Practically everyone who reads this publication gets (or asks) that question.
To help the aspiring during this graduation season, and assist readers/colleagues, we suggest:
1 — Understanding the odds. Jobs in sports are attractive for millions. Yet, in sheer numbers, it’s a cottage industry. Data USA estimates just 15,900 spectator sport jobs (excluding athletes/coaches). With little turnover, openings are limited. We counsel going for your dreams, especially when you’re young. But in sports, you must also manage your expectations — about job prospects, responsibilities and pay.
2 — But if you’re young, you have an advantage: Time! Time to:
Read. Regardless of your background, you can become knowledgeable about this business. The most successful people we know are voracious readers! Insightful content is plentiful. Just reading this is evidence of your interest. Sports Business Journal is also required reading so you can join the conversation! There’s free content like SBJ’s daily “Buzzcast” and “Sports Media Podcast.” More via a Google search. If you want to be up to the second (and don’t mind distractions), you can mimic John and set notifications on X for leading experts and publications.
Network. It’s crucial in any business, at every stage of your career. With such an imbalance between applicants and sports jobs, anything you can do to connect with someone in the industry, or get leads on openings beyond postings requiring a blind application (likely subject to an AI filter!), helps. The best jobs and opportunities often come via someone who knows, likes and recommends you. Make friends!
Volunteer. Don’t know anyone to network with? Volunteer at industry events! These happen nationwide at schools, hotels/convention centers and stadia year-round. Someone is always needed to check in (and meet) guests, organize food, set up the venue and promote, which all provide a chance to meet and impress someone in the business, expanding your network. As a high school senior, John was fortunate to score an internship at NBC Sports. He worked all vacations during college, on everything for free, which led to a paying job at CBS Sports.
Develop AI acumen. When you interview (see below), you’ll likely be asked questions about your knowledge of AI and ways to harness it for your prospective employer. Of course, true acumen comes from actually doing the work. If you present a slick AI-created deck, prepare to be quizzed on its contents.
3 — Put these efforts together and you can also present yourself as emblematic of the next generation of sports fans and employees. Remember, everyone hiring in sports knows (and fears!) that fans who grew up with smartphones are different, requiring new strategies, so you could have relevant insights.
Meanwhile:
4 — Learn to sell. Don’t just focus on becoming the assistant GM or stats guru. The vast majority of sports jobs are sales-related. It’s one of the best ways to get in, noticed and move up. You can sell sponsorships, media, subscriptions, suites — but the largest sales forces are “inside sales” for team season and group seats, which also have high turnover, increasing your opportunity. This is the bedrock of the business, where many sports professionals start out. Don’t think you are a born seller? Remember: We are all sales people. Those most successful at selling themselves get in, get ideas green-lit and ultimately move up.
5 — The merits of a degree. Today, hundreds of universities offer sports business degrees. These schools collectively churn out enough grads annually to staff the entire industry. Indeed, investing years in a college sports program that puts you in debt, delays your full-time start in the business, reaping the value of being in the office and building a résumé, must be carefully weighed. A degree isn’t a job guarantee. But it does help expand your knowledge, network and illustrates your commitment to employers.
6 — Consider related industries. Getting in the front door isn’t always possible or doesn’t necessarily lead where you might hope. Consider the side door. While in high school, Ed worked in the radio business, which led to sports media. Other adjacent logical fields include law, accounting, HR, IT, travel and food, real estate, businesses that serve leagues, teams, stadia and events. Study the LinkedIn bios of people in jobs you want. What did they do before getting a big sports job? Many top sports marketers today have experience in social media or working for agencies or brands. Coming through another field is still challenging, but it has paid off for many.
7 — About interviews: Arrive early, be prepared, be cordial, have great questions ready, but don’t presume or act entitled. It’s a cliché, but showing up late and having a typo on your résumé (it happened to John!) are killers. “You’re fired!” our former boss David Stern would say (only half-jokingly) if we inadvertently left page numbers off a document. Sweat the small stuff! Now, you can get information on practically anyone instantly for free — on LinkedIn, Google or social media. What was your interviewer’s career path? What have they written, or said at a conference? It’s out there. Show up prepared. That’s how you make an impression — probably the best outcome for an initial interview.
Throughout our careers, we’ve focused on work that we feel passionately about, at which we’re considered to be effective and for which there’s a commercial market. Even in a new era, that kind of approach tends to pay off and open doors.
Ed Desser was the NBA’s senior media executive for 23 years. Today he is president of consultancy Desser Sports Media Inc. (www.desser.tv). John Kosner was ESPN’s senior digital media executive and is now an investor in digital startups and president of consultancy Kosner Media (www.kosnermedia.com). Together they ran the NBA’s media operations in the 80s and 90s under David Stern.
