How To Land A Career In The Sports Industry

A career in sports is one of those things that a lot of people dream about but only a select few actually pursue. There are so many people that give up on their hopes of making a career in the sports industry because they just don’t think it’s realistic. They bow to outside pressure to go for a safe career rather than shoot for something they’re really passionate about. But the truth is, there’s no reason why you can’t have a career in sports if you really want it. The first thing to remember is that you don’t have to be a player to work in sports. Not everybody will make it as the next superstar but there are all sorts of other jobs you can look for in the sports industry. Another big misconception that people have about the sports industry is that people get into it after one lucky break. Not everybody that works in sports was picked up by a scout at a college game. For some people, it does work that way but not always. There are plenty of people that got into the sports industry later in life after years of hard work. If you’re considering pursuing a career in sports but you don’t really know where to start, here are some handy tips.

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Study Your Chosen Sport

Studying your chosen sport is important and there are a few different ways to do it. Firstly, you need to make sure that you’re watching games regularly and analysing them properly. It’s also important that you’re playing as much as you can and keeping up to date with any developments in strategies and rules in your chosen sport.

Living and breathing you sport is one way to study it, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that you can study a lot of sports in the more traditional sense. Did you realize, for example, that there are a lot of great golf schools out there where you can get professional tutorage and learn how to be a better player? That’s just one example and you might not be able to find schools for every sport but it’s definitely worth looking into.

Volunteer

You’re not going to land a job in the sports industry without any experience which is why volunteering is so important. It’s the best way to get experience and it’ll also help you to make valuable connections which can help you later on in your career when you start looking for paid positions. There are plenty of local sports organizations and leagues that are always looking for a bit of extra help. If you get in touch and let them know that you’re interested in volunteering, they’ll be happy to accommodate you.

Highlight Your Skills

Now that you’ve got some good experience and you’ve taken any relevant courses that you can find, it’s time to start looking for positions if you’re not going to pursue a career as a player. When you’re applying, it’s important that you highlight your skills as well as your experience. Think about what you learned while you were volunteering and focus your applications around that.

Finding work in the sports industry is difficult but it is possible for you to find your dream career if you’re willing to put the work in.

It's Time to Get Involved in Spectator Sports!

Most of us engage with some sort of sport. Whether that’s a team sport such as soccer, basketball, or volleyball, or an individual sport such as archery, climbing, or kayaking. However, sometimes the intense physical aspects required to engage with them might put us off. Whether we’re feeling a little under the weather or simply want to kick our feet up and relax, there are bound to be a whole host of times when heading outdoors in a huge exertion of energy just isn’t something we’re interested in. However, you don’t have to cut sport out of your life entirely in times like this. In fact, you can engage with a sport in a completely different way - as a spectator. Here are a few different sports that you might want to try watching instead of physically engaging with at some point!

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Baseball

Baseball is one of the most popular spectator sports in the world. While the premise of the bat and ball game is relatively simple, the feeling of being a part of a particular team’s fanbase is all-encompassing. You really get drawn into the game as you cheer along and chant. One of the great things about baseball is that it’s relatively unpredictable. In most sports, you can take a look at individual sports people's track records and gauge the outcome of each match or game. However, with baseball, you can really be taken by surprise, with league champions falling and the underdogs having the day regularly. To experience baseball at its best, try to secure dodger tickets that will provide you with seats to some of the best games.

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Boxing

Boxing matches are thrilling - you get to see two athletes in their prime go head to head in a battle of both the body and the will. It’s not surprising that this is a sport that organisers really make a show out of. For weeks ahead of any big fight, you can tune into interviews, weigh-ins, and pre-match standoffs between the individuals lined up. On the night, you can either head along to a live venue or tune in on your television, with matches often being streamed worldwide for those at home. The music and entrances really get your adrenaline pumping! You then get to watch a highly technical sport, learning a whole lot about technique and statistics from the commentators along the way.

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Archery

Archery is a more obscure sport that not all too many people pay attention to. But this is simply because it isn’t as hyped up as many other major sports. Archery really can be brilliant to watch, especially if you’re looking for something that is more focussed on calculated finesse than pure adrenaline. It is perhaps most widely televised during major events such as the Olympics, but there are Youtube channels dedicated to providing access to all sorts of archery championships.

These are just three sports that are widely televised, or that you can attend in-person if you’re lucky enough to get tickets. So, choose one and get involved!

"Is This Some Kind Of Jock?!" Surviving College When You Hate Sports

For some people, it's the reason they go to college, for others it is the epitome of their worst nightmare. When you go to college, you have to put up with a certain amount of sport. And it's one of those populist things that everybody is supposed to like, and you have to get behind your team, and so forth, but what if you just want to indulge in your guilty pleasures in your dorm room, and stay away from the fanfare? For a lot of people, it can be very difficult to survive college, but there are some practical ways to survive those big college games, where you seem to be the only person that hasn't gone.

Indulge Your Passion

Not to stereotype, but there are plenty of great games you can get involved in, that are so immersive, you can block out the rest of the world. To have a truly immersive atmosphere, you need to set up a place that is for you and you alone. So get inspired, and set up a gaming desk will that can contain everything you need. If it stuck for inspiration, have a look at sites like HotRate to see what type of gaming desks you can get. But if you really want to set up an immersive experience for your gaming, you need to make sure the environment is a suitable one. So that's good quality headphones, preferably noise canceling ones, and get comfy because you are going to be there all day.

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Get Away From The Fanfare

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the college, at least for the weekend! The big games are usually on a Saturday, so why don't you go home and spend time with your family? Failing that, why don't you indulge in a movie marathon at your local multiplex? A lot of people can only go see movies when they are on their own, so there's nobody else next to them talking, and if this is you, this is a perfect opportunity.

Stake Out a Coffee House

If you can't stay in your dorm room, why don't you take your favorite book, have a nice macchiato, and scope a seat by the window? At least, in this sense, you are being a little bit more sociable than hiding away in your dorm room, and if you are bored of your book, it might be time to think about indulging in the new hobby.

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Get A New Hobby!

Photography, museums, writing that book, or even doing some coursework if you really are keen to get away from the sports, then at least make it practical. There's no point being all Holden Caulfield about it and sulking in your dorm room while everyone else is cheering the team on, so why don't you at least do something that is good for yourself, inspires you, and gives you a new found enthusiasm for your free time?

It can be very difficult if you don't like sports, but a lot of people don't, so why don't you find those people out as well? It can feel alienating not being into any type of sport, but there's always something to help you survive those sporty periods.

How Sports Betting Can Be a Walk in the Park

Like all forms of gambling, betting on sports is capable of being both fun and frustrating. It goes without saying that most people will be hoping for more of the former than the latter. The truth is, there is only a certain amount you can do to make that happen - but at least there is something you can do. Betting on sports can be done in such a way as to improve your chances, and make it a more enjoyable experience all round. In this post, we will go through some of the key pieces of advice for ensuring that placing bets is a walk in the park.

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Only Bet What You Can

This first piece of advice is probably the most important to bear in mind. It can be all too easy to find yourself betting away more money than you really can afford to. While this might not be a problem in the early days, it won’t take too long before it is more of an issue. First things first, you should be careful to remember to only place bets that you can actually afford to place. That way, it is much more likely that you will be able to keep your distance and make it more profitable and more fun. If you are unsure about whether or not to make a big bet - then don’t!

Look For The Best Odds

Before you really get into this kind of betting, you need to know what the odds mean. Getting to grips with the odds is essential if you want to make the most of this experience. Beyond that, you also need to know where to find the best odds possible. Different bookmakers offer differing odds, so it pays to know where to look. Mostly, this is just a matter of experience, and as such it will take some time. Eventually, you will know where to look for the best bets in horse racing and the best bets in football. It is just a matter of patience.

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Remember: There Is Always Some Risk Involved

Betting and gambling are not problems in themselves as such. But when you start to get out of control with it, it can quickly become an issue. A key thing is to always remind yourself that there is definitely going to be some risk involved. It is worth remembering this, as it is in forgetting it that real problems arise. Even when you find incredibly good odds, there is a chance that it will not go through and you will end up worse off. So remember that there is always a risk, and you will be unlikely to go far wrong.

Have A Plan

This last piece of advice is something which very few people actually take on board. However, it can soon prove to be particularly useful for anyone who wants to get into betting on sports. If you want to carry on with your sports betting, it is a good idea to have a plan. This simply means that you know how much you intend to bet each month, regardless of what you get back. Having a plan makes it much easier to stay on top of it all.

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Movie Review Monday: ESPN 30 for 30 - 'Broke'

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie is ESPN Film's "Broke" in their 30 for 30 series, directed by Billy Corben.

Before you say anything, I know, a sports movie? I'm not a huge fan of the sports, nor have I ever done the sports for school or anything (save for some epic pee-wee action back in the day). I still found myself interested in this movie, given the topics of money and decision making, as well as the exposure I've had to student athletes working in higher education. The issue has been something I've gone to workshops on as it relates to leadership of a sports franchise and how to support your followers so they can succeed, in their current role and future ones.

The film follows a rough outline of the typical life cycle of an athlete in any of the major professional sports (NFL, NBA, and MLB). It starts at the signing and the lavish life of luxury these individuals enjoy at the beginning and goes into the hardships that come with such wealth coming so quickly. It ends with the numerous professional athletes who have declared bankruptcy and have faced significant difficulties after they retire from their respective sport. Some can turn their lives around but many do not.

I found this short documentary compelling since the responsibility of higher education is mentioned briefly and came to my mind as well as I watched. A lot of these professional athletes get their start at colleges and universities and we have a duty to prepare them to be positive citizens with the appropriate skills and knowledge to succeed in the world just as much if not more than our other students. The sports world can be a wild ride with many people trying to take advantage of the massive amounts of money involved, so we owe it to our student athletes to make sure they know how to take care of themselves before it is too late.

While it isn't the most groundbreaking, dazzling, or amazing documentary out there, I found this to be a solid watch to get some insight into the reality of the sports world. There are a few other 30 for 30 films available on Netflix so if you're more of a sports nerd than I am, I encourage you to check them out.

You can catch this movie streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!