Closing a dinner conversation in Charlotte earlier this month, I asked sports executives to share one word about what they look for in hiring a young person who wants to work in the sports business. Some answers won’t surprise, but do inform:
- Curiosity
- Resiliency
- Enthusiasm
- Humble
- Initiative
- Grit
- Drive
- Inquisitive
This discussion aligns with this week’s section on the future job market in sports (Pages 19-30), which should be required reading for everyone in your organization. The package touches on all aspects of the journey — from getting into sports, to the evolving job market, to AI’s impact on roles and responsibilities, to moving up the ladder, to reaching and thriving at the C-level, to being in your 50s and looking for what’s next. It offers plenty of valuable takeaways.
I spend a lot of time speaking to young people looking to get into the sports business, as well as people looking for a new opportunity mid-career. The latter conversations are more difficult, but one suggestion is to look at fractional opportunities or project work for an organization that could eventually lead to a full-time role. When I started in the sports business in 1994, the entry point was sales, and anyone tied to revenue has a future pathway in the industry. But there are so many new ways to stand out today, and I wish I had just an ounce of the skills young people entering the workforce have. They will be attractive candidates and well-positioned if they can tell stories; if they can master social media, content creation and distribution and technology/AI; if they can understand trends in data and think through strategic solutions; and if they can write, research and present.
But I always stress comportment, attitude, presence and curiosity. My unsolicited suggestions are always: Be early; make eye contact; keep your head up; smile; dress the part; ask thoughtful/smart questions; be informed; show you can communicate; don’t be a wallflower; do your prep work; know your audience and the organization. Follow up with handwritten notes, buy personal stationery and do check-ins with something insightful to share — not just asking for something.
I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite line, but it’s one of mine: Be interested and be interesting. For my weekly Sunday Forum, I asked a number of people for their advice to young people, and you can read them here. Some themes are familiar, yet good, reminders: “Differentiate yourself from others”; “Make learning the priority”; “Connect with people”; “Focus on getting in the door, creating value and learning everything you can”; “Get past the fandom”; “Passion gets you in the room. Competence keeps you there.” Please share these suggestions with your network.
I’m frequently asked about my journey, and I share it’s all about timing and good luck. I’ve never been the smartest person in the room or had any special skills. I’ve just been very lucky. My path started with piles of rejection letters from sports teams while a senior at the University of Vermont. While discouraged, I didn’t stop trying to get in the door. I was very fortunate to land an internship with U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy from Vermont and left for Washington, D.C., the week after graduation. In perfect timing, a job opened up working at the front desk of his office. The three-month internship resulted in a full-time job, and I was there for four fantastic years.
I eventually realized my love wasn’t policy or legislation, and while I thought I wanted to be a political consultant, I wasn’t ready to give up my sports ambitions. Confident in the capital I had earned in working hard for him, I asked Leahy for his help in making introductions — namely to his friend, team owner Abe Pollin. The general manager of the Washington Bullets, John Nash, immediately had me come by his office and said I could log game tape and scouting reports on college players — for no money. I never hesitated, and soon worked mornings on Capitol Hill and then drove to the Bullets’ offices in Landover, Md. Being around the staff led to a role on the scorer’s table on game nights, which led to a PR internship with the Baltimore Orioles in the summer of 1994. By then, my résumé looked better, and entrepreneur Jeffrey Pollack and his editor, Steve Bilafer, took a chance on me as they were launching Sports Business Daily — again, fortuitous timing and luck.
From there, it’s been a lot of hard work in various locations and environments, but if there are lessons besides luck and timing, it may be persistence, not being afraid to ask for help, not doing it for money or a balanced lifestyle — and then just work your ass off. More than three decades later, I feel very privileged to work in such a special industry and can’t imagine doing anything else in my life. As young people begin their journey, I hope they are as fortunate as I’ve been.
Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
