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Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the WorkInSports podcast...  Super pumped for this week's expert interview with Emily Caron, a sports business reporter from Sportico.com.   Emily has worked at espnW and Sports Illustrated before joining Sportico and she is awesome. What is fun about this conversation is that most of the time reporters are reporting on other people's opinions or the facts they can discover. But, in this episode, I probe Emily for so many of her opinions on what some of the big #sportsbiz topics mean for the future of our industry.  Extremely exciting. Tune in for that episode on Wednesday April 21st.  #Sportsbiz Stat Line for April 19th Three quick stats that give you an update on the health of the sports industry from a hiring perspective, and then three cool sports jobs posted in the last week on WorkInSports.com the leading job board for the sports industry and a proud member of the iHire talent community.   Stat #1: 23, 581 jobs – increase of 2.3% and our highest total in over a year. Sportsbiz is back.  Stat #2: 3,201 jobs added this past week an increase of 7.5% from the previous week  Stat #3: which means there were 457 fresh sports jobs posted every day last week on average. Great reason to keep coming back every day to see what’s new.   Three sports jobs that are incredibly interesting from the past week:  Manager of Influencer Marketing for Brooks Running  https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/brooks-running?id=548538 The Manager, Influencer Marketing is responsible for driving strategy and executing on influencer programming for the brand. You are responsible for creating and driving measurable strategies with clear KPIs to meet defined objectives, inclusive of building brand awareness and product discovery. All programming will be built in partnership with a cross-functional group of peers across marketing, including your colleagues in retail marketing, PR, sports marketing, social, sales and more. The ideal candidate will have proven experience identifying and engaging influencers, managing influencer outreach programs, and creating engaging, brand worthy content.  Delaware State is hiring an Athletic Director  https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/delaware-state-university?id=548442 General Description of the Position Under the Chief Operating Officer's supervision with oversight from the President, the Athletic Director (AD) is responsible for planning, developing, managing, coordinating, and supervising a competitive intercollegiate athletics program with 18 programs, 14 head coaches, and more than 400 student-athletes. The Athletic Director (1) provides visionary leadership, strategic planning, and policy development for the athletics program; (2) maintains an athletics program that is committed to the University's mission and strategic priorities; (3) works with the University's development office to raise funds for the Department of Athletics; (4) administers the overall athletic budget; (5) recruits and manages the coaching staff; and (5) ensures compliance with all University, national association and conference policies, rules, and regulations. This position also serves as a member of the President's Administrative Cabinet.  Pittsburgh Knights Social Media Coordinator - LATAM  https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/pittsburgh-knights?id=546819 Under the direction of the Social Media Manager, this position is responsible for the overall experience and value of the Knights' LATAM Social platforms. The Social media coordinator will focus on the daily maintenance, management, operation, and optimization of the Knights' LATAM socials and will play a crucial role in content creation.  Assist in the creation of original, compelling content - such as static and motion graphics, as well as video - for the Knights' LATAM digital and social pla...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast. I started to read a new book the other day and after about 70 pages I had to put it down.  This is abnormal for me, I’m the type of personality that once I start something I have to finish it. I have to know how it ended.  This is true for novels, movies, hikes to waterfalls you name it. I have to reach the moment of closure.  I could be watching the worst Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy, which is slowly rotting my brain away with each passing line of dialogue (hello Failure to Launch), but I still have to see how it ends.  This frustrates my wife, who can cut ties in a moment’s notice… but that’s another story. She’s from Philly, she doesn’t suffer fools.   Back to the book.  I had to put down this book for a very simple reason. And this is a book of great acclaim, an international best seller that was turned into a pretty darn successful movie. I put it down because it followed every generalized cliche you could possibly make about races, cultures, religions and creeds. The Japanese character was good at math and a whiz on computers. The Palenstinian character had been involved in terrorist acts. The Russian character was cold, calculating and emotionless. The Mexican character worked hard in the fields and then drank beer every night. The Jewish character was tight with their money and a shrewd negotiator.  Of course, the American character was dashing, intelligent, and fearless — I’ll leave that to your own interpretations.  But I didn’t make it much past those characters. This isn’t me being “woke” or pandering to our current culture war,  I just really hate generalizations. I hate cliches, I hate lazy, boring storytelling.    Spreading this narrative and reinforcing to people where they should fit, is a dangerous weapon, meant to discourage. I’m not having it. I may spark some outrage with this, but I fail to believe we are all pre-determined to fit into categories at birth. We can be whoever we work and are driven to be.  Period.  Of course, I am oversimplifying, there are systemic obstacles that prevent many of us from becoming exactly who we desire to be, but the over-arching point is simple — none of us fit into a cliche, we are all individuals.   Generalizations like the ones exhibited by this trash book slide their way into our sports world often.  I just finished reading an article where the EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, Renie Anderson, posted an opinion piece on NFL.com reminding people that “hey, women work in sports too, and there are lots of us in the NFL!” Let me repeat that – She is an Executive VP and Chief Revenue Officer in the NFL – which immediately qualifies her as a badass – and she had to write an article telling people that women really do work in sports. In 2020.  Let’s break down some more walls, let’s get out of this generalized, homogenized world and invite in change, diversity, and something a little unexpected.  Ameena Soliman has one of the most interesting jobs in sports. As a player personnel coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, she is an integral piece of the player personnel department, and I’ll let her explain to you what that means, exactly.  I’ll sum it up from my point of view — I’m jealous.  She is a Muslim woman working in football personnel, meaning she breaks all the rules of probability and smashes every stupid cliche.    Now, let’s be clear about something — I didn’t invite Ameena on just because she is a Muslim woman working in player personnel. I invited her on because her role and experience are incredibly interesting and there are things we can all learn from her.  Being a Muslim woman in sports is part of her story and we will talk about it some, we will talk about micro-aggressions and the way she has...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.  Big show last week, if you missed it go back and check out Dr. Bill Sutton on the show, if you are unfamiliar with Dr. Sutton, he is the Kevin Bacon of sports.   Everyone tracks back to him.   Seriously, I’d guess at least 20 of my prior podcast guests count him as a mentor. He’s been training and teaching the movers and shakers in the sports industry for decades. Doc Sutton knows how to help people find their fit in the industry, how to inspire and be an ally for diversity hiring, he consults with professional teams on their sales and marketing, he worked directly under David Stern at the NBA. He’s amazing, and we talked for a long, long time, but it’ll feel like 10 minutes.   It goes fast.  He is super connected, incredibly smart, and always pushing the industry forward. A lot of times you hear of someone who has been in academia for decades and you may think, subconsciously of course, that they aren’t up to date, that they don’t push modern ideas, that they may be stale.   Listen to this show and you will be blown away. He’s talking about video as a sales tool, business intelligence, seeing potential in people beyond their test scores – it's awesome.   Let’s get into today’s question from Tony in Missouri     Hey Brian, big fan of the show, I only just found out about the Work In Sports podcast after listening to your interview with Zach Maurides from Teamworks. That dude got me fired up, and you asked the exact type of questions I wanted to know about. It was like you were reading my mind! Since then, I’ve gone back and listened to your interviews with Dan Duquette, Leigh Steinberg, Jack Mills, Kara Walker of the Boston Celtics, Celia Bouza from ESPN and more.  But my absolute favorite was with John Ferguson VP of People and Culture from Monumental Sports and Entertainment. I’m a victim of covid layoffs. I had my first job after college, things were going well, but then you know the rest. Good news, I have had three interviews in the last few weeks and your advice has been awesome and helpful. In his interview, John said that candidates should follow up with their hiring manager or the person who interviewed them. I think he said “most definitely” when you asked him about follow-up. But he didn’t really say how. Any thoughts here on how I should follow up?”  Tony – thrilled to have this question, we’ve been talking a lot about advanced stages of interviewing and the job seekers journey, which is a good sign, a really good sign.   I have to say, this is anecdotal evidence, but when I am on LinkedIn lately, I’m seeing a lot of “I just got hired by XXXX”! Which I love to hear.  There are really positive signs in the job market, so this is a good time to be reviewing your follow up approach and strategy.   Here is the rhythm, you get an interview, you do great things, then you wait. It’s like dating, you have a good time, you meet someone nice, then you wait to see what happens next.   This waiting, it’s not for me, I don’t like to wait. I’m what you would call, impatient.  So, let’s talk action.  Start with a Handwritten Card After your interview, send a handwritten card to every single person you interviewed with.   Why is this important, well, the obvious is that it pushes you out there as someone willing to go the extra mile in communication, add a personal touch, connect on a deeper level. BUT the other great part is that it serves as a reminder of your existence about three days after your interview.   Think about it, you have the interview, write up the card right then, put it in the mail, and chances are in three days the people that interviewed you will read and think about you.   You will be top of mind.   Your card is an active reminder to them that basically says, “don't forget about me!” 

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the WorkInSports podcast.  My goal today, to write the shortest intro to a podcast interview ever. Dr. Bill Sutton joins me today, and we have an incredible discussion ahead for you. It’s meaty, there is a ton of info in here, life changing kind of stuff, and I’m not one for hyperbole.   Dr. Sutton is synonymous with the sports industry.   36 years in sports academia at University of South Florida, Ohio State, UMass, Robert Morris, University of Central Florida – meaning he has taught, trained, mentored and placed, quite literally thousands of the people thriving in the sports industry today.   But he’s not just a classroom guy, writing research papers and repeating the same axioms. He’s been a VP in the NBA working directly under David Stern, we’ll talk about that coming up, and he’s consulted with various pro teams ranging from Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia 76ers, Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Mets.  Everyone goes to Doc Sutton for advice and insight. He’s honest, straightforward, knowledgeable and I don’t think I’ve ever met someone so committed to helping the people he believes in.    Time for me to shut up – here's Doc Sutton.   Watch the Work In Sports Podcast Episode with Dr. Bill Sutton https://youtu.be/vltgMjhChQo Questions for Dr. Bill Sutton, Sports Business Expert Outside of your illustrious career in academia, your professional background is in the sales, marketing, business ops side of sports. In 2020, no sector of our industry was more negatively affected than sales. Our job board is always full of sales jobs, but in 2020 those numbers plummeted.  You are on the front lines working with many teams, leagues, and organizations as part of your consulting business. Do you think sports sales jobs are rebounding? What is your overall outlook for 2021 concerning sales and marketing opportunities?   We so often hear the term analytics, and we are pre-conditioned to think player side analysis. Moneyball. Oakland A's. But in today's world, isn't it the business analysts, the revenue optimization specialists, representing one of our industry's real growth sectors?  I've often remarked on this podcast the need to continually innovate and adapt – when I first started in the industry, social media, analytics, data-driven decision models, eSports – many didn’t exist, others were not common, now they are massive.  While I don't expect you to predict the future, what do you see as the new emerging frontiers of the sports industry?  Thirty-six years of experience in higher ed, but you are retired now from the college classroom experience, so you can speak freely and be honest. The program you founded at USF, the Sports and Entertainment Management MBA program, is a little different from most, having a co-op element and focusing on students gaining real-world experience. Laura Wilhelm, a staff member on my team and phenomenal graduate of your program, learned industry best practices and how things should operate while in your program and working for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She was ready to contribute; scratch that, she was prepared to dominate on day 1. Why is this style of education the exception and not the rule in sports academia?  Your program at USF has been ridiculously effective at placing people in the industry – what was your approach to finding the right career fit for each student and then getting them set in careers where they could grow and thrive?  You are a mentor to many people in the industry -- as you look back through your career, who would you say have been your mentors, and what were some things you learned from them?  One of my mentors, a former boss, told me that his job was to hire people who were smarter than him and then let them do their jobs.  This concept has stuck with me forever – to me,

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast...  For those of you who haven’t listened to last week’s podcast with Zach Maurides, go listen to it. Seriously, now. Stop listening and start there first.   Zach is the founder and CEO of Teamworks an athlete engagement platform that is currently working with over 100 professional sports teams and 200 full college athletic programs to be their student-athlete hub, managing their schedules, communication, itineraries, academics, nutrition and so much more.   They are growing massively, and Zach, as a former student-athlete, an offensive lineman at duke, is so incredibly informative.   Not convinced – I'll give you one nugget, one concept of many that Zach shares during this awesome podcast interview.  “I want to hire confident people. Confident people put in the work, and know they are going to win because they put in the work. Arrogant people just expect to win. We don’t want arrogant people.”  Now picture this coming out of a 6’6” 290 lb. former offensive lineman, trust me when I say this --- you are going to feel fired up and ready to put in the work.   Ok, Wednesday – the godfather of sports business, seriously, I think you must kiss his ring before getting into the sports industry, Dr. Bill Sutton.   For those of you who don’t know doc Sutton, he is the smartest most connected guy in the #sportsbiz I know. And more importantly, the most passionately supportive of his people. He has trained the best in the industry from GMs to sales directors, and he’s not just an academic, he’s worked for David Stern in the NBA and countless other organizations as part of his side hustle consulting business.   One quick story – he and I really hit it off, it’s a great interview, and at the end, he said, "that was a lot of fun, I loved your questions and the way our conversation went, who else can I help you get to be a guest on your show?”   Figuring I could aim high since he is offering, I said: “Would you happen to know Scott O’Neil, CEO of the Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, the owners of the Sixers and Devils, I really like his style and would love to interview him?”   Within 30 minutes of the completion of our interview, Scott O’Neil emailed me to book a time.   Now that is legit power.   Sports Career Question from Amy in Boston: Let’s get into today’s question, which comes from Amy in Boston. Fun Fact, if I was a girl, I was going to be named Amy.   “Hey Brian, big fan of the podcast and your various articles, I feel like I’ve gone back through your archive so many times to answer my pressing career-focused questions. What I think is great is that your show isn’t just about sports, it’s about culture, and decision-maker and planning and strategy...I find it so informative.   Amy – you get me. Continue.   “My question is pretty simple: I got pretty good at the career fair circuit in late 2019, I had a good flow, made lots of contacts, felt like I was on the edge of getting hired... and then, you know, stuff. I’ve seen and heard a lot about virtual career fairs but am yet to attend one. Do you think they are worth it, and do you have any strategies surrounding them?”  Amy, I’ll be honest, at first, my initial impression of virtual career fairs was that they felt like a pivot for companies that used to rely on in-person career fairs, and they just to keep themselves busy and active. That they weren’t focused on the participant getting value, either as an employer or candidate.   But oh, how wrong I was.   See I can admit it, I have flawed theories sometimes. Neither Ivan Drago or I am machines. Yes, that was a Rocky IV reference which is about 20 years past its relevancy date...but I love it so.  Benefits of Virtual Career Fairs  The data is in, more people attend virtual career fairs than in-person career fairs,

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast… Some big news before we get into the stat line and today’s question... As some of you may have read -- WorkInSports has been acquired by iHire. Now, before panic ensues, this was not a hostile takeover like in the movies. We wanted this, we angled for this, we pushed for this! iHire is an awesome company one we have long admired, In fact, our CEO and their CEO are good friends even before this deal.   I’ll cut to the chase and oversimplify this whole process -- they have way, way, way more resources than we do, which means we can and will do more to help sports job seekers and sports employers.  The tools and advantages of this deal will be explained in the months to come as we work through the integration process. I’ll be adding some quick segments to future shows to introduce you to new iHire/WIS tools aimed to help you land your dream job or hire your next great employee.  If your organization wants help with their hiring -- call me. We will be set up to help you dominate more efficiently.  If you have questions about stuff like this or for the Monday podcasts  -- hit me up. I’m available in all sorts of ways --- there is LinkedIn, connect with me there. We have a private Facebook group for this here podcast -- you can connect with me there.  And my email still works and will forever. FYI -- this podcast will grow. Our new team is highly committed to its growth and reach, which fires me up, so don’t worry about that. I’m still here. In fact, I’m already strategizing another career advice related podcast -- so if you have ideas on what you’d like from another career focused podcast. Speak! Time for the Stat Line! This is a massive week. Get excited. 1: 23,018 total jobs on WorkInSports.com--- I saw a competitor in the sports job board space brag all over social about how they bested 2,000 sports jobs. Who hoo pat yourselves on the back. We have 23,000.  Reminder: sports jobs aren’t just with teams. Red Bull, Entercom, NBC Sports, Fanatics -- we have them all.  2: 3562 -- I started tracking this data for the stat line back in September of 2020 -- this is the highest number of weekly ads to the job board since I started tracking. 3,562 new opportunities added this week alone. Not every one will be a match for you -- but chances are you can find your match one WorkInSports.com. 3: Little quick math -- that is 509 sports jobs, fresh opportunities, added every day of the week, on average. First time over 500 jobs daily -- that’s awesome. Jobs, jobs, jobs! Here are three cool jobs added this week to the job board Job #1 Head of Corporate DEI - The Athletic The Athletic is searching for a Head of Corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to develop and execute on The Athletic's efforts towards diversifying our corporate team. The ideal candidate is a strategic, operations-oriented thinker that can successfully execute on existing strategies, as well as recommend, advocate for, and implement new solutions that support the company's DEI goals. This individual will work alongside the Newsroom DEI Director and will partner closely with the People, Talent, and Finance Teams, as well as liaise with Executive Leadership and employee-led groups to achieve a broad scope of objectives. Job #2 https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/3step-sports,-llc?id=538289 Marketing Coordinator - 3STEP Sports 3STEP Sports in Wilmington, MA is the largest youth sport event and club operator in the nation. Established in 2001, 3STEP operates more than 1,100 events and dozens of club programs for athletes ages 8-18 spanning 40+ states and across seven sports. We are looking for a Marketing Coordinator with prior sports content creation and marketing experience. A candidate who can have professional communication with clients while workin...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast… What would you do if someone asked you to build a new pro sports brand from the ground up, AND build a new stadium in LA? Your budget is 350 million -- go! Me? I’d probably roll up in the fetal position and cry myself to sleep. This is a massive undertaking.  Wrong steps have enormous ramifications. And I am known for my wrong steps, it’s part of my charm. You can’t do over a brand, it is a living breathing thing that gets established then takes on a life of its own through the local community and sports ecosystem. You can’t wing it on a stadium build, there are layers and layers of decisions that will have an impact felt for decades. Benny Tran, EVP of Corporate Strategy and Operations for LAFC is the mind behind these monumentally important aspects I’ve outlined for you. When you hear Benny explain it, as you are about to, it seems like a calm walk in the park.  He is so even-keeled -- methodical, pragmatic -- but also gives off this vibe like he has his arms around everything just fine.  Me I feel like I’m constantly sticking my fingers in holes, Benny just has a different air about him. Can you tell I admire this guy? Maybe it’s because in his life prior to sports, he worked on global initiatives like HIV/AIDS treatment in Southeast Asia, national health strategies and climate action.  When you have your hands in issues of this magnitude, what’s getting a stadium built?  There is a lot in this conversation -- from business intelligence, facility management, brand identity, community involvement, the importance oof daily workers and more.  Here’s Benny Tran, buckle up. Watch Benny Tran on the Work In Sports Podcast https://youtu.be/JyYpreggcd4 Questions for Benny Tran, EVP Corporate Strategy and Operations LAFC 1: Undergrad at Emory majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic, MPA in public policy from Princeton, over a decade with the Clinton Foundation working on climate initiatives and Clinton Health Access Initiative – anything was in reach for you at any moment, so why sports? Why was being a part of the LAFC story the right move for you?  2: October 30th 2014, MLS awards a new expansion club to Los Angeles after Chivas USA dissolved. You were hired a month later in December 2014 to be the SVP of Corporate Strategy and Development – early on, with so much to do, does it feel like trying to boil the ocean? How do you even start to prioritize and focus?   3: Much of your background, prior to sports, was in international development.   As you set forth to build a cutting-edge stadium in Los Angeles that would not only represent the city and the LAFC brand, but also employ thousands of people and open up the community – which proved harder your work in building public health infrastructure to treat people living with HIV/AIDS in SE Asia or getting a stadium built in LA?  4: I was reading through the stats of Banc of California stadium and I found myself saying “that’s cool” or “what a cool idea!” a lot. Every seat is within 135 ft of the pitch, it is an LEED silver certified stadium, over 1,800 full-time jobs created…  As you consider all you and the LAFC team accomplished with this new organization and stadium in LA – what are you proudest of?  5: As you’ve watched this team develop from the beginning to what it is now, how much of an impact has it had on the local community? And is that something that doesn’t get talked about enough in sports, the positive local impact?  6: Peter Guber owner and executive chairman of LAFC told the LA Times a few years back “When you build an organization, you build a culture, culture is your business plan.”  What does that mean to you, “culture is your business plan?”  7: The pandemic has affected sports in a myriad of ways, but one issue we don’t talk about enough are the daily...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the WorkInSports podcast… Before we get into the stat line and today’s awesome question -- twoo upcoming guests I want to highlight.  Last week I interviewed Benny Tran, EVP of Corporate Strategy and Operations at LAFC. Benny came from a world outside of sports, he has a background in public policy getting his Master’s from Princeton. He worked internationally for the Clinton Foundation battling climate change and global health initiatives.  The dude is a genius. I don’t think I’ve been more intimidated for an interview, I was so afraid to say something stupid. Benny is an absolute delight my fears were unfounded. When Benny came to LAFC his big role was building the LAFC brand through the community, and what is now known as Banc of California Stadium in LA. Our discussion on the process and priorities of stadium construction and community involvement is fascinating. That will air Wednesday March 24th. And, today I also interviewed Zach Maurides, founder and CEO of Teamworks. If you are a student-athlete you likely know about Teamworks. They work with over 100 professional teams, from the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco 49ers. And 250 D1 college programs, from Alabama to Stony Brook. Teamworks is the leading ATHLETE ENGAGEMENT platform, built by athletes, for athletes. Their software and app make everything easier for elite athletic teams – from scheduling and communication, to sharing files and managing travel.   I am fired up to speak with Zach, who developed Teamworks as an undergrad Offensive Lineman at Duke. He’s an athlete, building products for athletes. And it’s awesome.  Check that out...next week. Today’s question is from Neera in Illinois,  Hi Brian, good news I had an awesome first interview with a sports company I really want to work for. I used so much of your advice and it really guided me through the process and gave me confidence. I researched, I reviewed my skills and accomplishments, I came up with stories to share that exemplified my soft skills,....basically, I channeled you and it worked, I got asked back for a second interview.So with that in mind, what should I do now?! Is it a totally different experience om the second interview? Neera great great question! And congratulations Let’s get into it. (For more insights listen to the Work in Sports podcast episode or watch the Youtube video!) 1: Frame your mind that if you were competing with 25 people before, now it’s like 10. That’s a good thing.  2: You’ll meet with more decision-makers, different people, a cross-section of the business. 3: Lean into what worked during interview #1 4: Expect some repeats -- new people but similar questions from a different voice. 5: What did you learn from your interview about them? Company mission, goals, future plans? Lean into those to frame your answers and how you fit strategically. 6: Expect the questions to be aligned with how you will impact the business if you are hired -- the questions will be more forward-thinking vs. investigating who the heck you are. So instead of, tell me about a time when you had to overcome an objection, it’ll be more like, "What would you expect to accomplish in your first few months on the job?" Or, "what do you think makes you a good fit for this role?" They want to see your vision for yourself, how you fit and how aggressive you are.  Better to overpromise here and show enthusiasm. Be confident. 7: Expect salary to come up 8: Have lots of questions

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports Podcast… This episode is about expansion.  We in the sports industry so often out on our blinders and only think about sports. We tell ourselves it is so different than everything else out there, we are unique. Truth is, in some places we are, in others we are quite typical.  A scout, a coach, an athletic trainer -- sure these are careers you only find in sports, but the vast majority of opportunities out there are bound by the same business and economic restrictions as every other industry.  Finance, event management, operations, marketing, human resources, public relations, sales, these are all common roles in sports, and in every other industry in the world.  So we’re taking off the blinders today and speaking with someone, clutch your pearls… outside of sports, GASP! Fawn Germer is a 9-time author, including multiple best sellers and Hard Won Wisdom, which Oprah herself recommends, and even if in sports “Oprah recommends…” doesn’t carry as much weight as say “Chris Berman recommends...” it’s still pretty amazing. She’s also been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative journalism 4 times -- that’s dope.  Her latest book is titled Coming Back, How to Win the Job You Want, When You’ve Lost the Job You Need -- is really really good. We’re talking actionable career-focused content… right now with Fawn Germer… Questions for Fawn Germer, Best-Selling Author 1: There is a tactical discussion for us to have, the nuts and bolts of how our audience can thrive in the messed-up environment we call modern day life, but there are also broader strategies and mindsets that everyone can and should employ – let’s start there. Sound good? I, like you, speak to a lot of entrepreneurs and executives, and one thing that always sticks out to me is their wholehearted belief in themselves and their vision. They see why things can and should work and go after them fearlessly, rather than being consumed and stalled by self-doubt.  Why don’t more of us embody that attitude? What is it that holds us back? 2: From your myriad of interviews and discussions with industry leaders, presidents, prime ministers – are there certain traits or attributes that stick out to you? And if so, how can the people listening apply these mindsets to their lives? 3: I read in your bio where you said “Life is all about our obstacles. They hold our greatest opportunities for success and growth, but we do have to earn them.” Can you go deeper there – what do you mean by ‘earning your obstacles’ and how does that lead to success and growth? 4: Confidence is not a constant. We all have times where we feel indestructible, ready to take on the world, and then things happen, life happens, and we get damaged. Our psyche isn’t as impenetrable.  Right now, this is a reality for so many people.  They had a job, they loved their job, now it’s gone. The spiral takes over – they read unemployment numbers, they hear competition is high for jobs, the bills pile up – it’s not enough to tell them “this too shall pass” --- what should they focus on to get through these crises of confidence that can weigh them down? 5: In sports we often define coaches one of two ways, they are the tough as nails, hard driving, tough love, in your face type …or they are the player focused coach, they laugh a little more, treat the players as equals, pat them on the back when they fall down type.  You teach, you coach, what is your approach to getting through and motivating people to take action?  6: Congratulations on your latest book, COMING BACK: How to Win the Job You Want When You've Lost the Job You Need  it’s a great read no matter where you are in your career journey.  I like to share actionable advice on this show, I want listeners to learn and do things, not just hear me preach in abstract manner.

Hey Everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast … Daylight savings! A love-hate relationship here -- loved the fact the sun was out at 7:15 last night. Hatead the fact my kid’s sleep schedule was a mess. Anyone who is a parent knows this dilemma, it takes a week for your kids to normalize to the change and it is a painful week. Consider yourself forewarned all you youngsters. Old people problems here.  If you missed it, last week’s podcast episode with Allison Bickford is a big hit. The people have spoken and they love the Seattle Kraken and Allison Bickford. Lots of great career insight and so much fun so check that out.  I also come asking a favor, subscribe to our YouTube channel. I made it my goal to be super aggressive with video in 2021 and I want more of your to subscribe to our channel so my bosses don’t think my time spent in front of the camera is a waste.  I like crafting videos, please make it worth my while. Subscribe! I think I’m supposed to say “smash that subscribe button and don’t forget to hit the bell so you are notified when new videos are posted!” I’m kind of joking here on the YouTuber techniques… but you get the idea, would love to have you watching and listening.  Ok, let’s get into the stat line… Three data points that will help keep you up to date with the latest employment numbers for the sports industry… 1: 22025 2: 3,023 3: 435 Seriously no amount of work could replicate the discovery process we go through each day of the week. You could not replicate finding 3,023 active sports jobs last week from thousands of sports employers -- that is one of the huge value propositions in being a workinsports.com premium member, we do the work for you. We find them all, put them right there in front of you and say let’s get to work.  Ok, three cool jobs I found over the past week… no laundry service included in any of these jobs. And if you don’t know what I’m referencing, go back and listen to last weks episode. Yes, a job that includes laundry service. Job #1  Pixellot is hiring both an Account Executive and a Growth Marketing Manager Now, if you asked me this morning, what is pixellot what do they do who are they? Just being honest, I would have had zero clue. Now, after about 5 minutes of research, I’m a pixelllot guy, I want a t-shirt.  Pixellot is an automated video and data solution for sports -- in layman’s terms, since that’s my style they are a tech company that has created a system that allows for cost-effective live video production of sports events -- great for high school sports, expanding to colleges -- AND get this, there is also a data and analytics component, so the video is not only created and live-streamed for your audiences pleasure, but the content is also broken down and available for coaches to analyze and use! I’m in - sign me up. This company will be huge. Get in board as an account exec or growth marketing manager.  Side note: this is again why I love workinsports -- yes biased, get it -- but for real, jobs in sports aren’t just with teams, they are with all kinds of companies connected to the industry and you would never of heard of this one without our hard work.  When you are a premium member -- you’ll find thousands of pixellot style opportunities you wouldn’t have known about! How can you apply for a job of you don’t know it exists!  Ok, job #2 --  Team Liquid - copywriter eSports -- lots of opportunities here and it’s not just in programming or live streaming on twitch.  Team Liquid content informs a huge community, keeping the org elevated in their hearts and minds. We need a copywriter with a few years of experience in marketing (in any industry) and has a range to show for it. Join the Writing Department as we expand the pages of storytelling available to us. If you are really into Valorant, CS:GO, Fortnite, SC2...

Hey Everybody I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkInSports podcast… The idea of a sports startup isn’t exactly new, there a fledgling agencies, marketing companies, tech companies all popping up throughout the year.  But what about a professional sports team that functions like a startup? The Seattle Kraken -- and yes, I’ll be saying that name as often as possible over the next 45 minutes because I love it -- are the latest darling of the NHL and the entire Pacific Northwest.  But let’s digest that for a second.  December 2018, the NHL approves a proposal to grant Seattle an expansion NHL franchise In any normal situation, it’s a mad dash to the start of the first season. There are stadium renovations to complete, staffs to hire, teams to draft - and that is barely scratching the surface of all the needs to be done.  It is the beginning of a franchise story. A startup business. Brand new, everyone figuring out through some levels of trial and error what will work and what doesn’t. Now, for an NHL franchise like the Kraken, they are gathering the best, most experienced talent from around the world as part of their spunky little startup, so it is a little different than a new tech company like say last week’s guest Eric Stark began with Slate.  But, beginning something new is a huge challenge, and now layer in doing that during a pandemic.  Today’s guest Allison Bickford, Director of Corporate Partnership Activation has been with the Kraken since August 2019...but has yet to meet many if not most of her fellow co-workers outside of zoom. Is operating in a new city, without the ability to really go look around and see the area.  These are the challenges we deal with right now, and, at least in theory, make us stronger.  So buckle up -- we’re talking Corporate Partnerships, #Startup mentality, Pacific Northwest excitement, and more with Allison Bickford! Prefer to watch? Here is the full Work In Sports VODCAST episode with Allison Bickford, Seattle Kraken https://youtu.be/zfZr4Qzbm-o Questions for Allison Bickford, Seattle Kraken Director of Corporate Partnership Activation 1: A few weeks back a fan of the show wrote in saying, “you need to have a guest on from the Seattle Kraken” …Allison Bickford, you are that guest! Welcome! I lived in Seattle for 10 years and it was during the time the Sonics left town. Seattle is a great sports town, and the people were heartbroken then. Now, there is a palpable excitement people are thrilled to have hockey coming to the Northwest – what has the energy and excitement been like for you? 2: Let’s talk about your role – Director of Corporate Partnership Activation – sounds fancy, tell us a little more about what it means to be in your role, your primary focuses and what you love… 3: Would you consider Corporate Partnership Activation more of a sales type role? More customer service? Marketing? How do you identify yourself when you explain it to people outside of sports? 4: How did you land here, in this career path? I think so many in our audience struggle to identify their proper fit, or path, so how did you land in this area of focus in the sports industry? 5: You are working with a bevy of corporations as they come on as new partners and make sure they have a successful relationship with the team – how would you weigh the importance of relationship building and communication vs. coming up with new creative ideas, or broader strategies? 6: You are still months away from acquiring players and truly forming a team… at this stage and for your role, how important was it to get the name and brand out there AND have it be as cool as the Kraken? 7: When I first got into the sports broadcast media, I stopped being able to watch TV the same way. All I saw was edits and techniques and cuts and effects everywhere I looked. It drove my wife nuts.

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast… Thanks for joining me this lovely Monday, that’s not even sarcasm, the sun is out daylight saving is around the corner, I’m feeling lovely.  Quick confession before we get into the stat line and today’s question… for those of you watching on our YouTube channel, and it would be great if you all subscribed to our youtube channel at Work In Sports, it makes my bosses proud of me, but if you are watching on our youtube channel, you may notice a very different look to my set.  So the confession.  I had this weird dream a couple of weeks back that was inundated with a look, a vibe, a feel. And I tried to translate that into a new set design. After I completed it last night, I realized it may have been a nightmare, I’m not sure it’s working.  But the idea was this -- when I used to live in the city, Atlanta first and then Seattle, I loved the look of light poles covered with overlapping concert flyers, record releases, announcements. You get this chaotic mass of colors and shapes and disarray that was kind of beautiful.  So, I decided to re-paint my walls with black chalkboard paint, buy an assortment of picture frames and about 1,000 stickers. Most are sports-related, but some are superheroes, nature, and other stuff I’m into. And on the frames behind me, you’ll see the result -- it looks pretty graphic and cool -- but I’m not sure about the black walls.  Overall, I was feeling like you see the same zoom backdrop about 100 times a day and I just wanted to make something that was really different. So if you don’t mind -- check it out on our youtube channel, and let me know if you think it is cool, ridiculous, or something in between.  I’m not a graphic or interior designer -- but I do listen to my dreams and it kind of inspired me.  I will add -- my 13-year-old daughter is an amazing artist and is going to do some artwork on the chalkboard, then we’re going to layer the frames over it -- so you get an almost graffiti look behind. So we’ll see if this is insane, or insanely cool. Watch the Work In Sports VODCAST: https://youtu.be/vsQNOZD1X5o A second quick note before the stat line -- big thanks to Ron Robert Jr and Jeff Fellenzer for inviting me to be a part of their Sports Industry Showcase event, 39 speakers over many industry-focused panels, of which I played a small, but vocal, you know me I don’t hold back, part. Really great session -- lots of incredible students, many of which I have already started to speak with and engage -- I’m looking at you Mayan, Johnpaul, Jennifer, Leyla, Sarah, Caroline, Luke, Jonathan, Lynne, and Kennedy -- you guys and gals are rockstars. Ok, let’s get to the stat line…. 1: 22324 2: 3168  3: 453 Three cool jobs posted this week: Summer Camp Soccer or Baseball or Golf  Director -- Camp Westmont  https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/camp-westmont?id=504894 Camp Westmont, a co-ed traditional sleep-away camp in the Pocono Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, is currently looking for qualified, experienced, energetic individuals to teach and run our Soccer program. Competitive salary, room, board, three meals a day, and laundry service are included. This would no doubt be the best summer of your life!  With how crappy the last year has been, can’t we just look forward to summer camp and laundry service? On a serious note, if you want to work with kids, community relations, non-profits -- this is also a great experience.  Job #2: Athletic Trainer for the North Texas Bulls Baseball Organization https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/north-texas-bulls?id=523657 Lots of people in this audience are not sports management majors, they may be kinesiology or exercise science -- and in pursuit of jobs as trainers, etc. I talk a lot about starting out in small college athletic programs to bui...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the WorkInSports Podcast... “It is one thing to have a good idea, and quite another to turn it into a reality…” This thought kept bouncing around my head last week as I prepared to interview today’s guest Eric Stark, co-founder of Slate, a sports and entertainment social media tool that we’ll be talking a lot about.  We’ve all had jobs where we identified issues. A problem with a workflow, an inefficient tech solution, a supply chain issue. This moment of discovery doesn’t make us unique, we all see problems that need solving all around us. Awareness is common.  The better question is, what do you do with this information? As I see it there are two distinct paths. Complain or solve.  This isn’t me being preachy, and simplifying issues down to a right way and a wrong way, and shaming you all for not picking the right way enough. Let’s be clear, I have done my share of complaining over the years. Loudly, so everyone in the back could hear me.  This is a normal part of the human condition.  We don’t always know how to fix things, so sometimes we complain to motivate others with the power to fix things to take action.  Am I right?  Sound familiar? When I was a production assistant, I would complain about our editing system loud enough for the boss to hear, in hopes she would do something. It was like a cry for help. Not exactly mature or professional, but I was young and trying to affect change in the way I knew how. But you know what impresses me? Someone who identifies a problem, and then has the entrepreneurial ambition to solve it… like legit, create a solution. So let’s get into this Eric Stark story -- Eric worked in the NFL for 7 years, digital account coordinator with the league, digital media manager with the Chiefs, digital and social media strategist with the Niners, then back to the league offices to be the Director of International marketing and content strategy.  Career path, on the rise.   But during this journey in the digital and content space, Eric found many problems with the process. Getting social media moments out to the audience fast, and with proper branding had a lot of friction points. It took too long and involved too many people. All kinds of areas for failure.  He didn’t complain, well maybe he did at some point I can’t confirm or deny, but that doesn’t fit my story right now, we’ll stick with he didn’t complain… he set out to fix.  He began developing his own solution to sports social media process friction, with 3 co-founders, his squad, which resulted in Slate.  Now, as I stated earlier in this intro, it one thing to have an idea, and quite another to execute it well and turn it into a reality.  Eric and his team identified a problem, solved it, and now have teams like the Golden State Warriors, Denver Broncos, NYCFC, Premier Lacrosse League, Atlanta Falcons, ole Miss, and many more using their product in their social media efforts. That’s the overview, now let’s jump into the details with Eric Stark, COO and Co-Founder of Slate… (this is the point you listen to the podcast) Prefer to Watch? Here is the Video Episode of Maximizing Social Media in Sports with Eric Stark, Co-Founder of Slate: https://youtu.be/BWQpZfCBZF4 Questions for Eric Stark, Co-Founder & COO, Slate 1: After graduating from UC-Santa Barbara you’ve worked for the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL league offices.  You were the Director of International Marketing and Content Strategy for the NFL – a dream job for many -- and you said to yourself, let’s go the entrepreneur route and start a business from scratch. Simple question, are you insane? 2: We’re going to get into Slate a lot, I want to learn about it and explore the process of creating it – but let’s go back to that beginning for a second. 

Hey everybody I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast. A couple of quick shout-outs to my people before we get into things, if you are watching on our YouTube Channel -- and you should -- you can see that I am representing a very cool Bismarck Larks t-shirt sent in by friend of the show Joe Zollo. Joe recently landed a job with the Larks as a fan engagement coordinator - I am now a fan of the Larks, and you have engaged me, Joe, so you are off to a really good start. Since I’m a t-shirt guy -- this will be in heavy rotation -- thank you Joe!   And a second shout out to my guy Scott McDonald. I’ve gotten to know Scott through this show over the last couple of years, an incredible dude working with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL, and he sent me this amazing bobblehead. For those of you not watching on our YouTube channel it is a Gladiators goalie, but with a Dia De Los Muertos style skull as the bobblehead.  I love this style of artwork, and Scott sent me one which was super cool -- this will live next to Lebron’s bobblehead which is from his first game ever. If NBA top shot highlights are worth something...how about a bobblehead from Lebron’s first career game?!  Anyway thank you Scott and Joe -- I don’t like to ask for gifts, but if you want me to rep your team on a show -- I won’t say no to a t-shirt -- men’s large, thanks.  Ok let’s hit the stat line… Three stats for this week to get an idea of where we sit as a sport industry #1: 21,269 the total number of jobs on WorkInSports.com -- the leading job board for the sports industry --  up 2.8% from last week and approaching our ALL-TIME high. #2: 2,669 jobs added since last week - that’s up 11% from last week -- #3 and that is an average of 381 jobs added each day of the week on average. I have a theme for this week’s three jobs… In September 2020 when you conducted a search on WorkInSports.com for the keyword sales, you know how many jobs came up? 630. Makes sense based on market conditions, but this is way way way below normal.  Guess where we are in March 2021 - 5 months later -- when you enter the keyword sales and conduct a search that way, meaning sales are in the job title or job description the total on WorkInSports.com - the leading job board for the sports industry ---- drum roll ---- 8,762. We’re back baby. Sales jobs are so important to sports. This feels like we have really rounded a huge corner in our industry so let’s focus on three cool jobs...in sports sales: #1: Texas Motor Speedway -- Ticket Sales Account Executive https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/texas-motor-speedway?id=522363 Texas Motor Speedway is seeking a positive and motivated individual to produce revenue for the company through a variety of inbound and outbound sales efforts.  Damn right they are.  Knowledge Skills and Abilities: #2 Cincinnatti Bengals Digital Sales and Marketing Coordinator https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/cincinnati-bengals?id=522975 The primary focus of this position will be to oversee all aspects of the online ticket purchase experience for the Cincinnati Bengals. This individual will be responsible for building and optimizing a customer journey that maximizes page views, clicks and conversions across our website and app. Driving incremental revenue, lead generation and increasing fan engagement are all key metrics to success in this role. #3 TopGolf Sales Account manager https://www.workinsports.com/search-jobs/view/topgolf?id=494233 The sales Account Manager (AM) is responsible for selling the exciting experience of Topgolf primarily through contracted events. The primary event market of focus for AM will be corporate clients which the AM will work directly with to build their perfect event. The AM will also assist with social market bookings as demand dictates in accordance with the company's ...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.  A few years back I was watching a pretty lame movie with Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana called The Words. It was predictable, kind of boring, not as interesting as they thought it would be on paper… but there was one moment in it that stuck out to me.  You see, I’m that kind of guy that tries to find one piece of value in every moment. One thing you can learn, one thing that changes your perception. Despite this movie receiving, and truly earning, a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, I still had to find some value in the experience. In this movie, Bradley Cooper is a writer, I won’t get into the details, but in one scene he says “this is my reading day”, meaning, to be a good writer, he needs to read what else is out there. Often. I've kind of adopted his philosophy at that time. I don’t spend an entire day reading, but I do dedicate an hour of every workday to reading what is out there -- long-form pieces relating to the sports industry, data studies, content techniques -- I like being a continuous learner and being open to knowledge.  You never know where you’ll find incredible little nuggets of information.  For example, I was reading this morning about how Yale is going to offer their most popular online course, titled “Psychology and the Good Life” which presents a scientific explanation of happiness, to 500 low-income high school students for free.   A feel-good story, right? Nice way to start the morning. Well, the more you read the more interesting the gets. Near the bottom it says something very relevant to my ears: The course -- which was developed in partnership with the University of Connecticut and the National Education Equity Lab with support from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation -- will "present students with scientifically validated strategies for living a more satisfying life and examine what psychological science shows about how to be happier, how to feel less stressed, and how to flourish more," according to the university. The unexpected nugget -- Arthur Blank Foundation. Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, making a difference in the lives of people. Maybe that changes my perception of billionaire owners, maybe it changes yours, it’s definitely a little nugget of information wrapped up in a story where I wasn’t expecting it. Good for you Artie! Another unexpected nugget in the past few weeks was an extremely informative survey and data report put out by our friends at Prodigy Search, leaders in sports recruiting -- and published in the Sports Business Journal.  The team at Prodigy Search conducted a 23 question survey – comprised of chief people officers, human resources and talent acquisition executives, COOs or chief administrative officers at nearly 200 major league teams, league offices, agencies, venue and event operators to discover their feelings about how their respective organizations had handled staffing during the past year and what some of their plans are for the future. It was fascinating and I’ll link to it in the show notes of this episode. But it also inspired me to book today’s guest, Mark Gress Jr., Partner at Prodigy Search to discuss sports hiring trends in 2021 and their survey results -- here is my friend, Mark Gress Jr. A Few Select Clips from the Work In Sports podcast with Mark Gress Jr., Partner, Prodigy Search: Mark shared a lot of perspective on the recent survey conducted by hand his team at Prodigy, in this clip we discuss one surprising and upsetting response: https://youtu.be/RumjDlTPBI0 Mark Gress Jr. Partner at Prodigy Search shares insight into sports leagues and organizations that are thriving right now despite the pandemic: https://youtu.be/IfbSUa9ILYY Mark Gress Jr. Partner at Prodigy Search shares his thoughts on what it will take for entry-level sports job seekers to get hired in...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… A couple of quick housekeeping notes before we get into it today - sorry I missed last week’s episode, it was President’s day, which is technically a day off, but I would still usually create a podcast episode.  Truth is, I didn’t have any fan questions that were really jiving with me, and it was snowing...so I had an epic snowball fight with my kids instead. Call me selfish -- I call it having balance.  With that said our Monday episodes thrive off of your questions - I’m here to answer what you need and want to know about working in the sports industry so please send me your questions -- bclapp at workinsports.com -- that’s my direct email, don’t abuse it. Or you can message me on Linkedin, DM @workinsports on Twitter -- I will get your questions!  BTW - a side note if anyone out there is connected to Twitter support, our account was hacked in November, and our 25k followers stolen. Seriously, it still makes me want to cry - 10 years of work down the drain. We’ve filled out countless forms, I’ve reached out to multiple people in the industry, a couple of contacts at Twitter...nothing. No one is helping us. If you know anyone at Twitter who can help or have gone through this before -- this is my beg for help. I want our followers back.  And last note before we get into the stat line -- the awesome guests keep coming. Coming up in the next few weeks --- Mark Gress Jr. Partner at Prodigy Search --- an incredible recruiting agency for the sports industry Dr. Bill Sutton -- Doc Sutton is one of the elite thought leaders in our industry and so many of my previous guests count him as a mentor.  Alison Bickford - Director of Corporate Partnership Activation for the Seattle Kraken!  Eric Stark - Co-founder of Slate, a content creation platform for real-time social media used by the Golden State Warriors, Premier Lacrosse League, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, NYCFC. The SEC -- amazing company, excited to talk to Eric And Fawn Germer - author of the book Coming Back! How to win the job you want when you’ve lost the job you need. INcredibly interesting lady… So we’ve got a pretty sweet line-up as we transition to Spring -- I say this with 2 ft of snow on the ground right now...Wishful thinking. Prefer to Watch the Work in Sports podcast? Here's this Week's Episode: https://youtu.be/b_9talAS2SE Ok, let’s jump to the Stat Line! Three statistics that’ll help you understand the current state of sports employment -- data provided by WorkInSports.com -- the leading job board for the sports industry… #1: 20680 -- up 3.6% #2: 2388 #3: 341 --   Let’s talk about three cool jobs that are fresh on our job board at WorkInSports.com - since we started doing this segment I’ve had a lot of people email me and say “wow, you talked about a job on the show and I applied for it right afterward, so cool!”  To which I tell them, and you, we have 20,000 active sports jobs on workinsports.com -- if you think me picking out three a week is informative, think what you could accomplish with a premium membership! Ok - three jobs I like for this week: Event Manager - Pro Golf Hospitality - Octagon https://www2.workinsports.com/jobs/view/octagon?id=519789 We're looking for an engaging and energetic Event Manager to join our Events & Experiences team to support a brand new professional golf event in Las Vegas, NV. Now, I bring this job up for a few reasons -- sports isn’t a job it’s an industry -- there are jobs in sports that are common in all other industries, accounting, hr, operations, etc. But one of the things that make our industry unique is the events. And so many of you love this part of the sports industry, the energy, and passion that comes through at events.  A job like this, with a huge and powerful organization like Octagon,

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. Look, I hate to do the old…”I remember when I was kid…” start to a story, I hated it when others around me did this when I actually was a kid, and I hate doing it now.  But, with all that qualification out of the way...I’m about to do it, so forgive me. Thanks. I think we all have moments where we graduate from being solely sports participants and fans to having a more broad appreciation of the business of sports. The first time I started to realize the entanglements between sports and business was as a little league youngster. No, it was not the sponsored names on the back of our jerseys from Valpak or Sylvester's restaurant. Rather the memory that vividly sticks out for me is the cheesy local ads created by the stars of my then-favorite team...the Boston Red Sox.  I remember vividly watching Wade Boggs, before he became a traitor and went to the Yankees, reading an advertisement for Hood Ice Cream. He’s standing on the field, clearly reading from off-camera cue cards and telling everyone how they should eat more Hood ice cream and that if you came to an upcoming game, you’d get a free mini red sox baseball helmet sponsored by Hood. This was a lightbulb moment for me, and I wondered aloud how much extra ice cream was sold because of Wade Boggs telling kids like me to do so. I told my mom we had to buy Hood because Wade Boggs said so. Frankly, she didn’t give a crap about Wade Boggs, so she bought the store brand at Country Fare Star Market in Stow, Mass if you are wondering.  I found myself paying more and more attention to this connection, this association, after that point. Dwight Evans endorsing local car dealerships, Jim Rice talking up OceanSpray juice box night. Brands have always sought out sports franchises to build their reputation, move more products and grow awareness of their brand. These mutually beneficial partnerships between brands and sports have done nothing but grow since my halcyon days.  The revenue of the North American sports sponsorship market was estimated at approximately 17 billion dollars in 2018 and is expected to grow to over 20 billion U.S. dollars by 2022. This figure, in 2018, accounts for around 70 percent of the total sponsorship market.  So that means, sports partnerships comprised the vast majority of the sponsorship market -- far more than entertainment, causes, the arts, festivals, fairs and annual events.  Sponsorships are activated today in far more robust ways -- the advertisements have improved, but so have the in-stadium, social media, and digital marketing methodologies. The only limit is creativity.  Notice, in the stats I referred to earlier - over 17 billion dollars of revenue was from the North American sports sponsorship market.  The growth market, the exciting place to be right now in sports… is the global market.  In 2018, global sponsorship spending was 65 billion dollars around 70% of which was spent in sports - so the total market for sports sponsorship across the globe, was around 45 billion dollars.  Teams are investing in their global reach more than ever - and it’s a perfect relationship.  Here to talk about the growth of global sports sponsorships is my man Jason Clerkin, the Orlando Magic’s Sr Manager Global Partnership Activation -- here’s Jason: Questions for Jason Clerkin, Orlando Magic Sr. Manager, Global Partnership Activation: 1: So excited to speak with you Jason – this has been a long time in the works! Let’s start a bit at the beginning and work our way up – undergrad at UCF in Sports Business Management – I’m pretty sure at that point you weren’t saying to yourself, I’m going to be the Sr. Mgr of Global Partnership Activation for an NBA team – you may not have even known what that was!  So take us back a bit – what was the plan then,

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkinSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast… When I say cornhole, flag football, spikeball and breakdancing -- it probably sounds like the planning stage for an epic fourth of July party, right? Add in some axe throwing, a little karate combat and the party starts to get a little intense.  The reality is, these competitive activities that are well-suited for a decked out summer affair, are taking the sports industry by storm. These aren’t fringe activities, they are high growth sports properties popping up around the globe, invested in by major brands, broadcast in prime slots and making their way into the Olympic Games.  Yes, you heard that right, Olympic Games.  We so often focus on the major sports and normalize them as standard. Hitting a little white ball with a club towards a hole 500 yards away seems normal, but tossing a bean bag toward a hole 24 ft apart is “fringe”. Bouncing a rubber bladder covered in leather, and throwing it into a basket at an arbitrary 10 ft height, is extremely normal... but tossing an axe into a wood block target 15 ft away seems strange.  As today’s guest, Gabby Roe, President and Founder of Maestroe says “every sports was a crazy ass idea at one point.” Truer words have never been spoken. Roe himself is a little on the fringe. A highly competitive lacrosse player, he played professionally for the Philadelphia Wings in the National Lacrosse League, spent several years as a chief executive with the AVP professional Beach Volleyball circuit, and helped launch Major League Lacrosse.  He’s always gravitated towards sports with upside.  Slightly off the beaten path, but with the potential to be great. His company, Maestroe, focuses on these high-growth sports properties and assists them in all the various stages of their growth cycle -- sponsorships, venues, business planning, marketing, broadcast deals -- this is a fascinating discussion into a side of the sports industry we don’t often talk about.  Here he is, Gabby Roe, President and founder of Maestroe... Questions for Gabby Roe, President and Founder of Maestroe: 1: I’ve read where you’ve described your company Maestro as a “growth engine for high-growth sports in various stages of their development.” On a podcast you get more time to expand and articulate, so tell us all – what is Maestro? 2: What led you down this path? Where did the intrigue for growing fringe sports come from? 3: Let’s define “growth” a little – are we talking revenue growth, or visibility growth? And even broader, do those require different approaches? 4: You played lacrosse at powerhouse University of Virginia and in the National Lacrosse League for the Philadelphia Wings back in the 80’s– what traits from your playing career have served you well in the business world? 5: For the various sports you work with, you and your team at Maestro have helped them secure sponsors like Uber, Monster Energy Drinks, Chipotle – massive brands.  To make these deals, is it more important to know someone on the inside of the business and have a powerful network of connections – or is it about having a good story and connection to their brand? 6: What is it like when you get Chipotle on the phone and say, “I want to pitch you on being involved with the Pro Breakdancing tour?” is there ever a moment of self-doubt? 7: How important is data when you are in a pitch? I’d imagine these huge brands want to be convinced of their reach and impact, not just sold a cool story. 8: Are you able to take the knowledge you have working with one sport, like curling, and apply it to another growth project like ultimate frisbee? Are there techniques and knowledge that cross-over or is it complete different each time? 9: What about the audiences? Are there similarities across fringe sports, or are they completely different animals? 10: OK,

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast…First Super Bowl Monday in a long time that I’m not hungover, so thanks to that.  Quick take before we get into the stat line, and today’s fan question. So far 42 emails, texts, and DM’s all asking me how I feel about Brady and Gronk winning a Super Bowl as non-Patriots.  For those of you not in the know, I’m from Boston, a big Patriots fan, and a lover of all things Gronk.  Well, not the GRONK branded football that doubles as a bluetooth speaker -- that was one of the dumbest inventions I’ve ever seen -- you’re playing music in your football, and then you throw it away from you… not well thought through.  Don’t believe me -- search Gronkball on amazon. You’ll see what I’m talking about. It also proves review can be manipulated since it has a 4.4 out of 5. Seriously, a $90 football Bluetooth speaker with Gronk’s name on it. Off track. So how do I feel? Thrilled to be honest.   Look, there is always context needed. I wanted the Pats to keep Brady for his entire career, but in a way that was selfish, and no one expected that to happen. From 2014-2019 the Patriots have had terrible draft classes. Terrible. This means their current roster is depleted of talent and depth.  They were not built to win, even with Brady. If you go back and look at the 2018 season, there is no way that teams should have won a Super Bowl. They were 3-5 on the road that year, 11-5 overall, lacked any punch, looked old...and then dialed it up in the playoffs. 2019 - lack of talent, 12-4, incredibly weak schedule - lose in the wild card round vs the titans.  This roster didn’t make sense to keep Brady. If you sign him to a multi-year deal, it delays the fact you really need to rebuild the roster from scratch… and you still aren’t good enough to really win. Brady makes you way better than Cam Newton, but not Super Bowl good.  It made sense for him to move on. Both sides needed this. Forget all the tough love, personalities, and drama -- they were no longer made for each other from a football sense.  As for Gronk - the Patriots tried to trade him to the Lions prior to the 2018 season, so they already sent the message they no longer valued him. He helped them win the 2018 super bowl and retires. Took a year off, a different team values him more than the Pats did, he could play in his comfort zone with Tom. Deal. Bottom line, I hold no grudge against either. I wish it would have worked out better -- but if the Pats had developed a better supporting team around Brady over the previous 5 seasons… it may have. If they still valued Gronk, it may have. This is just people making football decisions that make sense all around. In 100 years we’lll talk about Brady like we talk about Babe Ruth… and I got to see a whole hell of a lot of him playing. Pretty cool. Congrats Goat. Ok, the stat line… Three stats to keep you updated and in the know on sports employment -- provided by workinsports.com the leading job board for the sports industry. I’m also laying in pieces of advice and strategy for your job search throughout this segment so don’t you dare skip oover it. #1 -- 19,971 active sports jobs on WorkInSports.com -- now, I promised you last week we’d eclipse 20k, and we did earlier in the week, Right now we are at 19971 which is pretty flat week over week. And that includes a little over 300 active sports jobs in florida right now -- once you are done celebrating.  #2 - WorkInSports.com added 2,828 sports jobs over the last week, which is pretty much flat... #3 But means we added 404 sports jobs on average every day of the last week -- that’s a lot of opportunity. OK, now three jobs that stood out for all the right reasons...to me. Job #1  Corporate Communications Coordinator for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment -- if you are wondering who in the heck is Harris Blitze...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkinSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast… For the last year you’ve heard me talk about the decline in sales jobs in sports. This is not breaking news, rather an obvious reality based on all of us being in the grips of a global pandemic that restricts public gatherings.    No tickets to sell, no suites to sell, no group packages,  fewer sponsorships, less in-stadium marketing activations -- this result is clear. Revenue was lost. Lots of it. Jobs were furloughed, lots of them.  Sales, as a sector of the industry, a dominant sector of the industry, was hit the hardest by far.   But let’s put some numbers on that, rather than just logical conclusions. According to Team Marketing Report, a sports business intelligence firm, The Washington Football Team, it is estimated, lost 124 million dollars in unrealized game-day revenue. To put that in perspective, if you add up the 2020 contracts of  Alex SmithLandon CollinsKendall Fuller Morgan MosesChase Young   Arguably, their 5 best players, You get 63.8 million. They lost 124 million minimum.  That was tops in the NFL, who TMR estimated lost 2.7 billion as a whole.  Those calculations, that 124 million in game day revenue losses, does not include the hit to other revenue streams like suites leases, secondary market ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, media rights, non-NFL events, revenue sharing, off-site sales, licensing, or preseason and postseason money. The amount of revenue lost by sports teams is staggering.  NBA - $694 million in unrecognized game day revenue MLB - $5.2 billion! 162 games cut down to 60 without fans… big hit.  All of this is to say - as I tell my kids - save your money, you don’t know when things are going to turn upside down and you’ll need that buffer.  Actually, what this is realy to say, although saving money is a good tip - is that it’s easy to see why sports jobs plummeted. BUT -- as Kali Franklin VP of HR at NYCFC said in last week’s podcast episode, a business that isn’t hiring talented people, isn’t growing.  The sports industry is finding its footing and hiring again. We aren’t back to normal, far from it, but we are finding new ways to emerge.  What is amazing to me, in the face of all these losses, is that so many of the businesses I have spoken to recently are proud of the fact that they didn't lay off any staff. Clearly many of you lost your jobs, I’ve heard from so many of your personally and I hurt for you, but let this be a marker in the moment -- hiring is coming back, numbers are on the rise, and teams, leagues, sports tech firms, sports websites, athlete marketers and more and hiring people like you. Back in November, I saw a LinkedIn post from today’s guest, Philici Douglas, Manager of Inside Sales for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, and it caught my eye.    If you are a graduating senior or already graduated from college I want to get to know you! If you are looking to work in sales in sports I am going to begin hosting interviews for our Inside Sales Consultant positions. Book a time on my calendar below.  Seeing this, not just the aggressive approach, but the hiring signal as if she was saying -- we’re open for business, was a light at the end of a pretty crappy tunnel.  Right then I said -- let’s get her on the show! So here she is Philicia Douglas, Manager of inside Sales for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. Questions for Philicia Douglas, New Orleans Saints & Pelicans Manager of Inside Sales - Sports Sales Jobs: Yes, We're Hiring! 1: Let’s get into it! There is so much I want to get into with you on your career and how you got where you are, but let’s start in the now.  2020 was a mess. Sales jobs were a mess. But in December, I saw a glimmer of hope in the form of a linkedin post from you basically saying, “you want to work in sales? We’re hiring!”