04 Mar 4 Proven Tips to Kickstart Your Sports Industry Career
Working in the sports industry can be exciting, rewarding and fast-paced – but breaking into the field is highly competitive. Whether you’re pursuing a career in partnerships, marketing, business intelligence – or something else in sports – there are proven strategies that can help you stand out.
Zoomph can help you excel in your role by maximizing the value of your social media, broadcast, and in-venue activations—but you have to earn the opportunity first!
Remember, working in sports partnerships, marketing or business intelligence does not mean you are limited to only working for a team or league. There are many opportunities with agencies, brands, media publishers and sports technology developers.
These best practices will help you position yourself for success.
1. Thoughtful Networking
Sometimes it is not just what you know that matters – it is also who you know.
Networking plays a crucial role in career advancement in most industries, but the sports industry is incredibly small and interconnected – with many professionals often knowing one another at some level. This makes thoughtful networking all the more valuable.
So how does one take a more thoughtful approach with networking?
Be authentic – not transactional. Never reach out solely for job opportunities. Instead, focus on forming a genuine relationship. Identify someone in the industry that inspires you and prepare for your conversation with thoughtful, well-researched questions. Show interest in learning about their experiences and insights. What are they proud of? What do they wish they learned earlier in their career? Not only will you unlock a deeper conversation – but you will gain great perspective from whomever you speak with.
Make sure to reach out at the right time – not during the NFL Draft or NBA Finals or a key event.
Don’t target the most senior executives. Everyone has insights they can share – and those at the start of their career may end up helping support your career goals.
Networking should be approached with intention and authenticity. Rather than reaching out to a large number of professionals with generic messages, individuals should focus on building meaningful relationships with a select group of industry leaders. Quality over quantity.
Reaching out to one person per month in a genuine and respectful way can significantly expand a professional network over time. Given the interconnected nature of the sports industry, even a small network can open doors to additional opportunities. These connections often lead to job referrals and recommendations when opportunities arise. Referrals hold a tremendous amount of weight with hiring managers in the sports industry. This can be the difference between getting an interview and having your application ignored.
If you are having trouble setting up networking conversations, try leveraging your alumni network.
Additionally, you can build your personal brand and reputation on social media – which can help open doors.
2. Establish Your Personal Brand
In today’s digital world, building a personal brand is essential. While the nature of social platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn have changed over the years, they remain powerful tools for professionals looking to establish themselves in the sports industry.
Many sports industry professionals congregate on these platforms and often share their insights and perspective. Following them provides a great opportunity to learn – but engaging with them will help you establish your personal brand.
Having a personal brand does not mean designing a logo for yourself. Your insights, commentary, ideas and attitude help establish your reputation – which is the most important part of your professional plan.
Engaging with professionals by commenting on their posts, sharing valuable insights, and starting thoughtful conversations can help establish credibility. A strategic and intentional approach to social media networking can make a significant impact over time – and also makes it easier to set up a thoughtful and authentic networking conversation.
3. Sports Business Immersion
A passion for sports isn’t enough to thrive in this industry; understanding the business behind it is crucial. For college students aiming to work in sports – or professionals aiming to make a career shift – one overlooked element is closely following the news and trends on the business side of the industry.
There are a number of podcasts, newsletters, websites and trade publications that can help professionals stay informed. Additionally, following sports industry thought leaders on social media will help keep you informed.
Here is a list of websites, podcasts and newsletters to help get started:
Sports Business Websites:
- Sports Business Journal
- Front Office Sports
- Sportico
- SportBusiness.com
- The Gist Sports
- Sports Media Watch
- Sports Pro
- The Sports Letter
- CNBC Sports
- Forbes SportsMone
- SportsPro
Sports Business Newsletters
Sports Business Podcasts
- Bloomberg Business of Sports
- Sports Business Journal Morning Buzzcast
- Front Office Sports Today
- Sportico SportCast
- SBJ Sports Media Podcast
- Sports Business Secrets
- The Deal
- Sports Geek
- Marchand Sports Media
- Sports Media with Richard Deitsch
- The Joe Pomp Podcast
- The Varsity with John Ourand
A strong understanding of sports business news and trends will help aspiring professionals learn new strategies, engage in informed discussions, ask smart questions and identify new partnerships or the latest job openings.
4. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
Experience is one of the most critical factors in securing a role in the sports industry – it is also the most difficult to obtain. Employers often prioritize experience over education alone. Having relevant work experience demonstrates reliability, a strong work ethic, and an understanding of the demands of the sports industry.
Whether through internships, freelancing, volunteering, or part-time positions – any opportunity to gain practical relevant experience is valuable. It does not matter if the experience is with a Division III school, an independent baseball team or a small agency – it is essential to add relevant experience to your resume. Many professional sports leagues employ seasonal real-time content producers to capture footage for social media from the sidelines. Stay glued to Teamwork Online and LinkedIn for the latest opportunities. Beyond teams, search for roles with agencies, brands and technology partners that operate in the sports landscape. If all else fails, gain experience with skills that can transfer over to the sports industry.
College students should pursue work with the athletic department and engage local professional or minor league sports teams in order to pursue any possible opportunity to gain experience. Experienced professionals seeking a career change should explore creative solutions to gain experience, but invest heavier in the previously listed tips.
Professional experience provides an opportunity for the work to network for you. Exceeding expectations in any capacity or role will help build relationships with colleagues who can help build your network or recommend you for other positions.
Once you earn the opportunity – what comes next? If your role involves sponsorships, social media, broadcast or analytics – Zoomph can help position you and your team for success. Book a demo today and find out how Zoomph is helping transform how sports teams maximize social media, broadcast and in-venue activations.
