you have any strategies that may help me?”

There are many checkpoints an employer goes through when they decide whom to hire, and you may not know where your candidacy is falling short. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself depending on which phase of your search you’re struggling with:

Not Hearing Back on an Application

• Did you tailor your resume to match the job description?

• Are you customizing your cover letter for every application?

• Are you a fit for the jobs you are applying for?

Getting Phone/Virtual Interviews, but Not Progressing

• Have you done enough research on the organization?

• Do you come across professionally?

• Are your answers to interview questions specific?

Getting a Second Interview, but Not Landing the Job

• How well do you exhibit your relevant soft skills?

• What are you saying about past employers?

• Are you evading questions?

Listen to the full episode and learn how to get a job in sports at each stage of your search. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice and enjoy additional content on our YouTube Channel.

Since launching the WorkInSports Podcast in 2017, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp’s goal has been to provide aspiring sports professionals insight into the sports business and a roadmap to breaking into the industry. With today marking the 500th episode of the podcast, we decided to look back at some of the top advice our experts in the field (no pun intended) shared that still resonates today.

This milestone episode addresses what traits hiring managers look for in the sports industry, how to differentiate yourself in a competitive field, the key to advocating for what you want to advance in the business, the hidden perks to being young as you start your career journey, and how to make sports a more inclusive place for everyone. These topics (and more) are tackled by the following sports leaders:

• Michelle Andres – Senior VP (Ravens Media)

• Celia Bouza – Senior Director (ESPN Next)

• James Price – Director of Social Media (Oklahoma City Thunder)

• Sam Fischer – Stadium Experience Manager (Tennessee Titans)

• Ishveen Jolly – CEO/Founder (OpenSponsorship)

• Zach Maurides – CEO/Founder (Teamworks)

• Jesse Cole – Owner (Savannah Bananas)

• Femi Abebefe – Sports Betting Analyst (VSiN)

• Xavier Gutierrez – President (Arizona Coyotes)

• Dr. Chris Brown – Commissioner (MIAA)

• Jason La Canfora – Football Insider (CBS Sports)

• Leigh Steinberg – NFL Agent (Steinberg Sports and Entertainment)

• Nicole Lynn – President of Football Operations (Klutch Sports)

Enjoy this episode and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel!

On this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, we look back to our chat with Auburn University Assistant AD for Marketing and Fan Engagement Dan Heck. He details his journey from a marketing graduate assistant at Central Michigan University to his current post running the Tigers’ marketing efforts in the football hotbed of the SEC.

Moving up in the sports industry frequently means moving around. As the job market heats up and boards are flooded with positions in college athletics, there are opportunities across the country available for those who have the will to travel and meet them.

The entire episode is full of pearls of wisdom from Heck, including:

Catch all of Dan Heck’s insights by listening to the full episode and be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast wherever you listen so you never miss a topic!

First impressions can make or break your chances of landing a job or internship. They also play a role in how you are perceived once you have started with an organization. On today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, Brandal from Texas wants to know how to have a successful internship experience from day one:

“Hey Brian, I’m someone who likes to visualize before taking on challenges, it’s always worked for me playing sports. I visualize myself running a route, how my defender is set up, how I’ll break press, and then I see the ball in the air towards my hands … it’s almost like I can feel it in my mind.

“If you couldn’t guess, I’m a student-athlete who plays wide receiver right now. I’m not going to make the pros, so I’ve been focusing on my career in sports while having as much fun as possible. I have an internship starting in the spring, my first one ever. What can I start to visualize and prepare for to get me in the right frame of mind?”

Listen to the WorkInSports Podcast for a detailed description of these tips and more. Also, subscribe for more sports career advice. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel.

Not every job is in sales, but getting every job requires you successfully sell yourself to the hiring manager. That process begins when you apply for a job and submit your resume in the hopes that it sells you well enough to get an interview. Here is what you're selling:

• Your skills
• Your ability to get the job done
• Your ideas

This episode of the WorkInSports Podcast tackles how to sell yourself in a job interview to land the position you want. Enjoy!

LinkedIn can do wonders for a job search if utilized properly. One tool that could focus your network is the Boolean search. Here's an example of using one if you want to be a sports reporter:

• "Sports Reporter" (searches for profiles with only that job title)
• "Sports Journalist" OR "Sports Reporter" (finds profiles with either job title)
• "Sports Reporter" AND "Boston" (narrows to profiles with job title matching location)
• "Sports Reporter" NOT "ESPN" (excludes designated company from search results)
• "(NFL OR MLB OR NHL) AND Journalist" (includes specific leagues and profession)

Learn six more ways to get the most from LinkedIn by listening to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast!

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is James Price, who at the time of this interview, was Director of Marketing and Digital for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA’s G-League. He is now Director of Social Media for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. After graduating from Marquette as an advertising major, he worked as a marketing and promotions lead for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and a public relations associate for Mueller Communications while pursuing his master’s degree from Northwestern.

Upon finishing his advanced degree, he continued honing his craft as a marketing and digital assistant with the York Revolution before landing his current position with the Herd in 2019. Price leads the storytelling, photography, and copywriting for the Herd. His work on the team’s social platforms have grown their following immensely. He even got an NBA Championship ring courtesy of the Milwaukee Bucks’ (the Herd’s NBA affiliate) 2021 title run. On this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, Price and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Price chose marketing for his career path in the sports industry
• Where Price prioritizes his efforts for the Herd’s brand
• What marketing efforts have moved the needle for the minor league teams Price has worked with
• How Price stays on top of the latest trends audiences gravitate towards

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for more of James Price’s sports career advice, and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts for more industry insight. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel.

Internships are a game changer for starting your sports career, but obtaining one can be intimidating when you don’t have experience. That’s what concerns Alexis in her question to the WorkInSports Podcast:

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to learn how to get sports internships through volunteering. Also, subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen and catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

Professional sports brands are valuable, and companies line up to associate with them to bolster their bottom lines. Previous WorkInsports Podcast guests such as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Luke Mohamed and Ilitch Sports and Entertainment’s Molly Wurdack Folt have given us a glimpse of how to build relationships between sports franchises and external brands. In this episode, we dive into how to form sports partnerships around the globe with a relatively new franchise.

The Vegas Golden Knights became the National Hockey League’s 31st team in the 2017-18 season with a steep challenge: selling a sport played on ice to a desert community with many competing activities. They debuted with a bang, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season and making the playoffs in their first four campaigns. On today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp is joined by Alain Monroy, Vegas Golden Knights Director of Global Partnerships, to discuss:

• His journey from the private sector into the sports business
• What his time as a captain in the US Army taught him for his career
• Why he chose partnerships for his career focus

Not getting along with coworkers can be jarring if you are used to forming close ties at work easily. While difficult coworkers can drain your energy, be careful about devoting too much bandwidth to someone you don't get along with. That isn't to say you should ignore problems that pertain to your day-to-day job duties, but be sure to focus on how the conflict is affecting your productivity rather than the personality differences.

Listen to the full episode to learn tactics for how to deal with difficult coworkers. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

The goal of networking is to build quality relationships instead of racking up a large number of LinkedIn connections. Building and maintaining authentic relationships with people you reach out to benefits you personally and professionally by gaining a friend and, eventually, someone who can advocate for you when a career opportunity opens up. Hannah has this networking question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

Listen to the full episode to get details on how to network effectively. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel.

Your resume is one of the most important things you will write in your sports career. It sets the tone of who you are to prospective employers. Today’s question for the WorkInSports Podcast comes from William in South Carolina, who is looking for some resume tips:

Listen to the full episode to hear our resume tips, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube Channel!

Fundraising is the lifeblood of competitive college athletics. While TV contracts, ticket sales, and sponsorships make up a sizable portion of an athletic department’s revenue stream, securing donations is the main catalyst for the capital projects, scholarship funding, and endowments that drive programs forward.

Getting these projects off the ground takes dedicated workers in development offices who can appeal to donors’ fandom and pride for their favorite programs. Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, Nebraska Assistant AD of Annual Giving Mattie Fowler Burkhardt, does this work for the Huskers Athletic Fund. A former softball player at Nebraska, Burkhardt now tries to pay it forward to build an even better environment for current and future student-athletes in Lincoln. She joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to talk about:

• How her experience as a student-athlete set her up for success in her current role
• What drew her to a job with the Huskers Athletic Fund
• The importance of development/fundraising to becoming an athletic director
• What skills are required to succeed in development

Enjoy the full episode and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel!

To get a greater idea of what the employment landscape is in the sports industry, download the 2022 State of Sports Hiring Report!

The sports betting industry has rapidly grown since the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting in 2018. One profession in the industry that has benefited from this growth is sports media. Traditional media outlets were already cutting staff in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, and sports betting companies have become a soft-landing spot for sports media specialists.

One of those specialists who has taken advantage of the sports betting industry’s hiring boom is Femi Abebefe. A broadcast journalist by trade, Abebefe enjoyed a steady rise in his industry. He became Sports Director at KTVZ in Bend, Oregon, before serving as a Sports Anchor/Reporter/Play-by-Play announcer at KHQ in Spokane, Washington. He eventually made it into a top-15 TV market in Seattle as a Weekend Sports Anchor at KOMO. After being laid off at the beginning of the pandemic, Abefefe’s skills landed him his current role as VSiN’s Sports Betting Host/Analyst. He joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp on the WorkInSports Podcast to discuss:

• The importance of his early career years at KTVZ
• How he dealt with being laid off at KOMO during the pandemic
• What working for a sports betting company like VSiN is like
• How to get a job in sports betting

Enjoy!

Internships are particularly important in establishing yourself because they help with you gain experience and build a network. Molly from Alabama is looking for internships and has this question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

Catch VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp’s sports career advice on internships by listening to the full episode. Then, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more actionable advice to take you through your career journey, and check out additional content on our YouTube channel.

Nicole from Minnesota slid into Brian Clapp's inbox searching for some job search strategies:

“Hey Brian, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but after graduating in May, I’ve kind of slacked off the last three months. September is the month to get me back on track. Can you help me build a job search strategy?”

When searching for a job, you naturally want to hit the ground running and blast out as many resumes as possible. However, doing so without a strategy is not advisable. Brian shares his strategy to get your job search started properly on this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast.

Today's question for the WorkInSports Podcast comes from Michael:

Host Brian Clapp addresses Michael's question by sharing what your objective should be when gaining the right experience for the sports industry while in college. Check it out!

With the Supreme Court unanimously ruling that the NCAA cannot restrict education-related benefits for student-athletes in 2021, student-athletes can now profit from NIL deals, which created opportunities for companies to stake a claim in this new marketplace. Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, Hall of GOATS CEO Greig Carlson, runs one such company. A former NCAA wide receiver who won two national championships at the University of Southern California, Carlson experienced firsthand how student-athletes lacked a seat at the table on the topic of the boom of college athletics revenue. He joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss:

• How his student-athlete experience before the NIL era led to him helping student-athletes monetize themselves

• How Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) play into Hall of GOATS’s business model

• How having investors such as former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart helped his company spread its message

• What opportunities are available in this growing space in the sports industry

• What he looks for when hiring staff at Hall of GOATS

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for all of Carlson’s thoughts. Be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more career advice. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel!

Networking is important in any industry, and sports are no different. One effective way to make connections is through informational interviews. But, once you have secured one, what are the best practices? That's what Jean-Christian from the University of San Francisco asks the WorkInSports Podcast:

"First, I wanted to say I love your WIS podcast. You bring an energized and dynamic vibe to the great content, and it makes it always enjoyable to listen to every week.

"I’ve started to reach out to professionals in different fields for informational interviews and try to take a different and personalized approach with every generous professional willing to take a few minutes on a call with me. But I sometimes feel like I'm running with the same shallow questions. What would you advise for informational interview preparation and how to approach them?"

Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to hear Brian Clapp's sports career advice when a new episode is available. Select episodes can also be viewed on our YouTube channel.

The competition for sports jobs is fierce, and every experience you get before transitioning from college to your career is golden. However, to advance in the industry, you typically must move around the country when stepping-stone opportunities open. That has been the experience for past WorkInSports Podcast guests such as Auburn Assistant AD Dan Heck and New England Patriots Reporter/Producer Tamara Brown. Occasionally, though, you may luck out and stay close to home. That’s the case for today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Nick Miller.

Miller is the Cavaliers’ Marketing Operations Coordinator, a position he’s held since 2019. An Ohio native, he has worked or interned with all three of Cleveland’s professional franchises, all in different roles. While attending Ohio University, Miller worked as an equipment assistant (and corporate partnerships intern) with the Browns. He also finished his undergraduate as a ballpark operations intern with the Guardians in 2019. Now entering his fourth season with the Cavs, Miller chats with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp about:

• How he approached gaining experience immediately after graduating high school

• The hiring process the Cavaliers employ

• How he has weaved in the new technologies in the sports and entertainment marketing space

• His advice to aspiring sports professionals looking to work in professional sports

Starting a new job can be daunting, especially while you get your bearings in those first few weeks and try to quickly learn new processes, tasks, and faces. However, even after settling in and becoming high achievers, some people still doubt their abilities. Known as imposter syndrome, this phenomenon is the subject of Jeremy’s question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

People with imposter syndrome believe they are not as competent as their peers think they are, despite strong evidence to the contrary. As a result, they frequently feel like a fraud and doubt their skills and accomplishments, fearing that others will discover their perceived shortcomings.

One of the first steps to defeating imposter syndrome and gaining confidence at work is knowing that you aren’t alone, as 82% of adults experience these feelings at some point in their lives. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp is among those who have dealt with imposter syndrome in his career, and he shares his experience and explains how you can overcome it on today’s podcast episode.

Sports teams are among the most popular follows on social media, and it's easy to see why: They present an entertainment product that is in demand. Aspiring social media professionals can see their content's engagement in real-time as it dominates newsfeeds with shares, likes, and mentions.

While managing sports teams' social media channels is a glamorous job, it comes with a lot of responsibilities. For example, a tweet in poor taste can have serious consequences. Our guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Becca Genecov, Dallas Mavericks' Social Media Manager. She and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• The importance of relocating for positions in the sports industry

• The difference between contributing to social media and managing a team

• What advice she has for aspiring sports social media professionals

Much of our advice on the WorkInSports Podcast focuses on getting hired in the sports industry. From tailoring your resume to the roles you are applying for to crafting a compelling cover letter, building and leveraging a network, and tips to nail the interview, there is a detailed road map for aspiring sports professionals to follow and land their dream job. However, how do you excel at work once you’ve earned a position? That’s the topic of today’s podcast question:

Tips for Starting a New Job

A learning curve is expected in the early stages of a new job, and that is an opportunity to distinguish yourself. Being confident and proactive in introducing yourself to your colleagues will help you get comfortable socially, and asking questions is expected, so don’t self-censor out of fear of “looking dumb.” In this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp covers:

• Working effectively across teams within an organization

• Setting up performance metrics to make your contributions tangible

• Getting involved with company extracurricular activities

Don’t miss a second of Clapp’s sports career advice to thrive in the industry. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to listen to each episode as it comes out. You can also catch additional content on our YouTube channel!

WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp rubbed elbows with a mix of sports business professionals at the 2022 Hashtag Sports Conference in Las Vegas in July. With professional hockey flourishing in the desert, one of the executives Clapp got a chance to talk with was Xavier Gutierrez, Arizona Coyotes’ President and CEO.

Front office jobs in professional sports are highly coveted, and Gutierrez made history by joining the Coyotes in 2020 as the first Latino President & CEO in the history of the National Hockey League. He oversees the franchise’s business operations, strategic planning, significant organizational decision-making, and government relations. In over 20 years as a business executive, he’s managed over $24 billion in institutional capital. He joins Clapp to discuss:

• What led Gutierrez from a successful career in the financial world into professional sports

• How he built skills that translated across industries

• The importance of culture and diversity within the sports industry

Enjoy this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, and be sure to subscribe to catch more sports career advice from Clapp and sports professionals. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel.

The #sportsbiz is fast-paced, and successfully working in the field requires adaptability in terms of work hours and constantly changing circumstances. Unfortunately, that non-stop pace can lead to burnout if you aren’t careful at managing your mental health in the workplace.

On today’s WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp addresses how to avoid burnout and care for your mental health while still excelling in the sports business. Clapp covers:

• What situations frequently lead to burnout at work
• How to determine if a company values its employees’ mental health
• What you can do to maintain your mental wellbeing

Catch each nugget of sports career advice from Brian Clapp by subscribing to the WorkInSports Podcast. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel!

Journalism in all forms is constantly evolving as consumer demands change, and the sports industry is no different. For decades, the way sports fans kept up with everything going on with their favorite teams happened like this:

•   Watch SportsCenter (probably multiple times).

•   Subscribe to magazines such as Sports Illustrated or ESPN The Magazine.

•   Catch the beat reporter’s insights in the newspaper.

For the longest time, that was basically it, you paid to consume sports content, and that’s just how things were.

Evan Parker, The Athletic’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, joined Brian Clapp on the WorkInSports Podcast to discuss how The Athletic found its niche, how the content philosophy of The Athletic has worked despite the challenges this model faces, what the job landscape looks like for sports content creators and how to break into and advance in this part of the sports industry.

On the latest episode of the WorkInSports podcast, host Brian Clapp recaps the Hashtag Sports conference that he spoke at last week in Las Vegas, and dives into a lively discussion on how to handle the interview question, "Why Should We Hire You?".

Tune in and learn a little something!

WorkInSports Podcast host Brian Clapp extolls the virtues of having multiple versions of a resume and diversifying your experience with a strong internship strategy, but how do you ensure a human set of eyes is reading your resume? In this episode of the podcast, Clapp explains how to get through the applicant tracking system by:

Catch the full episode for detailed resume writing tips on how to get your materials through the ATS. For more sports career advice, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast!

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is the Milwaukee Bucks’ Hollis Brown. She serves as the team’s Coordinator of Partner Strategy and Management. Brown joined the Bucks as a Sales Associate in 2021, right as the Bucks were starting their NBA Championship run. Her day-to-day includes fulfilling sponsorship contracts with the Bucks’ clients with traditional media assets, digital and social media platform promotion, and in-game experiences.

Brown also co-hosts Outnumbered, a podcast dedicated to helping young professionals start their sports careers. Additionally, she was named Miss Wisconsin 2022. She joins WorkInSports VP of Marketing and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss:

• Her career journey from interning at her alma mater Virginia Tech to ESPN and, eventually, the Milwaukee Bucks
• How she dealt with having her position at ESPN contracted during COVID to land on her feet in her current role
• What skills she learned that ultimately led to a promotion within the Bucks’ organization in seven months
• Her advice for people trying to get their career in sports started

For those of you who are new to the show, I’d like to introduce myself, I am Brian and I am what you’d call a Masshole.  

Loosely defined, this is a sports fan that originated from the top right corner of our country and is known to celebrate championships at a seemingly impossible rate across a multitude of high-level sports. 

We are incredibly loyal. I have lived and worked in 4 different major sports markets and yet I’ve never taken up a single team. Boston sports fans never abandon their team. 

I don’t like jerseys, but I have four – Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and a Seahawks one and the only reason it is allowed to exist is because former NFL MVP and all around great guy Shaun Alexander signed it for me when we worked on a TV show together.     

Why no Celtics jersey you ask? Because tank tops are a little too personal if you know what I mean. I can rock the tank, but do I really want to? 

Talk to any Boston fan and they will tell you they cried in 2002 at the start of the Super Bowl when the  Patriots ran onto the field as a team. Every one of us wiped away the tears and yelled something like “let’s go baby!” as our spouses looked at us with utter bewilderment. 

 We screamed with Kevin Garnett that anything is possible and we annoyed people across the country with our tendency to win it all so. damn. Often. 

I bring this all up, not just to relish in the glory of yesteryears... but to point out, I’ a little pissed the NBA finals games start at 9pm. 

Doesn’t anybody work? Game 2 on Sunday at 9pm? isn’t it proven that the NFL can generate massive ratings at 4pm? Can’t we do that rather than start my week off a little hungover? Sorry boss. 

Staying up really late to watch your team ultimately lose is a double whammy! Weeknights at 9pm just feel obscene. 

Sure you could make the argument that you affect the west coast fans by having it any earlier than 9, what with all their traffic and such. 

But one thing I forgot to mention – Boston sports fans also only care about ourselves. This is about me.  

All of this is a super long preamble to share a little of my NBA final excitement, since I love this game, and to introduce today’s guest Shawn Deloney Associate Director of Content for the Phoenix Suns. Shown and I conducted this interview in the fall, but it is so good we’re bringing it back. 

He’s one of the most creative and inspiring young leaders in our industry so take a listen, and cheer on my Celtics... and if you look at our Youtube channel and I have bags under my eyes... it’s on you Adam Silver! 

As our show title suggests, the WorkInSports Podcast’s mission is to teach you how to find a job in sports. Most of our sports career advice – such as tailoring your resume for each job you apply for, writing a compelling cover letter, and standing out during an interview – centers on getting your foot in the door. Once you get an offer, what do you do? That’s what Jennifer in Los Angeles wants to know:

“Hey Brian, I have been looking to change jobs to work in the sports industry, and I love the advice you provide on this show! WorkInSports has turned out to be a huge resource for me as I found many jobs, companies, and cool opportunities I wasn’t aware of. My question is this, I’m getting into the interview cycle, my resume looks good, and I feel things are going well, but how do you decide whether a job is worth accepting? I’m afraid of making the wrong choice and then having to start this process all over again.”

Listen to the full episode to hear all the factors you should consider before accepting a job offer.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is James Price, who serves as Director of Marketing and Digital for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA’s G-League. After graduating from Marquette as an advertising major, he worked as a marketing and promotions lead for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and a public relations associate for Mueller Communications while pursuing his master’s degree from Northwestern.

Upon finishing his advanced degree, he continued honing his craft as a marketing and digital assistant with the York Revolution before landing his current position with the Herd in 2019. Price leads the storytelling, photography, and copywriting efforts for Herd. His efforts on the team’s social platforms have grown their following immensely. He even got an NBA Championship ring courtesy of the Milwaukee Bucks’ (the Herd’s NBA affiliate) 2021 title run. On this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, Price and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Price chose marketing for his career path in the sports industry
• Where Price prioritizes his efforts for the Herd’s brand
• What marketing efforts have moved the needle for the minor league teams Price has worked with
• How Price stays on top of the latest trends audiences gravitate towards

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for more of James Price’s sports career advice, and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts for more industry insight. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel.

Monday is Fan Question Day!

Rafael in Miami considers himself and early adopter of technology and thinks of his sports career journey in the same way. He wants to know which career paths in sports feature the most innovation, and WorkInSports podcast host Brian Clapp happily obliges with four career paths that stand out for their cutting edge nature.

Listen in NOW!

Businesses are ignoring the saying “curiosity killed the cat” when hiring employees. A 2021 study showed curiosity and a desire to learn were among the hottest new skills, with 72% of leaders surveyed believing it’s a valuable trait and 59% stating they believe it drives business impact. While it is a valued trait among hiring managers, how can job seekers convey it? That’s what Stefen asked the WorkInSports Podcast:

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to learn more about the importance of curiosity at work, and subscribe to the show for more sports career advice. You can also see additional content on our YouTube channel.

Over the past decade, social media’s growth has been great for sports franchises looking for more ways to connect to their fanbases. As a result, leagues like the NBA have leveraged social media to amass the most followers of any pro sports league on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Nicole Williams, Snapchat Lead Sports Producer. Williams leaned into Snapchat during her time at ESPN when she helped transition content from SportsCenter there. Snapchat has content agreements with the NFL, NBA, and MLB, which allows them to post a variety of highly engaging short-form content.

Job interviews are all about making a good first impression on hiring managers, and that process usually starts with a phone interview. Camilla from New Jersey is looking for some phone interview tips from the WorkInSports Podcast:

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for more tips on how to prepare for a phone interview. Also, subscribe to hear more sports career advice wherever you listen to podcasts and check out additional content on our YouTube channel!

College sports have a push-pull dynamic as the teams compete in intense, high-level athletics representing institutions of higher learning. The demands on student-athletes are rigorous as they maintain a difficult conditioning regimen for peak fitness, practice multiple times a week, and finally compete against teams doing the same thing while also working through a fullload of classes to earn their degree.

On today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp chats with Ashley Stone, Oakland University Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Experience. Stone joined OU in 2019 and serves as the Golden Grizzlies’ Senior Woman Administrator. She oversees student service and sports performance areas such as academics, strength and conditioning, and athletic training to foster the development, health, and safety of Oakland’s 350+ student-athletes. Stone and Clapp discuss:

• Why she chose student-athlete experience as her career path
• What she learned about student-athletes’ struggles during her time as Nebraska’s Director of Development Events & Hospitality, Director of Post-Eligibility Programs, and Life Skills Coordinator
• Why she moved on from her alma mater Nebraska to her current position at OU
• The advice she has for women breaking into the sports industry

Listen to the full episode to hear Stone’s sports career advice and her experience supporting student-athletes. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more tips on excelling in your sports career and catch additional content on our YouTube channel.

Regardless of your role with an organization, working in the sports industry is exhilarating because of the exciting events you get to put together. For example, the NBA Playoffs feature packed arenas with screaming fans, creating an electric atmosphere that carries over to the living rooms of those watching it on television.

That atmosphere is what draws so many to pursue sports careers and work countless hours, including nights and weekends, in order to get a front-row seat to these thrilling events. However, despite the fun and (literal) games, the work can take a toll if you are not careful. Robert in Chicago demonstrates this in his question to the WorkInSports Podcast:

Listen to the full episode as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp explains more signs of burnout at work and how to combat them. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice and catch additional content on our YouTube channel.

While ‘Deflategate’ put the Patriots’ equipment staff under a microscope the profession tends to avoid, this overlooked aspect of football is of utmost importance to teams. An NFL team’s equipment staff has numerous responsibilities, such as inflating footballs (properly), repairing and ordering equipment for the full roster, storing and cleaning jerseys, and packing/setting up gear on road trips. Along with a roster of 53 players and the coaching and support staff, equipment managers also need a ‘customer service’ mentality to satisfy the needs of many people within their organization.

On today’s episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content Brian Clapp chats with the Los Angeles Chargers’ Chad Jessop. Jessop is the Chargers’ Equipment Assistant and has spent 14 years handling football teams’ equipment and locker room needs. He and Clapp discuss:

• How to become an equipment manager
• Jessop’s rise from the high school ranks to a training camp gig with the Dallas Cowboys
• The biggest challenges of working in his field
• How important building relationships is in an NFL locker room environment

WorkInsports Podcast host/VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp is a staunch advocate of the value of internship experience to give you a leg up when looking for a job in the sports industry. But, once you have an internship, what comes next? That's what Chanel in Mississippi wants to know:

Catch the full episode for more tips on how to turn an internship into a job. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice, and view additional content on our YouTube channel.

We check back on our October chat with PointsBet CEO Johnny Aitken as we discuss the growth of the sports betting industry.

Americans have wagered more than $65 billion on sports in the three years since the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Murphy vs. NCAA. The additional demand for sports betting websites brings us to our guest, PointsBet CEO Johnny Aitken. On this episode, Johnny and WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp covered a wide range of topics on sports betting, including:

• How Johnny’s career path led him to become PointBet’s CEO.
• What Johnny sees happening in the sports betting market in the next 5-10 years.
• How Australia-based PointsBet boasts a globally distributed workforce.
• Which traits Johnny looks for in new hires at PointsBet.

The Great Resignation created a favorable market for candidates, but that doesn't mean job searches aren't competitive. John from Georgia explains to the WorkInSports Podcast that getting a sports job today is as competitive as ever:

Catch the full episode for detailed tips on how to improve your resume and other application materials to get noticed by employers. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to get more sports career advice. Additional content is available on our YouTube channel.

As the NFL Draft approaches, we look back at our chat with CBS Sports' NFL Insider Jason La Canfora covering topics such as:

• Why he decided to pursue a sports journalism career.
• How he landed a position with the Detroit Free Press right out of college.
• How important having a versatile skillset is in a multimedia environment.
• What role social media plays in sports reporting.
• How to secure a bevy of trusted sources for reporting the ins and outs of a sport.

Social media has become an important part of the job search process as employers use it to weed out potential candidates in the hiring process. LinkedIn is particularly relevant for job seekers because it exists specifically for building your networking and marketing? yourself for prospective career opportunities. Janelle is looking for LinkedIn tips with her question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

Check out the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to learn how to use LinkedIn effectively. To catch more sports career advice, subscribe to the podcast to listen to each episode as it premiers. You can also view additional content on our YouTube channel.

Molly Wurdack-Folt, Ilitch Sports and Entertainment VP of Partnership Activation (ownership group of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings), works with corporate sponsors looking to further their brands. When working in partnership activation, you need to have a sense of each potential sponsor’s goals and develop a plan to showcase them to fans in a way that resonates with them within a sporting event.

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast as Wurdack-Folt chats with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp about:

• Her journey through the sports industry, beginning with her stint with the Miami Dolphins right out of college
• Her sports career advice for advancing within an organization the way she has with Olympia Entertainment/Ilitch Sports and Entertainment
• How to work between separate parties and ensure everyone is satisfied with their partnership

Finding a job is a laborious and lengthy process that some career coaches say can take 6-7 months to complete. Unfortunately, you are likely to be rejected several times during that period. However, some companies that decided you were not a fit for one position may have another job opening that suits you better. That's where today's question for the WorkInSports Podcast comes in:

The sports industry is smaller than you think, and you will likely see the same organization that said "thanks, but no thanks" provide you with another opportunity for employment. Regardless of industry, applying for a job with a company that rejected you for an earlier position is perfectly acceptable.

Listen to the full episode for job application tips for your second try at working for a company. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to catch every nugget of sports career advice provided by VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp. You can check out additional content by subscribing to our YouTube Channel.

The sports betting market is providing a similar impact in the way fans consume sports as fantasy leagues. Over half of the country has legalized the practice since 2019. Before the 2021 NFL season, Americans had wagered more than $65 billion on sports since the Supreme Court’s Murphy vs. NCAA ruling opened the floodgates for sports betting. With that much money moving around, teams and leagues want a piece of that action.

The WorkInSports Podcast spoke at length about sports betting careers with PointsBet CEO Johnny Aitken, and today we see its impact in one segment of the industry. Our guest is Scott Warfield, PGA Tour VP of Gaming. In 2019, golf accounted for 1% of all sports betting. Warfield and his team are looking to change that. Catch the full episode as he and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How Warfield journey brought him to the sports industry
• Why Warfield shifted his focus toward gaming
• What golf’s growth potential is in the sports betting industry
• What opportunities are available for sports betting careers

We center much of our sports career advice around polishing your application materials and acing job interviews on the WorkInSports Podcast, and for good reason. Your resume and cover letter show what you bring to the table, and an interview is your chance to make a lasting impression with the hiring manager. However, another aspect? of the job search that can give your candidacy a boost is an effective follow-up. That’s where Ben from Arizona’s question comes in.

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp goes into detail about the most effective ways of building contacts during your job search. Also, subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast wherever you listen and catch additional content on our YouTube channel.

70% of employers screen a candidate’s social media before deciding to hire them, and 54% of employers have chosen not to hire someone based on what they found. Some of the top reasons hiring managers eliminated candidates due to what they saw on social media were: inappropriate photos or information (39%), discriminatory comments (32%), and content that bad-mouthed employers (30%). While the effectiveness of this hiring approach is debatable, companies utilize it.

Today's episode of the WorkInSports Podcast shares how to use social media to your benefit and clean up your digital footprint on the job hunt.

Subscribe to the show to get our sports career advice the second a new episode comes out, and be sure to check out additional content on our YouTube channel.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, the Atlanta Braves’ Laura Estefenn, is at the center of this effort to reach the team’s Hispanic fanbase. Estefenn joined the Braves in 2018 as Content Coordinator for their newly launched Los Bravos platform. She helped grow Los Bravos’ brand exponentially over the next two seasons and is now a Diversity Marketer for the franchise.

Fresh off witnessing the team’s exciting run to a 2021 World Series title, the Atlanta Braves’ Laura Estefenn joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss:

• What immigrating to Atlanta from Colombia to play collegiate golf at Kennesaw State was like
• Why she leaned into continuing a career in sports following her playing career
• What challenges she faced when transitioning to baseball after playing golf
• How she approached building the Los Bravos brand through diversity marketing

Nathan from Chicago is looking for some job interview tips from the WorkInSports Podcast to get further along the interview process:

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp lays out the roadmap to moving on in the interview process.

Today's guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is the Tennessee Titans' Sam Fischer, who joined the team as Stadium Experience Manager in 2021. Fischer spent her entire sports career working in baseball, even rising to Assistant General Manager of the Asheville Tourists before joining the Titans. Between her internships and full-time positions, she’s seen what goes into putting on a successful event in areas such as game operations, creative marketing, game day presentation, and sales.

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast as the Tennessee Titans' Sam Fischer shares:

• Her "street to seat" approach to managing the stadium experience
• How her experience in minor league baseball built her diverse skill set
• How important it was for her to be flexible in her career when she started out
• What her experience as Ashville Tourists’ Assistant GM was like

Be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice from VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp. You can also see additional content on our YouTube channel and TikTok.

Some of the top reasons why employees would consider leaving a company include poor management/relationship with the supervisor, unhealthy work/life balance, and lack of employee recognition/appreciation. All of these issues point to problems with company culture. That's the concern that Jessie in Chicago brings to the WorkInSports Podcast:

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp walks you through how to research company culture, and be sure to subscribe for more sports career advice.

Sports social media is a popular area of interest for people looking to work in the sports industry. Some of the most viewed content on any platform are sports highlights and digestible sound bites from star athletes. Major professional and college leagues and teams, along with the media outlets that cover them, have massive followings, which creates a feedback loop of content flooding newsfeeds.

Standing out is difficult with so much content available to consume on social media. Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is WSLAM Director Camille Buxeda. Her work creating and growing the women’s hoops vertical within the already established bi-monthly SLAM magazine earned her recognition as a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient.

In today’s episode, Buxeda discusses the following with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp:

• How she pitched starting the WSLAM vertical within SLAM’s brand
• How she found her voice to excel in sports social media and digital content
• What the landscape looks like for growing women’s sports
• What advice she has for people looking to grow in the sports industry

As our name suggests, we offer sports career advice to help people find jobs in the sports industry. However, the sports industry is broad and has opportunities for a variety of specialized roles within it, so finding your niche is important. That’s the spot Layne from Cleveland finds himself in with his question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

“Hi Brian, you came and spoke in my college classroom a few weeks back and was so into the info you were sharing, I started listening to the podcast right away. You have hooked a new listener and fan!

"I have a question for you; I love sports, I’m majoring in sports, but I have no idea what I should do in sports. I’m not asking you what I should do. I’m asking you what can I do to figure out what I love and want to pursue?”

Here are 6 things you can do and host Brian Clapp can explain them in detail:

1. Search for entry-level roles using key terms associated with these positions.

2. Focus on jobs that match what you are passionate about.

3. Do a lot of internships.

4. Research salary information (check out our salary research tool).

5. Decide your priorities in life and how the job you choose factors into those priorities.

6. Upload your resume and see what matches come up.

Becoming a sports reporter combines two of the most competitive career paths: the sports business and broadcast journalism. It mashes them together for an incredibly narrow job that takes dogged determination, skill, and luck to break into. The field requires a compelling on-camera presence, behind-the-scenes technical skills, an ability to form a connection with various public-facing figures, and a willingness to ask them difficult questions.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is a team reporter and producer for the New England Patriots, Tamara Brown. She joined one of the NFL’s premier franchises in the summer of 2021, and her career path is a roadmap for how to become a sports reporter today.

Brown joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss this impressive journey in greater detail, covering topics such as:

• How to stand out from your peers in a competitive industry
• The value of aggressively seeking out internships of all kinds
• How to establish trust with athletes and coaches to tell a story

Networking is a critical component to success in your sports career, and one of the best ways to make connections in the early stages of your search is through sports internships. Of course, that's internships plural as jobs in the sports industry are competitive and having multiple sports internships to put on your resume is a great way to stand out when you are applying for jobs.

Kyle Davidson was recently named the Chicago Blackhawks' General Manager, the 10th GM in franchise history. Davidson graduated from Laurentian University in 2009 and got his foot in the door with the Blackhawks' organization as a video assistant intern. Twelve years later, he runs the show and makes decisions about the team's coaching staff, roster, trades, free-agent signings, and drafts.

Kellen in Minnesota is taking the first steps in establishing his sports career, and he comes to the WorkInSports Podcast wondering how to get an internship:

Listen to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for more internship strategies that will help you establish yourself early in your sports career. Also, be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice.

Sports broadcasts are available in abundance. Whether using traditional cable or online streaming services, fans can access hundreds of broadcasts across several leagues worldwide. If you've ever considered a career working behind the scenes of live sports production or wondered how to get into sports broadcasting, this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast is for you.

Felisa Israel has brought live NBA basketball games to our screens for over 20 years, spending time with a few franchises before becoming NBA Entertainment’s Director of Live Programming and Entertainment. Israel eventually struck out on her own and started her live production company, 10 Fold Entertainment.

Israel’s company provides comprehensive live sports production services for the NBA and its members, but that is not the full extent of their reach. Under Israel, 10 Fold Entertainment has built partnerships with companies and brands like Bleacher Report, Major League Lacrosse, the Big East Conference, Nike, UCLA Anderson School of Management, and the University of Texas. In addition, they provide live services such as A/V technical production, social media management, fan experience, game operations, and staffing.

You should tailor your resume to each job you apply for, but how do you use job descriptions to get the information you need? The WorkInSports Podcast explains.

Every job posting is unique, so every application you submit should be as well. Of course, looking through the job description is the best way to determine what information is the most important to highlight on your resume, but how do you utilize that info? That question is on Jake’s mind as he seeks sports career advice from the WorkInSports Podcast:

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to learn the best way to analyze job descriptions during your search, and be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also check out additional content by subscribing to our YouTube Channel and following us on TikTok!

Nearly 20 years since Moneyball hit bookshelves, almost every team in professional sports has a sports analytics department. For example, the Tampa Bay Rays used principles from Moneyball to hold great success, making three-straight playoff appearances from 2019-21 (including a 2020 World Series berth), despite payrolls in MLB’s bottom five.

Today's guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Troy Brazell, CEO of Optima Sports Group. His company provides professional and college teams with their Human Performance Modeling system. Teams use Optima Sports Group's analytics to glean insights that improve their player performance and valuation, team culture, injury propensity, and player acclimation. As a result, their clients have won three Super Bowls and one NBA Championship. They are also branching into the fantasy sports realm, providing analytics to avid fantasy players looking for an edge in their leagues.

Catch the full episode as Brazell and WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• Why Brazell went into a sports analytics career
• How Optima Sports Group's analytics can improve team culture
• What the future holds for sports analytics

Fundraisers are a reality of life for parents of active kids. Whether it is a sports team selling magazines, scouts selling cookies (Tagalongs FTW), or schools selling candy bars, the chances are good that you have encountered (and contributed to) a fundraiser or two.

As a father of three, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp is familiar with these fundraisers, along with the reality that most of the money raised might not end up where you expect. For example, if his daughter’s high school field hockey team sells magazine subscriptions to raise money for equipment, the team might get $8 for each $30 transaction, with the publication getting the rest. This model has been around for decades, but is it the best one?

How to Start a Fundraiser that Works

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, CEO and Founder of Snap! Raise Cole Morgan, sought to improve sports fundraising. Morgan grew up around sports fundraising to support his programs as a former college quarterback, but the model seemed broken. Ever the entrepreneur, he took action to fix the problems he experienced and started Snap! Raise.

Looking for a job is difficult, even in today’s candidate-driven market created by the Great Resignation has created. Neil from Chicago shares his frustration with the WorkInSports Podcast:

"Brian, super straight-forward question this week – my job search has been really, really frustrating. I keep hearing about the opportunities that have come up due to the Great Resignation, but I'm not feeling that. I'm frustrated. Are others feeling this way? Help me feel normal and regain some confidence."

A great line from Star Trek also applies to a job search: "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life." With that said, it’s still easy to doubt yourself during a long process because you might:

• Not get the job without knowing why
• Be ghosted by an employer and feel unimportant
• Put immense pressure on yourself before an interview as bills pile up and your confidence falls

Get more job search tips by listening to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, and be sure to utilize our tools for resume writing tips. Subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast to catch each episode and head to our YouTube channel and our new TikTok account for additional content.

As we celebrate Black History Month and the struggles that Black citizens experienced to get a seat at the table in American society, it is important to remember that this struggle continues today. In 2019, the median white household accumulated 7.8 times as much wealth as the median Black ones, and that trend hasn’t changed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the globe. The pandemic has also taken twice as many years off Black and Hispanic life expectancies as their white counterparts.

One of the fastest-growing areas for college athletics jobs is in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As a result, athletic departments throughout the country have begun devoting resources to creating an environment that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion of underrepresented voices. On this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp chats with someone building a space at his alma mater, the University of Delaware. Dr. Chris Brown is UD's Senior Associate Athletic Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

We’re a month into the 2022 calendar year, and we are seeing a trend with our listener questions on the WorkInSports Podcast. For the third time in the past four weeks, we’re dispensing job interview tips. That’s a good sign of where our audience is at in their job search -- they have applied the show’s sports career advice and are consistently getting deep into the process. This question comes from Colby in Phoenix:

Listen to the full episode for detailed virtual interview advice, and be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Also, be sure to check out additional content on our YouTube channel, including a playlist of all our job interview tips. Finally, give our brand new TikTok account a follow!

Every industry has to make money. It sounds obvious, but because of the prestige of working in sports, it is easy to forget that real time, effort, and strategy are essential to generating revenue. While selling tickets, signing television deals, and obtaining sponsors remain a key component of bringing in money, especially at the professional and collegiate levels, the methods of creating revenue streams have diversified dramatically over the last few years.

Our guest for this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast is SSB’s Steve Hank, who serves as the company’s Executive VP/Chief Commercial Officer.

Hank spent over 14 years in college athletics, with 12 years as Arizona State University’s Associate Athletic Director and two as the University of Texas’ Chief Revenue Officer/Sr. Associate AD. He helped strategize new ways for those athletic departments to maximize revenue. He joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to discuss:

• SSB’s business model and priorities
• What drove him towards data analytics to improve revenue
• The impact of technology on SSB’s data collection

Before we get to our topic, we have a quick plug of our newest social channel: TikTok! We are utilizing TikTok as a space to offer short-form sports career advice, so please give us a follow as we help you get where you want to be in the sports industry.

We spend a lot of time dispensing job interview tips on the WorkInSports Podcast because interviews are a fact of life when searching for a new job. A lot of preparation goes into landing an interview, including tailoring your resume to fit the position (which we can help with!) and crafting the perfect cover letter (we can help there too!). Once you’re invited to interview, the effort shifts to researching the company and preparing to make the right impression. Michael from Tukwila, Washington, has a question about doing so:

One strategy that can help focus your responses while still sounding genuine is the STAR Interview Method.

Catch the full episode for examples of applying this interview technique, and be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Also, subscribe to our YouTube Channel for additional content. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention again that we are now on TikTok and we would love you to follow us there!

One of the main purposes of the WorkInSports Podcast is to illustrate the many different career paths you can take within the sports industry. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp has interviewed experts throughout the field in areas such as sports ownership, sports business strategy, and sports marketing.

Our guest for this episode is the Golden State Warriors’ Drew Friedman, who serves as the franchise’s Partnership Development Manager. Brand association is one of the many perks of working in major professional sports, which is why getting a job with any of the big four (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) North American professional sports leagues is so competitive.

Be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. Also, be sure to check out more content on our YouTube channel.

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Over the past year, millions of workers voluntarily left their positions in search of greener pastures amidst the “Great Resignation.” The top reason employees cited for leaving (or considering leaving) in iHire’s 2021 Talent Retention Report was unsatisfactory pay. With compensation playing such an important role in this worker movement, learning how to negotiate a salary offer is critical. The WorkInSports Podcast tackles this issue thanks to a question from Laurie in Wisconsin:

Catch the full episode as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp offers specific salary negotiation tips and what factors to consider when preparing for salary negotiations.

The WorkInSports Podcast highlights the multitude of roles that organizations of all sizes need to fill , such as marketing, sports science, and sponsorships. Another area that we have regularly explored is content creation, and that is the area we dive into today.

Sports has been called the great equalizer for its ability to build bridges, transcend borders and cultures, and render even the fiercest conflicts temporarily irrelevant. While this appears true when considering the diversity of athletes and a common site of non-white athletes competing (83% in the NBA, 73% in the NFL, 62% in MLS, and 39% in MLB according to the University of Central Florida's Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports), the reality is different behind the scenes.

Special thanks to Hashtag Sports for allowing us to give a space for their Creators of Color cohorts to share their stories of how they got where they are today. Catch the full episode for perspectives from all our guests:

• Shahbaz Khan, Director of Digital Content (Minnesota Timberwolves)
• Devin Dismang, Director of Athlete Partnerships (STN Digital)
• Chanelle Smith-Walker, Team Photographer (Carolina Panthers)
• J'Ron Erby, Senior Social Media Marketing Specialist (ESPN)
• Roman King, Creative Director (WNBA)
• Ty Carter, Social Media Coordinator (Overtime)
• CJ Dear, Senior Producer (Fox Sports)

Every week, the WorkInSports Podcast brings on a guest in the sports industry to share their story, experience, and sports career advice. WorkInSports Podcast host and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp prides himself on representing many potential career paths in the field. Clapp has interviewed experts in 22 distinct industries under the sports umbrella on the podcast alone, including marketing, content creation, data analytics, and sponsorships.

Another area available to aspiring sports professionals is finance. Money makes our world go, which is why financial experts are in demand across all industries. That’s where our guest, Bob Malandro, comes in.

Bob Malandro is the Founder and Managing Partner of Whitecap Sports Group, a sports mergers, acquisitions, and advisory firm based in Tampa, Florida. Whitecap Sports Group is primarily involved in sports team ownership transactions. For those wealthy owners with a lot of zeros at the end of their bank statements, Bob’s company vets investor opportunities to get either ownership stakes or outright ownership of sports franchises. With 25 years of experience, he understands how valuable financial knowledge is in sports and has advised investors regarding ownership of MLB, NHL, and NBA franchises along with esports teams, minor league professional teams, and start-up sports leagues.

Catch the full episode as Brian and Bob discuss:

• How he advises investors interested in sports ownership
• His target market
• Where he sees the popularity of esports leading
• The value of getting a finance background
• How candidates stand out when applying to work for him

Job interviews are nerve-wracking and stressful, and we cover them extensively on the WorkInSports Podcast. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp has plenty of job interview advice ranging from overcoming nerves to asking great questions at the end, but this question from Eliza in Chicago brings up another angle of the interview process:

Group interviews are a new wrinkle in the hiring process. While they seem like something HR teams came up with specifically to make candidates uncomfortable, there are some legitimate reasons to conduct them. For example, group interviews can help with:

• Determining how quickly candidates think on their feet
• Showing how confident and assertive a candidate is
• Identifying which candidates fit into the company culture and work collaboratively

With all of that in mind, we have job interview tips to help you stand out among your competitors:

• Don’t be a wallflower: The company is looking for someone with ideas, not a person who will follow along with what the group is doing.
• Introduce yourself to the other interviewees: Being willing to put yourself out there among people that are gunning for the same job is a boss move and shows you are engaged.
• Involve the group: You are being put in a collaborative environment to show how well you work with others. Trying to dominate the room will work against you.

With a new year upon us, people are early in their quests to make good on their resolutions. The gyms are more crowded, books collecting dust are being flipped through, ingredients we never buy are being purchased to make meals we never heard of, and we are working hard to build new habits. That last part is where the WorkInSports Podcast comes in, but as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp says, hard work alone isn't enough. Whether your resolutions are personal or professional, building a habit takes time and consistent effort.

Many New Year's resolutions fail because they are not specific enough or focus too much on the end goal without considering how to achieve it. On the professional front, getting a new job or earning a promotion are common resolutions, but they don't focus on doing it. Learning in-demand skills is one way to stand out in a competitive job market, and that is what our guest, Pittsburgh Penguins' Director of Partnership Sales Luke Mohamed, did to rise to his current position. He shared his story with the WorkInSports Podcast!

Happy 2022 everyone! We closed 2021 by revisiting some of the best sports career advice of the year, but a new year means new episodes of the WorkInSports Podcast. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp dives right into this question from Tasha in California:

Employers want to hire hard workers but sometimes struggle to define what that means. Unfortunately, the internet doesn't help matters, as it contains an abundance of sometimes contradicting work ethic quotes on motivational posters:

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast to hear how to work smarter instead of harder. Also, be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice wherever you listen! Check out our YouTube channel for additional content!

The WorkInSports Podcast had 41 industry experts join VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp on the show in 2021. As the year ends, we’re sharing some of our best sports career advice of the year while also looking back at our top guest appearances, such as former Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment CEO Scott O’Neil, Baltimore Ravens’ Senior VP of Ravens Media Michelle Andres, and SnapBack Sports CEO Jack Settleman.

Today, we check back with TeamWorks CEO and Founder Zach Maurides to talk leadership in the sports industry. Maurides got a first-hand look at different types of leaders during his four-year college football career at Duke University, where he was an offensive lineman under four offensive coordinators, three position coaches, and two head coaches.

Upon graduating, Maurides founded TeamWorks, an athlete engagement app currently utilized by over 100 professional sports organizations and more than 250 NCAA Division I athletic departments. He and Clapp touched on the following topics:

• What inspired Maurides to create TeamWorks.
• How difficult it was to pitch his idea to potential clients.
• What he looks for when hiring staff.
• Why being an athlete tends to lead to successful careers.

Enjoy this flashback to our chat with SnapBack Sports’ Jack Settleman, and be sure to subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast wherever you listen!

As we are less than a week away from closing the book on 2021, the WorkInSports Podcast is looking back to some of the best sports career advice of the year to propel you into 2022. In addition to sports industry tips from VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp, we are checking back in with the most impactful of our 41 guests, such as former CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment Scott O’Neil and Baltimore Ravens’ SVP of Ravens Media Michelle Andres.

Today we revisit Clapp’s chat with SnapBack Sports’ CEO Jack Settleman. His company positions itself as a new way to consume sports. That’s SnapBack Sports’ tagline, and it is working. SnapBack Sports is the largest sports Snapchat account — it cleared 500 million views at the time of the original interview. Settleman and Clapp tackled the following topics:

• How Settleman built up his knowledge of the sports industry and entrepreneurship before SnapBack Sports.
• What pressure he faces to maintain a steady flow of creative content.
• Why Settleman chose Snapchat as the social media platform to focus on with SnapBack Sports.
• What the future holds for sports content and fandom.

We are down to single-digit days left in 2021, and to close out this year, the WorkInSports Podcast is looking back at its top expert guests of the show over the past 12 months. We started this look back with former Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment Scott O’Neil, who touched on the value of being your authentic self in everything you do.

Today’s flashback features the Baltimore Ravens’ Michelle Andres, who serves as the Senior Vice President of Ravens’ Media. Andres’ journey to overseeing the Ravens’ digital content is not the typical story of going to college, majoring in sports management, working several internships, and landing a gig with a pro sports franchise. Instead, she earned a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree in political science with a position with the Orlando Magic as their Assistant Director of Interactive Marketing. Andres began overseeing digital content after joining the Ravens as their Director of New Media in 2006 and has kept the franchise current with their sports social media strategy ever since.

WorkInSports Podcast host and VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp is ending the year on an introspective note, and this question from Tasha Getten fits that theme:

For Brian, the three things he did during downtime early in his career that taught him how to work in sports were:

• Reading: Everything from newspapers, magazines, sports autobiographers, and business books to raise his knowledge of the industry and of managing people.
• Asking questions at work: It shows that you are engaging and curious in what you do.
• Making time to have fun: It is important to enjoy yourself, interact with other people, and prevent burnout.

2021 is ending, and it’s been a fun year for the WorkInSports Podcast. So as we gear up for more sports career advice to spring into action for 2022, we’re revisiting some of the most impactful of our 41 guests from the past 12 months for inspiration wherever you are on your career path.

Our first look back is with Scott O’Neil, who was the CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (which owns and operates the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils) at the time of our interview. When we spoke, he had just published his first book, Be Where Your Feet Are.

This interview inspired VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp, and based on audience feedback; it did the same for you. In addition to going through Scott O’Neil’s journey to (at the time) running a company that owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, they talked about:

• The importance of maintaining a work-life balance.
• Notable leadership advice from Be Where Your Feet Are.
• The value of being present as your authentic self in all that you do.
• Essential traits of his best hires.

Enjoy the episode!

Breaking into the sports industry is difficult. There is a supply and demand issue of several candidates competing for a few positions. One of the traditional ways to stand out in any job market has been obtaining a college degree, but is that enough? Jack from Ann Arbor, Michigan, asks the WorkInSports Podcast:

Here are some current trends regarding Master's degrees:

• Since COVID: Master's program enrollment increased 3.6% in Fall 2020 and 4.4% in Spring 2021.
• The number of Master's degrees awarded increased 143% from 1991 to 2019.

Here are raw numbers on how this trend has paid off:

• The 13% of people over 25 with a Master's improved their employability by under 3%.
• The average salary for graduates with a Master's increased from $64,000 to $76,000.
• The average debt of students with a master's increased by 57% ($66,000).

Catch the full episode as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discusses where it makes the most sense to get a master's in sport management (or another advanced degree) in the sports industry and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast where you listen.

The sports industry changed drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but job openings rebounded this year. During this resurgence of sports job openings, WorkInSports took a look at the pressing issues that matter to candidates in the State of Sports Hiring Report.

As the industry adjusts to the new realities of a candidate-centered job market, the WorkInSports Podcast continued to offer sports career advice that reflected the unique circumstances to lay out a road map of how to work in sports. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp chatted with 41 experts in the sports industry and has picked out the best sports career advice to take home as you hit the ground running for your job search in 2022.

This compilation of sports career advice includes (among others):

• Scott O’Neil (former Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment CEO): Don’t fake it until you make it, or things will go sideways quickly.
• Mike Neligan (Vayner Sports CMO): Show a tangible way you improve his work environment.
• Zach Maurides (TeamWorks Founder and CEO): Have a competitive mindset.
• Emily Caron (Sportico Sports Business Reporter): Be your own advocate.

Working in the sports industry comes with a particular shine. Many people watch sports, and when they hear someone at a social gathering say that they work in the field, their ears perk up. However, the exciting stories at parties cover up that salaries in sports careers sometimes lag behind other professions. Jacob tackles this topic with his question for the WorkInSports Podcast:

The simple answer to the first question is supply and demand economics. There are a lot of candidates competing for a limited number of jobs in the sports industry. As of this episode’s publishing date, there are over 24,000 job openings on WorkInSports. That number includes every type of job in the field: coaches, video editors, athletic trainers, and sales representatives, to name a few. That is far fewer opportunities compared to iHire career sites such as Nursing (398,000 jobs), Sales (260,000), and Marketing (51,000).

Catch the full episode to get VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp’s complete answer to the salary question, and be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice!

For sports brands, content creation is its version of show business. Check any sports social media feed and you’ll see energetic hype videos, crisp infographics, and trendy TikTok crazes. Fans can’t get enough of them when they come out, and then they move on to the next thing. Of course, that next thing could be more of the same, or it could be a new platform that the brand maneuvers into to stay relevant in another digital space.

Joining VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp is the Phoenix Suns’ Shawn Deloney, the NBA franchise’s associate director of content. Deloney joined the Suns as a production assistant in 2011 while wrapping up his undergraduate at Arizona State and gained full-time employment as a digital video producer upon graduating in 2013. As a result, he lives in the sports social media sphere for the Suns and satisfies the fanbase’s unending appetite for content.

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast where Clapp and Deloney discuss:

One of the draws of working in the sports industry is witnessing amazing athletes excelling in high-pressure situations. From hitting a game-winning kick at the end of the Super Bowl, to sinking a pair of free throws with a championship on the line, to getting the final out in the World Series, there are countless opportunities when an athlete is under the spotlight with all the pressure on their shoulders. The ability to shake off the nerves in those situations is part of what makes elite athletes who they are.

Building on that idea of handling pressure, Jennifer from Portland, Oregon, has a question for VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to lead us into the topic of this WorkInSports Podcast episode:

Here are a few other bits of sports career advice to take home and combat the nerves while preparing for a job interview:

• Give yourself something to do leading up to the interview.

• Build a routine for yourself to keep you grounded.

• Dig into why you feel nervous to discover a way to combat it.

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast for detailed job interview tips to nail your next opportunity, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!

Preparation is everything in life. At WorkInSports, we approach finding a job in the sports industry through the lens of developing a specific strategy to give you the best chance of landing the job you are after. Even if you aren't a list person, chances are you have a plan in the back of your mind laying out how to achieve a goal.

A higher-level strategy actively or passively influences how you search for a job in the sports industry. Everything from the college courses you enroll in, the organizations you sign up for, and the internships you take fits into a strategy of building up the right set of skills, constructing a network of contacts, creating a resume that employers, and polishing your interviewing skills.

Our guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is the Florida Panthers' Sam Doerr, who serves as the team's Chief Strategy Officer. Doerr's role is to search for strategic revenue opportunities and evaluate whether they make sense for the organization to adopt. We talk about NIL, NFTs, esports and other market trends. Enjoy!

One of the goals of this site along with the WorkInSports Podcast is providing a roadmap to getting your career started in the sports industry. That roadmap includes tips for optimizing your resume, building a network that gets you noticed, and job interview advice to land you that dream job. Today’s question addresses a crucial moment of the last point, we’ll let Janice from Illinois take it away:

This is a common pitfall, you enter the job interview prepared, you’ve sold yourself with strong answers to the employer’s questions and then the table gets flipped and you are the one driving the conversation and you go silent. Regardless of how well you perform during the interview when the ball is in the employer’s court, it is expected that you will have questions for them at the end. The best questions to ask in a job interview shows the employer these two things:

Today’s WorkInSports Podcast guest, Fan Controlled Football’s Senior Director of Marketing Partnerships Jasmine McGee, runs the marketing and sponsorship efforts for a new league that considers itself football for the modern world. The games are an hour long, streamed on Twitch, with no kickers or punters, and played on a 50-yard field at 7-on-7. The hook is that fans call the plays as part of the interactive Twitch experience and you can be a part owner of a team.

To get traction, a business needs financial backing, and Fan Controlled Football has that covered with sponsorships from Wendy’s, Verizon, and Progressive just to name a few. Current and former NFL Players such as Austin Ekeler, Richard Sherman, Dalvin Cook, and Marshawn Lynch have hopped aboard the train as owners to lay a strong foundation.

McGee’s sports marketing efforts have paid dividends. The FCF went from 735,000 viewers on Twitch in its first week to 2.1 million in the playoffs. It also got something the XFL and AAF did not, a second season. “FCF Season v.2.0” will begin in Spring 2022 after the Super Bowl. The four-team league is expanding to eight and they announced a broadcast deal with NBCUniversal’s NBCLX and Peacock to broadcast every game of the season.

For all the allure of a sports career, who you are working for is just as important, if not even more important, as the job itself. The following question from Matt dives into workplace culture:

Culture is a hot topic at all companies, and the “About Us” section of job postings are often littered with buzzwords about the culture being “like a family,” “forward-thinking,” or “innovative” WorkInSports Podcast Host Brian Clapp himself has broached the topic in terms of a catalyst of the Great Resignation, horrible bosses, or management creating a toxic work environment that drives away employees. However, this is a strong question involving how to proactively find out whether or not where you are applying is actually a good environment to work in before you enter it.

Given the immense competition to land sports social media positions in major professional leagues, it is noteworthy when someone fast tracks their career and bypasses those stepping-stone positions. Lexi Ross, Memphis Grizzlies’ Social Media and Digital Content Producer and our guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, is one such person. Lexi earned her Bachelor’s in Sport Leadership and Management from Miami University in 2019. Fast forward two years, and she’s gone from studying in Oxford, Ohio, to managing social media for an NBA team.

Clearly, the Memphis Grizzlies saw something in the creative content that Lexi was producing. In addition to her direct role with the team, she also builds content for the Grizzlies’ G-League affiliate, Memphis Hustle, their esports team, Grizz Gaming,, and FedEx Forum. This rising star joins the WorkInSports Podcast to chat with VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to share some sports career advice regarding:

Enjoy this episode!

When he isn’t dispensing job search advice on the WorkInSports Podcast, VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp makes the rounds with speaking engagements at various universities. There, he shares his wisdom with college students to build the foundations of their careers. This week’s Q&A podcast episode comes from a topic that came up time and again during Brian’s most recent encounters with undergraduates:

1. Do employers even read cover letters anymore?

Or:

2. What should I do on my cover letter to stand out?

Catch the full episode for Brian's answer on how important a cover letter is on your job search and how to make sure you stand out with yours!

We all face them. Sometimes they are dramatic, like the failure of a relationship, or the bankruptcy of a business. And sometimes they are less dramatic, but no less important like a new assignment at work, or an uncomfortable conversation.

As humans, we often tend to take action when we feel comfortable the results will be positive. We lean into those things where we know the success rate is high.

Today’s guest Jason La Canfora was a highly successful beat writer for the Detroit Free Press covering the Stanley Cup winning Detroit Red Wings.

But he wanted to take on more.

On to the Washington Post covering the NFL and the Washington Football Team.

Not bad – that sure looks like success.

Next thing you know, NFL network comes calling, we want you to be on camera and be our NFL insider.

That’s a challenge staring you in the face.

So what do you do? The Detroit Free Press was something many would have been happy with and deservedly so. The Washington post? For a beat writer that is top of the pile.

But, if you truly want to grow, if you truly want to fly – sometimes you have to get our of that comfort zone, and take on that stretch.

That thing you never thought you could reach.

Jason La Canfora was ready for the challenge and thrived on camer and leading the NFL news and information gathering at both NFL network and now CBS Sports.

Buckle up – this is quite the conversation with Jason La Canfora from CBS Sports.

Having a polished resume highlighting your professional attributes is job hunting 101, but Jim’s question for the WorkInSports Podcast takes it a bit further this week.

As a premium job board geared towards matchmaking between aspiring sports employees and organizations hiring them, WorkInSports Podcast host Brian Clapp naturally dives into a football reference regarding his resume writing tips. Football teams have a basic scheme for how they want to play (your base resume) and they tweak their game plans based on what they see in their upcoming opponent each week to maximize their odds for success (highlight different skills based on the job posting).

Fundamentally, you want a basic (maybe even boring) resume that won’t trip up the Applicant Tracking Systems where you apply along with a visually appealing version of your resume that you can show to a human being that will entice them to look at it.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month – you are now aware of this concept. But let’s go deeper. We need to get past awareness, we need to think about our collective contributions to the solution. 

Joining me today are Megan Gausemel, Director of Awareness Planning and Operations at Special Olympics International and Ben Collins, 40-year Special Olympic athlete, and the first athlete with a intellectual disability to be hired at Special Olympics headquarters – that what was 29 years ago. 

When I was first introduced to Ben, the last line of his bio nearly made me cry, he said,  “If I didn’t have Special Olympics in my life I would be sitting at home or on the sidelines doing nothing at all.”

Listen in to Megan and Ben's important story. 

We got our first video question in our Q&A session of the WorkInSports Podcast as Matt asks about leveraging the Great Resignation that the job market is smack dab in the middle of. This episode discusses why employees are leaving their jobs, even without another position secured, along with advice to turn this sports industry churn into a landing spot for you.

Sometimes it can be helpful to look back into sports history to understand where we are now and how radical the changes have been over the last 10 years or so.

I’m going to read two quotes and I want you to guess what we are talking about:

Here’s former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue:

Now here’s former MLB commissioner Bud Selig fearful statement to federal court

That topic was sports betting of course and in 2018, we’ve got legalized sports betting. Not everywhere... but in a growing number of states. And guess what, the world didn’t blow up. Players didn’t end up under the thumb of some mob boss, and again... the leagues themselves made money, with increased interest in their games.

How does all this happen? It’s not just at casinos, or riverboats, or racetracks --- we’re in the digital age baby, and today’s guest Johnny Aitken CEO of PointsBet USa is the leader of this charge.

We are at the tip of a very large iceberg, and Johnny’s here to tell us all about the journey and the upside... here’s Johnny.

One of the most useful traits of maintaining a strong presence on social media is branding yourself as a professional. On our latest Q&A segment of the WorkInSports Podcast, Darren from Atlanta writes:

While we’re never shy about advice to people looking to start a career in social media and iHire writes at length about optimizing your social media profiles to get hired, considering newer platforms such as TikTok to get your resume out there is a first, so thanks for the question Darren!

TikTok has exploded onto the scene over the past couple years and is a platform of choice for teenagers and college-age students especially, so of course brands (like us!) are considering jumping into it. There is a hashtag, #CareerTok, that is providing fantastic career advice on the platform right now. It’s a great place to gather short pieces of advice from experts.

The introduction, improved performance, and “free” nature of the internet upended every business model of sports consumption. Suddenly, all the content you paid for individually was at your fingertips with only an internet bill to pay for it. Magazines went online, struggled to maintain subscriptions, and several shut down permanently. As time went on and streaming apps became prominent even ESPN’s media empire faced diminished profits as consumers started cutting the cords to bloated cable bundles.

Newspapers got it the worst of anyone. In 2006, there were 74,410 people employed in the newspaper industry. By 2020, that number was cut in more than half to a total of 30,820. The sports section was not immune from those trends and several prominent beat writers with large online followings were shown the door.

This episode's guest, Evan Parker, serves as Senior Vice President and General Manager of The Athletic. Its subscription-based model has managed to thrive by focusing on all the things the internet seemed intent to prove was obsolete, and he tells us how on the WorkInSports Podcast.

Our latest episode of the WorkInSports Podcast hits an area in the middle of a slew of reasons for career changes as we approach what employment experts are calling the Great Resignation. We’ll let Bre, one of our newest listeners, set the stage:

The full episode will dive deeper into how to make this kind of drastic career change.

On our latest WorkInSports Podcast, we go a little deeper into the realm of college athletics as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp sits down with Auburn University’s Assistant AD for Marketing and Fan Engagement Dan Heck, who details his journey from a marketing graduate assistant at Central Michigan University to his current post running the Tigers’ marketing efforts in the football hotbed of the SEC.

There is a “cool factor” to working in sports that has traditionally drawn a large pool of candidates to any job opening to be part of the action, and college athletics is no different in this regard. You can flip on football games across the country on Saturday and see packed stadiums of diehard fans cheering their lungs out to create an energetic atmosphere. Working in college athletics offers a chance to live in and provide that environment. As a marketer, Heck is responsible for putting on the pageantry of a gameday and giving fans a connection to Auburn’s student-athletes.

Catch the full episode, it has a lot of great info on getting into and excelling in college athletics.

No fan questions this week for the WorkInSports Podcast, but VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp has advice all the same for our aspiring sports professionals.

Communication. It’s a crucial part of branding yourself not only as a trusted expert on your social media accounts and in your industry. Communication is also an important and exciting aspect of branding yourself because you can control the conversation and show a lot of cool content off to your followers.

Your personal brand is more than just your activity on social platforms. Emails, texts, comments, and posts are also a piece of it. When you reach out to someone to connect on LinkedIn and you add a sloppy note (or don’t add a note), that is a representation of your personal brand. When you email a boss, a professor, or an internship coordinator, you are giving a sample of your personal brand. That’s not as sexy as putting out a post on social that gets shared and liked hundreds of times, but it is critical to getting where you want in the industry.

Why Interpersonal Communication Matters

Every communication touchpoint is an opportunity for whomever you communicate with to evaluate your personal brand. In this episode, Brian uses the example of emailing a professor for assistance, but leaving vague information that does not let the instructor clearly know how to help. If you are the person who sends that type of email, understand that your exchange makes an impression and leads the professor to classify you as someone with low potential (and probably not worth the extra effort to help excel).

Social media is the sexy part of building your personal brand – and crafting a good persona there can absolutely set you on the path to success. However, there are still some nuances in doing so. Take LinkedIn, the go-to site for budding professionals to connect and network with experts in their chosen industry. While you can find people the algorithm suggests and hit “connect” to spit out an automated “John Smith would like to connect on LinkedIn” request, remember that you get 300 characters of your own to help that connection request stand out. Use those characters to ensure that initial outreach counts. Make that person feel like more than another number to add to your list of connections or followers.

Adversity. Everyone has had to overcome it in some form or another in their lives, but the amount of barriers differ between people. On this episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, Brian Clapp speaks with someone who has overcome countless obstacles throughout his life to excel, and he is paying it forward. Desmond Dunham turned to running as his way through those obstacles, an elite cross country athlete turned inspirational coach, Dunham has mentored over 100 Junior Olympic All-Americans and over 100 high school All-Americans, with myriad other accomplishments on the course and track. His new book, Running Against All Odds, is coming out soon and I'm thrilled to have him share some of his story on here.

On the WorkInSports Podcast, we pride ourselves on offering career advice to folks looking to break into or move up in, not only the sports industry, but wherever talented workers ply their trade. Our question from Jonathan in Texas is one that definitely applies to everyone finishing up a job or internship application:

This is a great question. People spend so much time updating and reformatting their resumes. They will write countless cover letters and tweak their formulas each time. Those things are extremely important and completely within their control.

Using references, though, is something that requires input from other people who are willing to speak on your behalf or take the time to write you a letter of recommendation. It can also be what puts you over the hump when employers start evaluating their applicants. 

Catch the full episode of the podcast where Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports, covers:

Why Do References Matter?

Etiquette of the Process

We have this vision of the sports agent. Contracts. Negotiation. Schmoozing. Glad handing.

A lot of this is true... but times have changed. Elite athletes used to choose their agents based on their history of signing massive long-term contracts for other clients -- “oh you helped Pedro Martinez sign a record-breaking contract extension – you're my guy!”

Now, athletes are looking deeper into the broader opportunities an agency can provide outside of just their on-the-field contract.

Can you help me build my personal brand, my influence?

Can you help me get an equity deal with a company I believe in?

Can you help me leverage social media, NFT’s, Names, Image and Likeness?

Can you help me build my foundation, leave an impact, develop a community?

Enter Gary Vee and today’s guest Mike Neligan CMO of Vayner Sports.

Gary Vaynerchuk is the CEO of VaynerX and Vayner Media – and is one of the most disruptive forces in social and digital media. He’s built a huge brand and following from scratch, become an internet celebrity, authored 6 books and genuinely tries to change the world one day at a time.

Gary loves sports, so in 2016 he built his own sports agency to go along with his media empire. Vayner Sports started out as a football agency working with amazing Pro Bowl level talent like Leonard Williams and Allen Robinson.

When Mike Neligan came on board as CMO he brought an amazing background in baseball having worked with big names like Derek Jeter and Clayton Kershaw, he knew how to market big time athletes.

This creation, Vayner Sports, is becoming the most disruptive and innovative brand in sports agency and I’m super excited to have CMO Mike Neligan on the show.

Last week, WorkInSports.com released its inaugural State of Sports Hiring Report. Naturally, Brian Clapp leaned into the data it revealed in the latest episode of the Work In Sports Podcast to determine what the findings mean. One takeaway:

A Lot of Movement is About to Happen

Industries nationwide have been dreading a “Great Resignation” that is supposedly fast approaching, and the data in sports is bearing that out as nearly 60% (58.1%) of our State of Sports Hiring Report respondents were currently employed and either actively or passively searching for a new job. Additionally, only 5% of the respondents were employed and NOT seeking a new job.

One area that is having some difficulties within the sports realm is college athletics. There is a lot to unpack in that area as college athletics is a massive sports employer. If you look on our job board today, you can find roughly 5,000 jobs in college athletics, more than one-sixth of the over 29,000 sports jobs featured on WorkInSports.com. Downsizing hit them over this pandemic and some sources that we spoke with in our look at the current landscape of college athletics are struggling to build their staffs back up.

Sports are fun to watch and experience and additionally should be fun to be around at work. Yeah, the hours are long and non-traditional at points, but people who enter it generally do so because they enjoy that atmosphere. So when you hear that almost 60% of the people we surveyed are currently working in sports, but are at least considering leaving their post, that ties into the culture of the job they are at.

With every sports gambling enthusiast's favorite season kicking off this week, the WorkInSports Podcast is doing a repost of Brian Clapp's Jan. 13 conversation with Nigel Eccles, Co-Founder of FanDuel. Strap yourselves in for an inside look at how he helped start up the sports book and daily fantasy sports service that boasts over six million users today. He takes us through the journey to disrupting the sports industry with FanDuel, pivoting to make this business model successful, and the changing world of sports business and what it means going forward.

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the WorkInSports podcast...

I’m going to share one of my favorite sayings with you today.

-Ernest Hemingway

This doesn’t apply to everything, my daughter started high school this week, I will worry. There is no problem to fix, I know she has to go to school and I can’t help but worry.

But in general, this concept, fixing problems versus worrying is the guiding light in my world.

I think that is why I am so drawn to entrepreneurs. They see a problem that either affects them or countless others and say to themselves “I can fix that, I have an idea”

But it doesn’t stop there, an idea isn’t viable unless you can execute it. Successful entrepreneurs have an idea, put together plans, generate interest and funding, establish teams, lead people and in the end create something that changes us.

All that is to say -- entrepreneurs have something special about them and I want to bottle it. Today’s guest is a shining example – James Sackville. James moved from Melbourne, Australia to the U.S, in 2016 and became SMU's starting punter for the next four seasons.

While in school James became dismayed by the recruiting experience he and his teammates lived through, so he set out to fix it, make recruiting more equitable fair market experience.

In May, he launched Athletes in Recruiting (AIR) a three-sided platform that's a cross between LinkedIn and a dating app--but for recruiting. Athletes can promote themselves to coaches, compare themselves to their peers and swipe right on colleges they have interest in. Coaches can also sort, filter and swipe on a prospective athlete based on recruiting needs.

But enough of me yapping – lets get to James.

Today’s question ties into great to this concept for today’s question from Corrine in Nevada,

But my answer will apply for anyone who wants to make a change in their career within the sports industry. So if you are working in sales and want to get into operations, this advice works for you too.

Corinne, the first thing you need to realize is that everyone pivots.

We all shift and move in our career and try different paths. In fact, according to multiple studies people change careers, full careers, 5-7 times over their lifetime. One report from CNN Money said in the first decade out of college millennials change employers on average 4 times…which is a huge change over previous generations.

The reason I bring this up is because the first thing you have to do is remove fear or a feeling of, I can’t do this, out of your mind. It’s not as uncommon as you think, people change and shift and adjust all the time.

We all tend to shackle ourselves with emotional chains that aren’t based in fact. Often the first thing you need to do in any career shake up moment, is to convince yourself it’s not only possible it’s probable.

On this week's expert podcast, Brian Clapp gets within two (or three?) degrees of separation from Jay-Z as he chats with Roc Nation Sports VP of Operations Michele Rinchiuso. On this WorkInSports episode, Brian discusses his journey in the world of sports marketing at Puma to pivoting over into Jay-Z's empire on the sports side of things and the traits that can help you get to where you want to be in your career journey.

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. This week, we've got a question from a curious high school senior named Jeremy who is passionate about getting into the sports industry. He writes:

Keep playing to get the in depth details, but here are a few tidbits

• Build your emotional intelligence
• Give yourself a few key messages you want to get across

Remember ESPN the Magazine? 

NEXT athlete, the Body Issue – for me, the Mag was appointment reading. 

Maybe I’m a little different, but I grew up addicted to the sports magazine scene. Sports Illustrated, Sport, The Sporting News. Every year my grandmother would get me a subscription to these mags for Christmas, she didn’t have to think about it, just renew the subscription each year and I’d be happy as could be. 

SI covers adorned my walls. In my mind's eye I can still picture the SI cover with Bernie Kosar in his Browns jersey and mini fro, with the headline “Banking on Bernie”. I see it clearly because it was the cover that grabbed your eye as you walked into my bedroom.  I didn’t particularly like the Browns or Bernie, it just so happened to be in your line of sight, and I remember it vividly. 

Growing up, these mags were all I read. Cover-to-cover.  My mom tried to get me to read more novels, more classics, but I loved the storytelling that came through on those pages. Frank Deford, Leigh Montville, Alexander Wolff.  

ESPN the Magazine raised the bar. 

The pictures were better, content was faster paced, the branding, the stats, the data visualizations and the storytelling were just awe inspiring. I worked at a competing sports network and yet read ESPN the Magazine for inspiration.  

NEXT athlete, the Body Issue, Athlete X, The Biz, Two Way – it was amazing.  

But magazines, well, they died, and it wasn’t climate change that killed them, it was audience change. TL;DR became a thing. Everything we needed was on our phones. Information was right here all the time.  

September 2019 ESPN published their last magazine. 

They said the demise was caused by the “rapid evolution of consumer habits” which means, people were no longer buying paper publications. 

Get this in December of 2018, just 9 months before shuttering, The Association of Magazine Media, ranked ESPN The Magazine No. 1 in total audience. It ranked No. 1 among magazines in web and mobile web audiences and was top ranked in video. 

And that wasn’t enough. It still didn’t work.  

Remember magazines, those were great. 

Today’s guest Gary Belsky worked at ESPN the Magazine for almost 14 years, culminating in being Editor in Chief 2007-2011, in fact the Body Issue was one of his brain children. He’s written 8 books, is an accomplished speaker and is the Chief Content Officer for Elland Road Partners.   

As former guest Joan Lynch told me, Gary Belsky is one of the smartest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with. After my conversation with Gary which, you are about to hear, I concur.  

Listen to Gary Belsky on the latest Work In Sports podcast... 

Today's Sports Career Q&A Question comes in from Felicia in Seattle: 

“Hey Brian, I’ve been listening to your podcast for the past 6 months and it is fantastic, such incredible advice that has served me so well. Your content has helped me gain focus and confidence in my sports career, you have mentioned many times that we should get focused on specific career goals while in college and I’ve figured it out... drum roll...I really want to work in sports social media. 

Now the question for you. Outside of the obvious, what should I focus on to get myself prepared to work in sports social media?”  

Listen in to the Work In Sports podcast to learn how to start a career in sports social media!

There are two goals in every interview we conduct.

1) We want to paint a picture of our guests career, how they got there and why they love it, because this could inform your later decision in life. I love it when someone says to me “Listening to your show helped me realize I wanted to work in sports marketing.”

2) We want to inform. Even if you have no desire to be an expert in biomechanics, we can still make the conversation interesting and appealing to everyone who listens.

As I consider guests for the show, I ask our team does this guest represent a career in demand that the audience may desire to become, and is this subject interesting enough to everyone else who doesn’t want that career?

So a few weeks back I get a pitch from a PR firm for Dr. Rami Hashish. I get a good deal of pitches, most of them are book tours and don’t serve the audience well so I pass. But I always consider them.

This was very different, and it got me excited right away.

I was expecting something like, “Dr. Hashish has written a book on body movement would you be interested in having him on your show?”

What I got instead was

Dr. Rami is the Founder of the National Biomechanics Institute and the Chief Technological Officer of pareIT. He has been retained as an expert witness on more than 1,000 occasions, examining injuries in sports, the workplace, motor vehicle, and aviation accidents. Dr. Rami has consulted for various organizations including pro sports team in the NBA and NFL. He has been asked by national media outlets to comment on everything injury related, including Tiger Woods’ car crash by the USA Today.

Subjects he is prepared to discuss:

• How to make the ultimate fantasy football team this year using science and research based on previous injuries and training.

• Can those shoes really make your butt bigger?”

• How is Tom Brady still crushing it on the football field at age 43?”

• Can the vaccine negatively affect athletic performance.

Now, I have no interest in being a biomechanical expert, but I would love to know the answers to the shoe question and everything else!

Get ready for a great conversation with Dr. Rami Hashish, Founder of the National Biomechanics Institute.

After a week away from this, time to dip back into the mailbag (digitally speaking) and we've got a great question from Ally in Virginia.

Listen for how you can nail that question for your next interview!

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged

Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.

In 2015 Ishveen Jolly brought to market her dream of an open

marketplace for brands and athletes to do business.

Brands have messages they want to get out in support of

their products, athletes of all levels are great spokespeople – let's bring

them together in a transparent and accessible way.

Simple right?

Not exactly. There is a lot that goes into taking an idea

and making it a reality, a reality that businesses like Anheuser Busch,

Groupon, The Vitamin Shoppe Draft Kings, Verizon and thousands more feel is

reputable and credible enough to do business with.

The first 4-5 years were about growth and expansion, both of

credibility and business opportunity. Then as the business matures, you get

into a “what’s next” mentality. Do we need to cross into other verticals outside

of sports, like entertainment? Is there new technology we need to develop? Do

we need to change our staffing and our process?

Leading a business as the CEO requires a constant mindset of

“where are we going, vs. Where we have been. There is no such thing as

comfortable. Challengers emerge, technology changes – it's all fluid.

And then, the biggest change of them all. Names, Images and

Likeness legislation.

Think about this for a second, Ishveen’s business

OpenSponsorship, was dependent on a limited number of professional athletes

able to leverage who they are to generate business for other brands.

Now, enter in 460,000 new collegiate athletes able to do the

same.

As of July 1st, college athletes can use their

name, their image, and their likeness to earn money! This opened up a huge opportunity

for Ishveen and the great folks at OpenSponsorhip.

And, amazingly, it isn’t just the big stars and the big

brands who are making money, for example, Jackson State DE Antwan Owens struck

a deal with 3 Kings Grooming! Hadn’t heard of either before I recorded this,

but I love this, every bit of it.

For long-time listeners you know I had Ishveen on the show

two years ago, she is amazing, I learned so much then. Now we’re checking back

in to learn more about what has happened in the NIL world over the first couple

months of wild west action!

Here’s my good friend, Ishveen Jolly...

I’m not going to sugarcoat anything, I’m a bit of a mess right now. Our CEO and one of my great friends, John Mellor, died last week at the age of 49 after battling cancer.  

You don’t listen to this show to hear me drone on about my life’s problems, we all have them, they are part of the human experience. But I can’t pretend this isn’t affecting me, and we are in an era of mental health awareness and transparency. 

So here’s the compromise, I’m going to tell the story I need to tell about Johnny, through the lens of the things he has taught me that have changed my life. You will get value out of it, and get insight into an amazing man, father, friend and boss.   

Please, do me the honor of listening to this one.

Almost 390 episodes in to the work in sports podcast and we’re trying something a little different. Two guests -- Two All-time great guests together on one show.  

In 2021 one of the main goals I had for myself was to be more of a connector in the industry. I have met amazing people from my career in the sports media, and even more great people from hosting this podcast. I have made it a goal to say after each interview, “who can I connect that person with that makes sense for both parties?” 

The goal is to be a connector in the industry by asking honestly and authentically, how can I bring my worlds together in a truly beneficial way?  

To be transparent, the idea is great, my execution has been poor. I’ve connected a few people, but far from the consistency I imagined. No one is perfect.  

Nonetheless – today you are in for a treat because I brought together two of my favorites for this episode, and as predicted, they are amazing together. 

John Ferguson is the VP of People and Culture at Monumental Sports and Entertainment, and Kali Franklin is the SVP, Head of Talent and Recruiting for Overtime Elite. I’ve had podcast interviews with each of them, and LOVED the conversation.  

The idea to fuse them together into one conversation, dare I say was brilliant. We originally built this to be bonus content for after our Job Recovery Summit at Hashtag Sports, but this was too good to hold back.  

They are amazing together – I barely even needed to be there – check it out – here are John and Kali!

Today's Sports Career focused question comes in from Kenton in California, 

Kenton – amazing question and a frustration many have had before you and many will after. I jumped this to the head of the discussion because I know time is of the essence for you....so let’s dig in. 

Listen in for tips to help you negotiate a low ball salary offer!

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the WorkInSports podcast!

Just as much as change is a constant, so too is resistance to change. 

Every generation, to some degree, fights against change. They like how things operated in their youth, that is what they see as their perfect combination of how things should be. 

This definitely applies to sports, and unfortunately just about everything else. A lot of the discord in our society comes down to many people being unwilling to change, they like the powerful seat they have, and change could disrupt that.  

In sports, it’s often about nostalgia, memories of going to the game with their dad and getting a hot dog vs. sharing memes on social media. 

I remember vividly how upset the generation before mine was about the wild card being introduced in baseball... it was going to ruin the game! The Wild Card, really? The game is so fragile that introducing more teams to the playoff format can break it?  

 This resistance is nonsense, things change. The world changes. Demand changes. 

The fact you carry around a supercomputer in your back pocket capable of giving you real time game results, means you don’t have to wait for Headline News to give you updates on the sports news of the day at the 10’s and 50’s of each hour. And you surely don’t have to wait for tomorrow’s newspaper. 

Anyone that is resistant to these changes is stuck. 

Now, that said, I’m not always a social media maven, I still like to watch a game instead of just highlights, I still like a well-crafted story...and every once in a while, when I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll turn on SportsCenter and remember the olden days.    

That was a bit of a rocket shot at ESPN... sorry, love you guys! 

Today’s media and fans are changing, their appetite their interests. Do you think commissioners like Adam Silver can afford to sit back and think, man I loved the days those fans acted in this particular way. That was great. 

No! They are constantly evolving! 

That bring us to today’s guest Jack Settleman, CEO and Creator of SnapBack Sports. Jack hosted a panel right after mine, at the recent Hashtag Sports conference, and he captivated me. Jack was talking new media, new fans ad new levels of attraction...I was hooked and wanted to learn more.  

Snapback sports tagline: a new way to consume sports – does just that, really well. Snapback is the largest sports Snapchat account in the world totaling over 500M+ views YTD. And Jack and his team leverage other social channels, collaborations, memes, experiences, betting, fantasy –it's amazing, and it works. 

Let’s learn a little something about fandom with Jack Settleman CEO f SnapBack Sports! 

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.  

We’ve got a good question coming in this week and I want to jump right on it, it speaks to the urgency of this moment, and it comes from Michelle in Boston.  

“Hi Brian, huge fan of your podcast you have given me guidance and confidence as I traverse this super strange time in the sports industry. My question for you is simple, but I also hope profound enough to pique your interest. I have been getting a lot of job interviews, I had three last month for example, but I am not getting the job. I’m panicking a bit because every time I go on LinkedIn, I see another person landing their dream job and celebrating. It seems like everyone else is landing their dream opportunity and I’m still on the bench. What am I doing wrong and how do I step up my game?” 

Michelle, wonderful question and we’re going to dive in deep.  

Topics we'll dive into:

• Why the interview process is the most important step. 
• What do the interviewers know about you right now?  
• What do they need to know about you?  
• What is the experience like for your interviewer? Put yourself in their shoes. 
• Executive summary – do you have stand out skills, traits, message? 
• Pick two to three things you want to make sure you hammer home – leadership and technical skills – passion and organization – project management and attention to detail.  
• How do you know which 2-3 to focus on? Study the job description, the company, the news surrounding the company. Do your research. 
• Stay flexible – if the interviewing is leaning you in other directions be able to adjust. You keep talking about your leadership skills and they are throwing a vibe, that’s nice but we need someone strong in execution. PIVOT! 
• Tell stories surrounding these traits 
• Walk through your thought process, why you did the things you did, how you learned and progressed. Don’t just walk me through the X’s and O’s -- share your process, let me learn more about you! Get into your how and why! 
• You want to be memorable.  

 Listen in to the full episode to learn more about how to nail the interview process.

If we have learned anything over the last year, it is that we all must constantly adjust, or we will watch the world pass us by.  

Quick story – in 2006 I went to Europe for the first time, my wife was competing in a field hockey tournament that took us to Germany, Amsterdam, Scotland and Belgium. IN Germany we visited Charlemagne’s castle – not Charlemagne Tha God, the Charlemagne who was the King of Franks. 

The castle was amazing, just what you’d expect a castle to look like built in the 790’s it had the turrets and the grand ballrooms, lots of castle stuff. 

Later when we went to Scotland, we visited Edinburgh, another beautiful castle built in 1103. 300 hundred years later. 

What struck me is that extraordinarily little had changed. The architecture, building processes, planning and arrangement of spaces – not particularly different. I’m sure some historian would argue with me, but it was Castle v Castle, and they were remarkably similar despite being 300 years separated.  

That is not the world we live in anymore. Things change exponentially every 5 years. Everything changes.  

This about your life in 2016 – sounds like a long time ago, right? Think about your phone, social media, analytics, electric cars, self-driving cars – everything changes at ridiculous speed right now.  

Will you adjust, or will you stand pat trying to slow down the world and make it fit what you remember and like? 

One of the many things that strikes me about today’s guest Ben Baskin, Senior Writer and podcast host for Religion of Sports, is his ability to adapt without sacrificing what he loves. 

Ben got his masters in journalism from Columbia, worked at Sports Illustrated for 5 years, loved in-depth storytelling and research and reporting. If you told him he had 10,000 words on the Chicago Bears he’d salivate trying to figure out the best angle and the best reporting to craft his missive.  

But the world changed under his feet.  

TL DR became thing. People stopped reading. Content bosses wanted click bait and listicles, debate shows and digital first content structures.  

Ben could have pined for the old days, and maybe in his quiet moments he does, but I like the action he took instead. He took his long form story telling chops to podcasting, crafting, really crafting amazing stories for his Lost in Sports podcast. It is my favorite show, Ben is my favorite storyteller, and you must start listening to this amazing style of content that should captivate and engage all of you.  

Ben adjusted his craft to fit the audience demands, and it worked. Will you do the same when faced with a similar challenge?  

This conversation is amazing, buckle up we have a lot of sharing to do. Here’s Ben Baskin. 

Today's Work In Sports podcast subject: interviewing skills we don’t discuss enough. 

We’ve talked about research and preparation, first impressions, video technology, phone interviews, panel interviews and more.  

But we might not have talked about a few other skills that can’t be lost in the preparation for your big moment. I have five I’d like to share today and implant in your memory banks as you get ready for your next big interview day:

Small Talk

Empathy

Active Listening

Story Telling

Body Language

Let's Go! 

Managing and leading people requires a unique blend of patience and expertise. 

Patience is paramount to success as a manager because you are inherently managing and leading people who are less experienced in this expertise than you are. 

If someday you become the director of group sales for a sports organization, you will be influencing the day-to-day actions of people new to the business, and junior in their experience. This means you must be patient in executing your plans, taking their growth with the logical steps forward and steps backward. 

It’s like having a kid - you work on their reading, and as soon as you make progress the next day they look at you like they’ve never seen the word AND before. You want to scream, like, "we did this 25 times yesterday" and then you realize they are 6-years-old and child protective services have already told you to stop yelling so much. 

I’m kidding of course, child protective services have never yelled at me, even if that story was slightly autobiographical. 

But this is patience in action. No one learns in a straight line, they go up and down. They grasp some concepts quickly and others take longer. They need repetition and acceptance of their shortcomings. 

This is a major part of being a thought leader at a company. You can’t write people off as hopeless, you have to work with them, find their learning style, figure out ways to translate your information into their language. 

Nowhere is this trickier than in the world of sports analytics. Analytics is one of the roles in the highest demand for the sports industry, and yet it is a very, very different language than most people speak. 

The best in this business have learned how to adjust their style to their stakeholders, whether that’s a GM, a coach or a player. Some are visual learners, and need heat maps, others like massive amounts of data and want it all, while others need to be told a singular thing at a time that can help them advance in their skill set. 

Everyone learns differently, and as long as they have the passion, the learning will come. 

I was watching TV with my wife the other night, and she was watching some competition fashion show and they are talking through designers and styles and sewing techniques -- and I said to her, "How in the world can anyone keep up with all these designers and techniques?"

She looked at me deadpan and said: “So who did the Patriots draft in the 3rd round of the 2007 draft?”

And I said, “trick question, they didn’t have a 3rd round pick”

It took me a minute until I realized she set the trap and I jumped in it. 

The point is, everyone has the capacity to learn what they are interested in and is placed in front of them within the right format.

That is the challenge for those in analytics - taking complex data, that their audiences want to understand, and making it understandable. The passion is there, it’s on the analyst to make it more than just numbers. 

It takes patience. 

Today’s guest Ari Kaplan understands this more than most - over the last three decades he’s been finding ways to give pro sports teams an edge through data AND having the patience to share the information in the right manner so that it can make a difference. 

This interview is fascinating - I learned so much because I have the passion, and Ari has the patience… so where do you fit in?

Let’s find out -- here’s Ari Kaplan…

I’m going to jump right into things this week with a passionate plea for all of you job seekers out there.  

The time is now to go extra.  

What is happening in the sports industry right now?  

Huge shifts in hiring.  

For the last year there has been staffing contraction due to COVID – not necessarily because of revenue depletion, sure in some cases it was, but not everywhere. Certain jobs were temporarily contracted due to the lack of live attended sports events, no need for me to rehash that, many of you lived it.  

The need was always going to be there, and come charging back...which is happening now, we are seeing a huge uptick in hiring.  

There are a few other things happening too. 

1: People changed over the last year. Their priorities shifted, their desires changed, their focused took on new meaning.  

Many people sat back and said --- “maybe sports aren’t my jam.” Maybe the schedule isn’t my thing. Maybe I don’t want to be around 15,000 people a night. Maybe I don’t want to work holidays and weekends.  

Everyone reprioritized for some reasons. Everyone was affected differently by the last year.  

I’ve talked to many people who have said, I think I;m giving up on the sports idea...or I’m going to look for something closer to family, because that what I learned to appreciate and value in the last year.  

Our society is taking a new view on work, and even more, purpose...and I respect the heck out of that.  

You do you.  

I hear that, and I love that people are knowing themselves and engaging in self-care, but I also think...that opens opportunities for others, and that other could be you. 

Let’s get into the thrust of this conversation: Now is the time to go EXTRA. 

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast. 

I have a new theory I’m testing out – let’s call it a lukewarm take in progress.  

Over the last 10 years as I’ve spoken at colleges and universities across the country, a vast majority of the young people I talk to equate working in the sports industry with becoming an agent.  

This makes total sense.  

Superficial generally unrealistic benefits of being an agent: 

• Rub elbows with famous athletes. 
• Be part of their entourage 
• Go to cool events. 
• Get good tickets to games. 
• Possibly have a movie made about you. 
• Drive a fancy car. 

Sounds pretty cool right? That is the romanticized version of being a sports agent. Most don’t find this glory, but that is hard to process when you are young and feeling invincible.  

I don’t say that dismissively, I totally thought I was invincible in my 20s, and that positivity possibly leaked into my 30s. When I was young, I didn’t see downsides or pitfalls as something that could happen to me, that was the other people, I’d be the successful one. 

The reality of being a sport agent: 

• Very few make it  
• TONS of competition 
• If you don’t know athletes, it is near impossible to get rolling 
• Lots of money spent, before money comes in – you could spend tons of your own money on some undrafted free agent that gets invited to training camp, never makes a roster and doesn’t sign a big contract. No payday for you. 

To drill down to the point, Sports Agent has been the big dream career of many – but it ain’t easy. Not trying to dissade anyone, just pointing out the reality.   

Get ready here comes the warmish take.  

I think there is a shift. I think we’re seeing more and more interest in player marketing, and today’s guest JB Greer Director of Player Marketing for baseball at Octagon, is one prime example of this dream career. 

I’ll let JB tell you about the benefits and why he loves is job, but surface level: 

• Still rubbing elbows with incredible players 
• Super creative – getting to come up with partnerships, marketing activations and player branding. 
• You are part of a bigger team – at Octagon there are multiple agents, marketers, financial advisors and coordinators on the baseball team working in conjunction with one another. No trying to go it alone.  
• And I’m guessing you still get good tickets to the game. 

Bottom line – if I were starting out again, I think this may be the way I’d go, and it’s definitely something you in the audience should consider.  

Let’s hear all about it from today’s guest – JB Greer. 

Question from Gerald in Oregon:

“Hey Brian, whether you know it or not, you have been advising me for years. I know this is the first time I’ve reached out, but I’ve been a huge fan and you’ve profoundly changed my perspective and approach on so many career-focused initiatives. I started listening when I was a junior in college, I graduated last year, and just landed my first full-time gig in the sports industry.  

One thing I haven’t heard you talk about is starting a new gig. What should I expect in my first month and what can I do to really stand out for the right reasons?” 

I've got 5 things you should do, and 3 things you shouldn't when starting a new job and trying to make an impact. Let's GOOOOOOO!

I know this may sound trite, but I learn something from every interview I conduct on this show. It’s true - when you keep yourself open to learning and open to your own need for improvement, you start to see the opportunity in everything. 

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but today’s guest Shahbaz Khan director of digital content for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, really woke me up during this interview with his ideas. 

Now, full disclosure -- if someone asked me what my dream job would be right now, it would be leading a digital content group for a pro sports team -- so Shahbaz had me piqued from the get-go.

Check it out - Shahbaz has a great story to share, and vivid experiences!

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast…

Community relations is food for the soul of an organization. 

Still one of my favorite quotes. It’s from an anonymous CEO, I’d give credit if I could.

And it’s a true statement. When most departments of an organization are focused on internally beneficial revenue creation, it is the community relations department that is focused on more outwardly impactful projects. 

They are literally giving, with no intention to receive anything but joy and fulfillment. 

But, even though the quote hits the mark on the spirit of community relations, it’s purpose and mission, it doesn’t take into account the actual scope of the job. 

What we see from the outside are hundreds of events each year utilizing the reach and power of a team brand and its athletes to make a difference in the local community. Support for education, the military, cancer survivors, blood drives, coaching -- that what we see, and are moved by as human beings.

But when we talk about the job, when we talk about Community Relations as a career, yes it starts with caring about the people and the causes -- but it also requires elite skills. Event management, marketing, promotions, budgeting, staffing, leadership skills, and more are required to impact and change the local community. 

It starts with heart, but it requires skill.  

Today’s guest is a shining example of that mix, a combination of elite skill and unrivaled passion and enthusiasm for making a positive change the world. 

Kevin Brown is the Director of Community Impact for the Detroit Red Wings  -- it’s my pleasure to have him as our guest 

Here we go -- let’s dive into the world of community relations with Kevin Brown…

Question of the week comes in from Brian in Pennsylvania. Yes for the second time in a row I am answering my own question. 

“What are the big problems you are seeing first-hand as you review applicants to your job openings?” 

Great question Brian. As you all should know I’m hiring for three roles, and I’m in the weeds of resumes, phone calls and interviews. It’s awesome. Seriously, I love being in this conversation. BUT, there is also a ton of tidbits I want to share with you all. 

1: Spray and Pray (7:10)

2: Resume Length (10:03)

3: Mission Statements That Aren't Aligned (11:13)

4: Resume Doesn't Match Job Description (13:25)

5: Not Doing Your Research/Homework (16:54)

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast. 

Over the last year, I, like many others, have spent time contemplating my own preconceived notions and unconscious biases in every walk of my life.  

We all have them, it is a part of the human condition, but where do they come from, and why are they allowed to stay? 

This question has perplexed me as I’ve tried to open up my lens and question myself every time an instinctive thought comes into my psyche.  

While the social justice issues of 2020 may have sparked my internal curiosity, it would be naïve to think bias only comes into issues of race, gender and culture. When you pay attention to it, and the way your mind processes information, unconscious bias and preconceived determinations are everywhere.  

I did some digging, and studies indicate that many children by five years of age have entrenched stereotypes about various social groups. The world we are exposed to forms our foundational beliefs and hen becomes a tool to make snap judgements and conclusions on sight. 

Kind of spooky right? It’s like our brain is hardwired by societal influence.  

We watch Saturday morning cartoons and don’t see any black or asian children, OK, white people hold more important statuses, got it. 

We don’t see women in positions of power, OK, men are more powerful, got it. 

But it can even be simpler and more pervasive than race and gender, we see a hard charging, demanding CEO on TV and start to lump information together, OK, CEO’s are smart, but mean and cutthroat, got it. 

We see sales people represented in pop culture as in your face buy, buy, buy, and we think, OK, that’s not me.  

Our belief structures become formed, not out of some nefarious agenda, but because we as children are trying to make sense out of our world and the easiest way to do that is draw conclusions from what we see and hear.  

As children we have no choice, we lack the cognitive ability to evaluate the validity of our assumptions.  

As adults we do, if we pay attention to their existence.  

I’ll use a personal example. A couple of weeks back I had on Dr. Bill Sutton, one of the absolute best people in our industry. After our interview was complete we chatted a bit, and he suggested today’s guest Scott O’Neil CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment as someone he could connect me with.  

My instantaneous reaction was hell yes, but my subconscious notion was – he's the CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, he’s going to be tough, he’s not going to have time to really do this, I’m going to get canned answers that aren’t authentic, he’s not going to be all that interested to talk to me, and this may very well sound better than it is in practice. 

This is what ran through my head immediately! 

Within a day the session was booked. Dr. Sutton came through. Scott and his team were kind, gracious, courteous and attentive. He sent me over a copy of his new book, Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving...and I was blown away.  

I really like meditation, being intentional, paying attention to your mind and the energy you throw off to others around you – but to learn Scott, this Harvard educated, top of class, wildly successful guy was contemplating true happiness alongside me? 

I was blown away and read his book from beginning to end.  

And there it is, preconceived notions, drawing unfair conclusions about people or evens before you KNOW a damn thing.  

It's all I've been able to think about since I concluded the interview with Scott.

I've read his book, it is insightful, so introspective,

July 8th 2010, for many this represents the dawning of the Player Empowerment Era.  

If you don’t remember that date, and why should you unless you live in Cleveland, that is the date “Lebron: The Decision” aired on ESPN. Lebron James announcing his intent to take his talents to South Beach in an ESPN special that was probably 10 minutes but felt like 20 hours. 

Forgetting how mind-numbingly awful that show was, it did put a stake in the ground for all athletes moving forward to say “we can take control of our careers and pull the levers of our own lives.” 

It’s clear how monumental this event was, based primarily on the anger it caused in then NBA commissioner David Stern.  Stern was a very smart man and savvy businessman, and according to may I’ve spoken to who knew him, he loved being in control of the league and its players. 

Stern pushed ESPN to cancel The Decision, former ESPN executive John Skipper detailed after the fact that he believed "[Stern didn't like it] probably because the player was in charge here." 

And there it is, the dawning of the player empowerment era.  

Well, that is if that’s how you define player empowerment.  

I think I’d take a different view.  

If empowerment is the authority given to someone to do something, I think athletes have been empowered far before Lebron James walked the Earth.  

• Jesse Owens earning 4 gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games as Hitler watched outraged. 
• Jackie Robinson 
• Althea Gibson 
• Billie Jean King 
• Bill Russell 
• Muhammad Ali 

They all took back their power, leveraged their abilities into change moments. It wasn’t choosing what team to play for, it was choosing to change the world.  

I’m not trying to be belligerent, clearly today’s athletes are using their voices and power toward good causes and are effecting change in the world. Nothing has interested me more in the last 10 years than the Player Tribune, the ultimate platform for athletes to show they are more than an athlete.  

Athletes today have a louder megaphone and more tools in their toolbelt than ever before. And they are using them all.  

One of those tools many athletes leverage are Athlete Marketer, people trained and dedicated to help build the profile and brand of today’s top athletes. One of my favorites, is Jennifer Keene, VP of Athlete and Property Marketing at Octagon, Jennifer Keene. 

For long time listeners of this show, Jennifer has been here before and knocked it out of the park. I wanted to have her back on to discuss many of the emerging sports marketing trends in 2021...and she was kind enough to join me despite the fact she is moving from New York to LA! So when you see videos of the show, she wanted me to make it clear she is moving, not a hoarder with boxes everywhere.      

Here she is, my friend Jennifer Keene ready to discuss sports marketing trends in 2021. 

Last week I had a friend reach out who was applying for a cool job with a professional sports team. Since I really like and respect this person, and I know people at the professional sports team, I volunteered to reach out on their behalf to my friends at the team and put in a good word.  

Now, I didn’t bring this up to show off my altruistic nature and overall good dudedness. I bring this up because something very interesting happened, something I haven’t been able to stop thinking about ever since.  

My conversation with my friend in pro sports, led me to wonder… Is Networking Dead? 

Here is the scene. 

I reach out to my friend, a former guest on the show by the way, and I tell them the details – got a friend in the final round, they’re great, wonderful addition to your team, hard-worker, experienced, can you put in a good word with the hiring manager? 

Their response: 

“Hey Brian, normally I would do this for you in a heartbeat, your friend seems like a wonderful candidate. But just two weeks ago there was a new company policy instituted whereby no employee can discuss or advocate for candidates to a hiring manager. The goal is to remove bias, and create a truly inclusive staff without favoritism, nepotism or cronyism. By keeping the process devoid of influence, we believe we will be stronger throughout our organization.” 

Ok, process that for a second.  

My initial thought was…good for you and your organization.  

I’ve long been an advocate of D, E & I – but have always wondered how it will happen, how do we do it?   

I talked with Vincent Pierson who at the time was the Director of D, E, I at MiLB, and asked, this is all wonderful in theory but what do we do? Like, how does this become a reality? 

I’ve asked Kali Franklin, John Ferguson, Philicia Douglas, Dr. Bill Sutton and many others – what do we do?  

This initiative right here, expressed by a professional sports team is the most concrete example I’ve heard to date of process change to adapt to a more inclusive workplace.  

I’m here for it. But it begs the question – is Networking Dead? 

One more thing before we get into what this means. I have always hated the “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” concept. It drives me insane and is such 1990’s era thinking.  

Bear with me as I repat a story some of you have heard. I started at CNN/Sports Illustrated in 1996. There were probably about 30 of us entry level production assistant and associate producers hired at the same time. 4-5 of them, were there because they knew people. One had a dad who was a famous sports media columnist, other had influential parents or uncles.  

They were hired because of who they knew.  

Guess what, they all bombed out in under a year. They didn’t have the skills or the aptitude to do the job.  

Organizations got smarter and realized – hiring unqualified people really hurts us more than some intangible idea of playing favorites to some influencer. 

You can’t just know people and get by. You don’t get hired as a favor to your influential Mom or Dad. 

Skills matter. Just listen to last week’s guest, Michelle Andres SVP of the Baltimore Ravens, she said “I need to see your skill set on your cover letter, not just that you are a fan.” 

Now, let’s get back to the big topic – Is Networking Dead? 

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast... 

As I talk to young people across the country, there is an undercurrent of panic in their collective voices. It sounds a lot like pressure and fear.  

I’m no neuroscientist, but anecdotally is sure seems negative news accumulates in our brains much faster than positive. Using myself as an example, I’ll remember the one review giving one star and commenting that the “host has a weird voice and delivery. His questions meander and lack any interesting quality.” 

That will stick in my brain FOREVER. It comes up in my subconscious as I write questions, it comes up live during interviews, it comes up during the editing process where I wonder if this person isn’t right. 

The hundreds of positive reviews lack the power to cut through this dissenting voice. 

Now let’s spin this to your existence.  

• Dot com Headline: Unemployment is High! 
• Sports Hiring Manager: We get 400 applicants for each job!    
• Podcast host: If you don’t get the right experience, you won’t get noticed! 

The data you have coming at you is discouraging, panic inducing and amounts to pressure. I can hear the message you are giving yourself, “if I don’t choose everything perfect, from internships to majors to skill development to networking to interviewing technique...I’ll be lost and I will fail.” 

Wow. That’s heavy. But again, that’s the voice I hear coming from the young people I speak with today.  

I did a little analysis with this thought in mind. I went through our podcast guests, who as you know are amazing people in the sports industry...and around 37% of them started their careers elsewhere other than sports. Even more than that, around 47% majored in something completely unrelated to their current career.  

All of this is to say, take it easy on yourself. Your career is not a straight line, it is not something you can plan out perfectly, it is organic and takes shape as you live through it.  

Have a plan, have goals, have accomplishments in mind like building your network and gaining the experience that matches industry demand...but don’t be rigid.   

Today’s guest is a shining example of this pattern. Michelle Andres was a political science major. In fact, she so loved politics she received her Master’s in Political Science – Campaign Management.  

But then, she didn’t love the work itself. I’ll let her give you the details...but think about that a second. She didn’t do 7 sports internships. She didn’t have a vast network of sports connections. But she landed a job with the Orlando Magic as the Assistant Director of Interactive Marketing, and her career has grown rapidly ever since, where she is now the SVP f Ravens Media with the Baltimore Ravens. 

Why?  

She will explain that, and a whole lot more... here’s Michelle Andres.  

Question incoming from Brandon in Bellevue, Washington. Brandon, I lived in Bellevue for 10 years, we’re practically neighbors despite the fact I now live 2,882 miles away. Yes, I googled it.  

“Hey Brian, I’ve been doing a bunch of mock interviews to prepare and there is a pattern that keep emerging. I’ve had two of my professors and three different family members conduct mock interviews, and they all asked me the same question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” 

Is this a very common question, and if so how would you answer it because my first instinct is, “I have no idea.” 

Help?!” 

Let's dig into this!

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.

Recovery starts with innovation. 

I read this the other day and thought, this sounds a lot like what my grandmother used to tell me when she’d cobble some new fandangled way of plowing her garden fields with a series of hoes tied on to the back of her 1940’s era tractor. 

Never short for an analogy or cliché she’d look at me and repeat, “Necessity is the mother of all invention.”

That saying has always stuck in my mind, when there is need there are creative solutions.  

Never before have we faced more need, and never before have innovative minds been more in demand. 

As teams and leagues and organizations look to pivot and change their revenue models and adapt to our new world — the innovative people in every organization are the ones leading the way to the future. 

That is not hyperbolic or overly dramatic. We need innovation. We need a new way to look at our games, our stadiums, our fans, our revenue streams, our products our marketing — everything needs a fresh set of eyes. 

I booked today’s guest, Josh Walker, President of Sports Innovation Lab because multiple people in my sphere of influence pinged me in April and said “did you read this article on how the sports industry will recover, it’s fascinating”

The article was pushed at me from multiple angles from people I respect with excitement and fervor I couldn’t deny, so I read it and immediately thought — who wrote this! I need them for this show!

The crazy thing is… Josh, the scribe responsible for the forward-thinking piece, developed the concept of recovery before there was a need for recovery. See Josh is the kind of futurist we need more of in sports, the ones who can utilize data and research and intuition to see what the industry needs to be, rather than what it is. 

Josh is the President of Sports innovation Lab who, along with his co-founders, former NFL linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski and former Olympian and 4-time gold medal winner Angela Ruggiero developed a fluid fan concept that sees sports in a way that earns the fans loyalty rather than expects it. 

You’ll see what I mean.. Here’s Josh — get ready for some incredible, in your face, honest…and some exciting ideas on how to mold our future of sports.

Here’s Josh…

Today’s question, and it’s a good one, from Janell in Missouri. 

I love this question, now, I know I say that a lot, but I really love this one.  

Why?  

Because Janell brings up a very valuable distinction between what you want to know when you are in the internship process vs. full-time job process. It is different and we need to discuss it! 

When you are applying for a full-time job and in the interview cycle, you are trying to discover long-term fit. Will this culture support your growth? Are there career growth opportunities? Does their business have a long-term revenue plan so they will exist in the coming years? 

You want to know these things before you commit!  

For an internship, your motivation is different, your timeline is different. You need to make sure that your questions revolve back to the theme of, is this the right opportunity for me, right now.   

As a college student you may only have the opportunity for 2-3 internships, you can’t waste that time stuffing envelopes for a nothing company. You need to maximize your opportunities, and the best way to know for sure, is to ask questions.   

• Sticky notes! Most job and internship interviews right now are utilizing video interviews, for obvious reasons. Here's a low tech strategy to keep yourself on track! Put sticky notes all around you computer screen with prompts for follow up questions, topics you want to bring up, experiences, anything to trigger your memory just enough to push you further in the interview.
• Have more questions ready than you think you need. If you only prepare for 2-3 follow up questions, and the interviewer handles them during the interview, what are you going to do, other than sweat profusely? Prepare around 8 follow up questions and you'll always have something to ask at the end, and sweating becomes optional.

1: What type of responsibilities and expectations do you have for interns at your organization? 

2: Are there cross-training opportunities in multiple departments or are we isolated to a particular group? 

3: What does the training and professional development look like for interns? 

4: Is there a history of past interns becoming full-time employees? 

5: If yes, are there certain traits or qualities that made them stand out? 

6: What does a typical week look like for an intern on this team? 

Listen in to the Work In Sports podcast episode 368 for more information and details on all of these talking points!

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the WorkInSports podcast. 

There are two major assumptions that Americans tend to make about sports.  

1: The big four – baseball, football, basketball and hockey - are the only sports that matter. 

2: Sports happen within our borders, except the rare occasion of the Summer and Winter Olympics. 

I get it, American exceptionalism and all, but can we all, at least on this show, agree these are falsehoods? 

I love and appreciate the big four sports as much as anyone, but I refuse to submit to the premise that they ARE the sports industry. That’s it, just those four.  

If sports represent activities involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment, and the industry comprises any one of thousands of roles surrounding these activities – our industry is much larger than say U.S. based basketball coach.  

In sports, there are no boundaries. It’s a meritocracy. Whoever performs the best, while executing within the established rules – plays. Same in the vein of work, whoever performs the best, executes plans, supports initiatives – thrives.  

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again today, working is sports is a competitive choice. As a sports job candidate, you must actively think to yourself, “How can I make myself the best of the competition? What else can I do?” 

One suggestion – go global.  

Imagine for a second you have relevant international experience. Put yourself in the shoes of an employer, trying to hire the best, most talented, staff. Would someone who worked in Barcelona for a bike race, or Milan for a marathon stand out to you? 

It’s not the big four sports, and it’s not within the US border – so does it matter? Of course it does, in fact it’s impressive. 

But how? How would you achieve this kind of game changing experience?  

LivingSport. 

7-10 international study abroad trips where it isn’t all just tours and sightseeing, it’s work. The kind of work that will find its way onto your resume, broaden your horizons and alter your perspective for life.     

Who better to explain this amazing program that CEO and Founder Alicia Marinelli, this week's high energy, let’s get after it, guest.