The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers Brian Clapp - Work in Sports

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:
“Hey Brian, I am just finishing up my junior year of college, and I feel like I am having a bit of a panic attack. I still don’t know what I want to do with my career, and life is right around the corner. I listen to the experts on your podcast and think – how did they even know Partnership Activation or Sponsorship Sales was a thing to pursue? I’m feeling lost – any guidance you can provide?”Finding the Right Sports Management Career Path for YouWorkInSports 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:
CoachingFitness/RecreationSales/Business DevelopmentMedia/CreativeMarketing/CommunicationsTechnology/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.
Make a PlanUntil 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 researchDevelop a 30-second elevator pitch for yourself that sells you to potential employersClean up your social media accounts to ensure you are presenting yourself professionally
Lean On and Expand Your NetworkThe 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.
Determine Your Preferences
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 worldWhat she learned about the sports business from her tenure as USF’s volleyball coachHow she transitioned out of coaching into the Tampa Bay Sports CommissionWhat goes into putting together a compelling bid for the Super BowlWhy it’s important to pay it forward to women in sports in organizations such as WISEWhat 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:
“Hey Brian – I love working remote. I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but for me, it is a dream scenario. I know most of us HAD to do it during COVID, but now a lot of us WANT to do it. Is this an option in the sports industry, and if so, how do I find these jobs and get them?”
Finding Remote Sports Jobs
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!