The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

Getting many people to follow you, or connect with you, doesn't mean you have a great network. Here are the 5-types of people you need in your network and if you don't have them now - find them and become friends. Hi everybody – I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in sports podcast. Happy Monday everyone – it’s March 26th Loyola Chicago is in the final four, which is weird, there is a stadium being built in Texas for eSports, which is also weird and Michael Bennett now of the Eagles is in trouble for elder abuse from the Super Bowl two years ago – what a week. But we’re talking about different stuff here on the show today – we’ve got some networking issues to handle, as in, chances are your professional network stinks. Yes, the group of people you are connected to and surrounded by that either provide you advice in times of need or can help you land important connections that can lead to opportunities…are probably severely lacking. Actually, it’s not probably – it’s likely. Now as I’ve admitted on the podcast many times I’m not particularly good at the type of networking most people associate with building a network. That sounds like a confusing sentence, but what I mean is, when you visually in your brain the concept of netyworking…you probably think of schmoozing. You probably visualize that outgoing person who is the life of the party, talks with ease to all kinds of people, laughs at everyone’s jokes and hands out business cards without any shame or awkwardness. I am terrible at that stuff. I think the reason is because it’s disingenuous, no one seems authentic when they act that way, and that to me means any relationship you get out of it, would also be inauthentic. The fruit of the poisonous tree. Networking in my world vision, happens in a more authentic manner. Maybe it’s over coffee where you actually talk to someone. Or in the workplace, where you prove yourself with your work and attitude. Or via social groups comprised of people with shared visions (like our private Facebook group). Again, networking isn’t a race to a number – like those people who brag about having 10,000 connections on LinkedIn – that to me means nothing if you don’t really know the 10,000 people enough to keep in contact on some level. No networking is a quality game, the right people, the right relationships you build, the right give back you provide –because remember you have to give in a networking relationship too – it’s not just take. So enough with the preamble – let’s get to the question: Art from Baltimore writes in – “Hi Brian, I’m kind of annoyed at how often people talk about networking like it’s the most essential part of getting a job. I wish I could be hired based on my skills, attitude and passion more than who I know or who I am related to. I guess that is my fantasy world, which makes my fantasy life pretty boring. But here’s a question – I don’t want to spend all my time trying to make a huge network of contacts, can you give me an idea on the types of people I should target for my network, so that I can I can get a good bang for my buck?” Art, I found this question to be very interesting and plays very well into my personal mentality on networking. As I mentioned earlier – it’s not a massive numbers game, it’s finding the right people and keeping them in your regular contact list. It a relationship with the right group, not the biggest group. You challenged me to quantify and label my network – which I like. Which is why I picked your question out of the number of questions we get each week at our

Hiring managers are tired of your boring cover letter. Listen in to this podcast to break the cover letter formula and start writing in a way people want to read. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast… It’s time to talk about cover letters. Everybody’s good friend James Ebo from our private Facebook group posted a question this week: I'll admit that one of the things I struggle with when applying for any job is cover letters. I know that I'm supposed to tailor my cover letter to the specific job I'm applying for, but it's more of the wording is where my issues tend to be. Can anyone here give their viewpoints as to how you write cover letters? The reason I called James everyone's good friend is because he’s one of the most active and thoughtful contributors on our private Facebook group—James is a game day ambassador for the Philadelphia Eagles, and as a born and bred patriots fan you think I’d gravitate away from him based on recent history… but he’s an easy guy to give a thumbs up to, even when he’s posting multiple pictures next to the Lombardi trophy.   Before I answer James question – you know what you should do, yes you, you should join our private facebook group – the only thing that makes it private is that you have to answer a few easy questions to get in, and I just do that to keep out the trolls and russian bots. Search for the Work in Sports podcast on facebook, answer my three questions – maybe mention how much you love the podcast and trust me, you’re my new best friend. There are about 250 people in there right now, and it’s a great community of sports career minded people – which if you are listening, I imagine you are too. Anyway lets get to James’ question – because I’m sure many of you have had the same one. There are so many disparate viewpoints on cover letters and their importance, but even with all of those viewpoints and approaches 99% of all cover letters look and feel the same. BORING! You know how you hear that employers don’t read cover letters anymore – it’s because they all look and feel the same! It’s time for a heart to heart here everyone – DO NOT just put your resume into sentence form and call that a cover letter. That approach will not work. It will get ripped off and thrown away. Your cover letter is your chance to show some of who you are, show a little panache, a little personality. I don’t mean be snarky sports trash talker or print it out on pink paper… I mean who the heck are you? There is no perfect cover letter format There is no perfect format, because we don’t know the personality of the person reading it, so I’m going to give you a few standards you should abide by and a few approaches that I feel pretty darn confident work well. Let’s start with the standards – and by the way, I am not going to give you some crap about – in paragraph 1 introduce yourself, in paragraph two cite how your skills line up against the job description, in paragraph three conclude with why you are a good match. That is formulaic, and I don’t want you to be formulaic – I want you to be you. Do you! No one else can, it’s your unique advantage – be yourself. You may include all of those things in your cover letter, but you have to do it in an unchained manner where you show your true colors. The Standards of a Good Sports Industry Cover Letter 1: I already alluded to one – and this is the biggest issue – people often think, I’ll just recap my resume into a paragraph form and call it good. You know what I’d call that – crappy use of space. You have such a limited time to make an impression and a ...

Anya Alvarez, former LPGA golfer, advocate for women in sports and founder of MajorLeagueGirls.com joins the show to talk pro sports, empowering women and inspiring girls. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast. A few weeks back I met Anya Alvarez virtually a cordial introduction on LinkedIn where she told me about the new sports site she had just launched called Major League Girls. I’ll be honest – I’ve become hardened to many of these pitches. It happens a lot. Someone reaches out as CEO of JS enterprises which sounds impressive, but then you realize their name is Joe Smith and being CEO of their own enterprise isn’t exactly the same as connecting with Elon Musk. But I always do my diligence. When someone reaches out, I check them out before I decide to invest any time. First thing I see -- Anya Alvarez is a former LPGA golfer – right there, Ok she’s legit. She’s written for ESPN, Rolling Stone, Slate, Vice Sports and more. – Ok she’s really legit. Now I’m interested. I start reading her articles and they are raw and emotional, balanced and measured, insightful and intuitive – I’m drawn to her style and her persuasiveness and as a writer myself I’m not all that often impressed. I feel most journalists rush the story and don’t pay enough attention to the craft. But that is not the case for Anya, not at all. In fact, her story for Vice Sports, about her being sexually abused as a child and later as a junior golfer… had me in tears. I have a 10 year old daughter, I’m prone to crying, and then punching things, when I think of anyone laying a hand on her and I can’t for a second comprehend what this experience has been like for Anya, a person I don’t even know. The fact she’s turned her traumatic experiences into advocacy for women and girls in sports – now that’s worthy of admiration. Anya and I jump on a call to discuss her project Major League Girls – and I’m blown away. She’s articulate and passionate and I really enjoy talking shop with her. And of course, the next thing I say is… let’s do a podcast interview. So here she is, former LPGA golfer, womens sports advocate and founder of MajorLeagueGirls.com, Anya Alvarez: Questions for Anya Alvarez, former LPGA golfer and founder of MajorLeagueGirls.com 1: Your have a very unique perspective – having been a student-athlete, and then a professional athlete on the LPGA tour who has now transitioned into sports entrepreneurship post-career – there is so much I want to get into in regarding your playing days and in your current career launching Major League Girls – but let’s start with this – how important of a role does passion play in your success, both on the course and now as an entrepreneur? 2: Would you consider yourself a naturally competitive person? 3: You had a passion for golf at an early age and the discipline to become one of the best in the world. Tell us about the recruiting process – most of us have no idea what that is like? When did you know you could make a pro career out of your talent, and what was it like having colleges come looking for you? 4: I made the argument a few podcasts back, that student athletes are at a great advantage working in the sports industry because...

Video Job interviews are the present and the future, they aren't an edge case they are the norm. So how do you handle a video job interview? Listen in to the Work in Sports podcast to find out. Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for Workinsports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast. Tamika from Missouri writes in – Hi Brian, love the podcast, my professor told me about it a few weeks back and I’m hooked. Thanks for doing what you do. (You guys are seeing the pattern here right? Say nice things to me, get your question read on the show! Plus, Tamika gets a free month at WorkinSports.com for getting her question read… so just by being nice and having and intelligent question, she is now famous and gets a free month at WorkinSports.com) Tamika continues – I have a job interview next week and it is a video call which makes me nervous. I had a phone interview a few weeks back and I felt I bombed it. I’m good face to face but I struggled with phone, and I worry I’ll bomb the video call too. Do you have any tips for a video interview you can help me with? YES Tamika I do. Lots of them in fact so get ready. It’s true video interviews are the present and future. They are a much more efficient system for employers, because they can schedule easier and back-to-back, they can talk to people outside their region without having to fly them in and pay for boarding, the can conduct 20 phone or video interviews and whittle their number down to 3-4 finalists with ease. Consider that a majority of the 500 human resources managers who were asked in a survey how often they used video interviews decided to check the box beside “very often.” Video works…for the employer. For the interview subject, it’s a little harder to show your best. When you are in the room face-to-face you can feed off environment and body language and get into the flow of a conversation, but on video it can be harder to get a feel for the person asking the questions and the timing of when to speak or when to wait. That said – this is the reality of our life, so I want to share how to be the absolute best at it. 1: Consider a technical upgrade. Look no one wants to spend money if they don’t have to, but the reality is the webcam that comes built into your computer is crap. And a really really good webcam is under $100. I do a lot of speaking engagements with colleges and universities, and so I upgraded at a Logitech HD webcam for like $80 and it has made a huge difference. The picture is clear and the built in microphone is better than the one on my computer. You’ll buy yourself a nice suit or outfit for an interview to make the right impression – consider this move even more important. And just to be clear for all you non tech saavy people – it’s plug and play. Meaning, you plug it in and it works. I’ll link to the one I have in the show notes – but just to be clear I don’t get any commission, I’m not pitching products here, just trying to help. 2: Test everything before. A day or two before your interview, do a fake interview segment with a friend. Test your connection, your audio levels, your new webcam and make sure everything is smooth. This is just common sense, but I guarantee many of you don’t do this and then end up panicking 10 minutes before your interview because you can’t get the audio to work. The goal days in advance of any interview is to remove as much panic as possible. Things like testing your equipment and researching the company all go to helping you feel more comfortable on game day.

Don Costante, Kansas City Royals Senior Director of Game Presentation explains his role in creating a great game day experience for fans and shares his insight on job shadowing, mastering your resume and finding you true calling in sports. Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of content for WorkinSports.com and this is the work in Sports podcast. It’s Wednesday, and here in Philadelphia it’s cold, there’s two inches of fresh snow on the ground and I’m dying for spring. You know what you do when spring feels like it’s on permanent delay --- you watch some spring training. Everything is green, the sun is out, people are smiling… ah, the thought of baseball dreaming in my head. To be honest, spring training games are a little boring, so that idea only lasts for a bit…then you look outside and remember puxatawney phil has barely started his countdown and you are still in for a few more weeks of this white stuff. But this isn’t eh weather channel podcast, this is the work in sports podcast and it’s spring training time, so what the heck am I dawdling on about?! This weeks guest is Don Costante, Senior Director of Game presentation from the Kansas City Royals – a great guest, who I have to thank Cole Sales for. Cole is a member of our private facebook group, and when I asked that group who they’d like for guests, he said –Don is a must. Cole was right, Don isn’t just an expert in the sports industry having worked in college sports, the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs and currently with the Royals – he is also uniquely passionate about helping people find their way in the sports industry. You know you start an interview and you have a gameplan in mind, then the next thing you know you inadvertently hit on a subject that you can tell your guest is passionate about…so you lean in a bit deeper. That happened duringthis interview with Don, we started to talk about discovering your passion in sports, and how you go from being a sports fan to being on the path to a sports career and Don started to talk very enthusiastically about job shadowing, and resumes, and interviewing techniques. Yes we talk about game presentation and working in major league baseball and all that other good stuff – but Don’s advice on finding you way…is just, uniquely awesome. So, let’s get to it – here’s Don Costante Senior Director of Game presentation for the Kansas City Royals! Questions for Don Costante, Kansas City Royals Senior Director of Game Presentation 1: Your career began more on the sports marketing and promotions side in college sports – you were at the University of Memphis and North Carolina State - how did you eventually find and take comfort in your current niche in game presentation? 2: That early phase of discovery can be a difficult part for the sports career minded person – I get this all the time … ‘they love sports but they don’t know what to do in sports’ – what suggestions do you have for someone to help them start figuring out what excites them? 3: You’ve hired for a lot of positions over the years, how do you pick someone out from the pile? What are you looking for? 4: Let’s talk about your specific role now – what does your game day role look like with the Kansas City Royals? 5: I had Josh Rawitch SR VP of Content and Communication for the Diamondbacks on the show a few months ago and he said – baseball is such a long season, you really have to love the sport to work in it. You’ve worked in college sports, the NBA and MLB, do you agree that a real deep passion for the sport you work in is essential to thrive?

With the recent revelations of Demar DeRozan and Kevin Love dealing with mental health issues in the NBA, we tackle the issue of mental health in the sports workplace. How to protect yourself and recognize the signs and symptoms of a problem. Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the work in sports podcast! Before I get into today’s question I want to remind you all we are in the most wonderful time of the year for sports fans #MarchMadness or as we call it at Work in Sports . com -- #Jobmadness! Couple of cool things going on on our site 1: We’re running our annual JobMadness promotion – get 2 weeks of full access to our site for just $5. Take a spin, check out the near 7000 sports jobs and internships we have currently active. You’re going to love it. I’m looking at jobs right now with Fanatics, a minor league hockey team, bleacher report, brooks sports, tough mudder, various foundations, state athletic commissions…so much opportunity out there! Hit me up on LinkedIn, via our private facebook group, or email me at podcast@workinsports.com and I’ll send you a link to the promotion 2:    We are also setting up our bracket buster for the tournament. Here’s how it works – I fill out a bracket, if you beat me you get a free month on our site. If you come in first overall, BOOM, it’s a $100 gift card from us to you. Now normally someone would brag here saying there is no way you can beat me…but in all honesty, it’s become a bit of a joke around the office. We’ve done this with previous march Madnesses and the World Cup,  and every time, I stink. Like, awful. Like Michigan State losing in the first round and they were my championship pick awful. So the odds are in your favor should you shoose to participate. I’ll share a link on the shownotes for this episode… or you can just message me and I’ll send you the link to the bracket. Sound goo? On with the show! Brian, (Insert obligatory “I love the podcast” sentence). With professional athletes such as Kevin Love speaking about his anxiety/mental health, could you address mental health in the work place? Sports is obviously a high pressure field and the jobs include long hours and lots of stress.  Sometimes my life working in sports leaves me feeling anxious/down on myself, and I know I can’t be alone. What are some things that all of us feeling this way can do so that we can keep performing our best in the office? Now before I get into this – remember I am not a psychologist, if you are having feelings that you can’t fix, or have thoughts of suicide or hurting others – find someone immediately to talk to who can help you. I think this is a great subject Kelsey -- Demar DeRozan, Kevin Love and many other have come out recently, and honestly with raw emotion, explaining they are not machines. They have feelings and fears and doubts – like all of us. I appreciate the fact that in your very question Kelsey you remarked on how you feel anxious and down on yourself sometimes working in sports. Good for you for being honest about it, and not trying to act tough. That’s where I really commend these guys like Love and Derozan,  in a world emcompassed by machismo, they we vulnerable enough to say, it’s isn’t perfect in my head or in my heart. This thing we are all doing – this life – is sure as hell not easy. I feel mounting pressure each day – I have to publish this podcast,

The massive problem with the way organizations run their internship programs and how you should handle conflicting job offers Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast… It’s March, and for those of us sports people that can mean only one thing. Gambling disguised as college basketball fandom. Sure we want our teams to win, but more importantly we want to win that bracket so Suzy in accounting or Ron in IT knows who is boss. Am I right? So before I get to todays QA session two important pieces of info. 1: Work in Sports is going to run a bracket – and here is the kicker – anyone who beats my bracket, gets a month free on our site. And, the person who wins the overall bracket will get a $100 gift card – we’re still debating where, I say Dick’s sporting goods, but since they don’t sponsor the podcast, it’s up for grabs! 2: We are also running our annual #Jobmadness promotion – which will get you a 30 day membership for 75% off the normal price. All you have ot do is email me at podcast@workinsports.com or hit me up on linkedin or message me through our private facebook group. But you have to make contact with me. See it’s kind of a test…are you the type that sits back and waits for things to come to you--- or do you go get it? Well in this case you have to go get it. So promo is on, come and get it! Just to explain why this is worth your time: Do you want to work in sports marketing? 1690 jobs on our site. Rightnow I’m looking at a Director of marketing and communication for the National Field Hockey Coaches association – and while you may know nothing about Field Hockey, the point is this. Many of you talk about a certain site that shares many of the available pro sports jobs. But that’s it. We have them all. We have thousands of jobs in sports you didn’t even know existed…and the pro and the college jobs and the nike and the espn. We have it all. Sales marketing media events, pr operations, retail, manufacturing – we have it all. So beat my bracket. Email me to get our job madness promo. Let’s get to work. Now on to our question of the Friday. Today’s question comes from Emma – she didn’t start out by saying she loves the podcast, but at this point, it’s a given. Here goes: So my tactic of applying to as many jobs as possible is starting to backfire on me. I ended up accepting an internship because it was the only opportunity I had at the time and I start next week. It isn’t exactly what I want to do but it’s a start in the right direction. Meanwhile I just received an email from my “dream job” that they want to do another interview with me after having applied to it a month and half ago. How do I go about explaining to them I want the job but I have a 2 month commitment with someone else? Is there a chance they will understand? Both jobs are working in golf, except one is in communications and the other is in production.    Emma you’d be surprised how often this happens... Listen in to the podcast to hear how I handle this question on sports internships and a conflict of job offers!  

Samantha Wood, Digital Platforms Manager for the Philadelphia Eagles joins the show to discuss careers in sports social media and why the Eagles are a great organization to work for Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. I have a decision to make every time after I complete a really strong interview, turn it into two parts, or just let it ride. Last week I interviewed Samantha Wood Digital Platforms Manager for the Philadelphia Eagles and we spoke for about an hour. My initial thought was…make this two pieces, debut them over successive weeks, whet the appetite of the audience. But you know what, that was the media side of me speaking. The idea of leaving the audience wanting more…felt cliché. So I decided to leave this as all one piece. One great big information dump on the world of sports social media. Samantha and I cover a lot of ground, from women in the sports industry, to the support of the eagles, to an education that primed her for success. I can’t wait for everyone to listen to this, so even if you personally need to listen to it in two parts, it’s all here for you today. I’m going to shut up now so you can hear from Samantha Wood – my new social media pal. Questions about Sports Social Media Careers for Samantha Wood, Philadelphia Eagles 1: You graduated from Northeastern in 2011 and as I looked through your background, it’s impressive that while in college you did what, about 5 internships – with New England Sports Network, with ESPN, with the Boston Bruins – how important was it for you to gain high level experience while still in college? 2: That’s the thing about internships, you get experience, but you also learn what you like and what you don’t like – once you graduated you had a pretty robust resume, do you think it made it easier to get a full-time job having those experiences? 3: After slumming it in Boston for a while, I’m from there so I can say that, you landed a job with the Philadelphia Flyers as their Digital Media Manager – what were the big things you learned from that job and overall experience? 4:  Now, you are the Digital Platform Manager for the World Champion Philadelphia Eagles – talk us through your day-to-day role and responsibilities, what is it like during the season and on game day? 5: You tweeted something right before the Super Bowl – “The Patriots and Eagles social teams are both led by ladies and I think that’s cool as hell. Best of luck (off the field) to my girl @CecilyFaenza!” This stood out to me and that’s one of the main reasons I wanted to contact you for the podcast – we’ve highlighted many female executives in sports on this podcast and I think it is very important to empower and enlighten the many female sports fans out there who can make this a career --  for you, how is it working as a woman in the sports industry? Is it something you even think about, or are there moments it’s hard because guys tend to think they own sports? Follow up: I’ve noticed there are many women working in social communication roles in sports… why do you think this role in particular is occupied, very well mind you, by women? 6:   We have a private facebook group and I ask that group before every interview if they have any questions they want me to ask – well,

Millennials are an important part of the sports workplace. Here are five sports jobs they are particularly well suited for, and a bit of a bonus rant on the communication breakdown between hiring managers and Millennials. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. I’m going to jump right in to today’s question because it’s juicy and I’m fired up after reading it and I don’t want to lose my intensity. Question – Alex in Massachusetts, I know it’s a requirement to say I love the podcast so I’ll start with that (Alex you know me so well) I have a 2 part question. First as a millennial I think we have a bad rap with hiring managers – they go into interviews expecting us to be something terrible. How can we compbat this attitude? And second – what are some sports industry jobs you think are perfect for millennials? Alright, I read this from Alex and started to get a little fired up. So bear with me, this could be a passionate rant, but there is going to be some good info in here too I promise. I’m not big in generalized clichés primarily because they are generalized. I don’t think I fit into the box of a typical Gen X’er so why would I assume that everyone born between 1981 and the year I graduated college, 1996 would be exactly the same. Well, I don’t. And most intelligent hiring managers also look at individuals rather than a wide-ranging swath of opinion. That said – millennials have a three-word brand that follows them around like my 6 year old when I have candy. Lazy Self-centered Entitled None of those are great. I’m not sure even Kellyanne Conway could spin those words into a positive without physically becoming a drill and hitting oil sooner rather than later. Here’s another word not used enough: Necessary. And I don’t mean necessary as in Necessary evil, like swallow hard because you have to do it even if you don’t like it. No, I mean necessary, like essential and needed. It’s estimated that by 2020 roughly half of the US workforce will be Millennials. Half. This is a large, impactful, meaningful, focused generation. Focused is important here. My generation was mad about things – unemployment, high college debt, high cost of living – but we answered that problem by listening to Pearl Jam and brooding. The Millennials and Generation Z are getting out there and being activists and that I find inspiring. Side note – Generation Z sounds like a bad Brad Pitt movie or a WWE tag team group. I don’t like it. We need catchier names for generations. In fact, I think the Weather channel, should be in charge of this. The come up with all the winter storm names and would be great at this – Generation Athena or Xanto or Brutus – much better. Alright back on track tangent boy. Sometimes I’m very ADHD on this podcast, easy to go off on tangents but that’s part of my charm. No offense to ADHD, serious affliction, not mocking at all, just drawing a comparison. Alright, that was a tangent on a tangent – focus. For more advice on great sports jobs for Millennials listen to the podcast! Articles referenced in this podcast include: * Why Millennials Make Incredible Sales People *

Sports internships and entry level jobs are huge opportunities, but I'm sorry, too many of you are messing up. If you are making the mistakes we outline in this episode, you need to stop, NOW! Hi everybody – I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. Big thanks to Loretta Kerner, Sr Manager of the San Antonio Spurs Silver and Black Give Back team for joining the show earlier this week as our industry expert – if you haven’t listened to that podcast it is really worth it. Loretta started down a career path in politics, and then pivoted into sports, which is a very helpful conversation for those of you who are looking to change careers. Also, she has truly found her passion and loves her work, which makes for a very inspiring conversation – so check that interview out. I also wanted to thank her for joining our private facebook group – it’s cool when the guests come in a chat. Sports recruiter Dan Rossetti is in there, Gina Miller VP of Media and Communication for FC Dallas is in there, Carl Manteau Senior Director of Group Sales for the Milwaukee Bucks is in there. Very cool. You can join in that conversation too – just search for the work in Sports podcast on facebook, answer a few questions just to prove you are real, and then you are in! And if you are in, don’t just be a voyeur, this is an interactive, problem solving, networking group – so you have to be active in the conversation. Help others and be helped. Alright on to today’s fan question – This is actually a combo platter, I had 3-4 versions of this question come in this week so it seems like a good subject to cover. It goes a little something like this: “Hi Brian, I love the podcast. (All questions have to start with that or else they have no chance of being read) I’m about to go on my first internship, but I’m nervous and I don’t want to mess it up. Can you help advise me on what mistakes to avoid and what I can do to make the right impression.   This is one of those foundational questions. It applies to everyone. Everyone has done or will do sports internships, and needs a little advice on how to nail it. Here’s the best part too – these pieces of advice I’m about to share work for entry level jobs too. These are the essential tools for making the right impression on an internship, but don’t kid yourself, you are still on display even when you get a first job. Superiors are watching to make sure they made a good decision in hiring you and if you will be worthy of their time, development and eventually promotions. You are still proving yourself even after you get the job. So let’s get into it. Listen to the podcast episode for all the great advice from Brian Clapp!

Community relations has been referred to as "food for the soul of an organization." Loretta Kerner Sr. Manager of the San Antonio Spurs Silver and Black Give Back! joins the show to explain. Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. In the sports world we all so often gravitate with narrow focus to the athletes and events that fill up our screen. Often when we talk about jobs in the sports industry, most if not all, see that as a conduit for getting closer to these larger than life beings and cultural events. It makes sense. I got into sports broadcasting because I loved the stats, the players, the games – and so many of you contact me about being a scout, a GM, working in player development, coaching because you also want to be closer to the players and games. But when you take a step back and realize that sports is just like any other business, there are more opportunities and diverse sectors available than you previously believed. Oftentimes it is the huge revenue generating events that help open a doorway for spreading positive influence and change, personal development, training and other methods of impacting the local community. Or to put a nice bow on it, Community Relations. In these roles you aren’t deciding on free agent signings or predicting next years rookie of the year, but you are making a huge difference in the lives of people in your area. As one CEO put it, “Community Relations is food for the soul of an organization.” I love that, it’s as if this group is the heartbeat of a business, connected to the issues and needs of the community and figuring out ways to positively impact them. More and more businesses are realizing that to succeed in a global economy, they have to be more than just a shareholder. They need to flow with the pulse of the community, using their influence and dollars to make positive and purposeful changes. This has always been apparent in sports. For as long as I can remember teams have had community relations staffs geared towards connecting their athletes with the surrounding area. Being leaders and wielding their influence to draw attention to groups in need. Owners want this. Commissioners want this. League presidents want this, and not just because it makes for a good share on social media, but because it is the right thing to do. To connect with the community on their turf, not just from a mic at center court. Our guest this week is Loretta Kerner, who I am very excited to have on. She is the Senior Manager of Silver and Black Give Back, the community relations team at Spurs Sports and Entertainment and she’s going to take us deep inside the world of sports community relations…here’s Loretta: Questions for Loretta Kerner 1: I love the various origination stories I learn from people on this show and I think you have a pretty interesting story too – you graduated college with a degree in International Studies, Spanish and Political Science – how did you get here? Working in pro sports in the community relations for the San Antonio Spurs Silver and Black Give Back team? 2: Politics to community relations – do you find many links between the two, or has this been a complete departure? 3: We have many people in our audience who are career changers – they start down one path and after a while say to themselves – ‘I’m not happy with this choice’, or ‘I want something different’ – and they gravitate to sports. From your experience what advice would you give someone who starts down one path but then changes to something ...

Artificial intelligence is affecting the employment status of people around the globe. How will it affect the sports industry? We investigate. Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. I’m charging outside my lane a little for this weeks question, but as you know from listening to me, sometimes you have to explore outside your comfort in order to expand your mental horizons. I am a tech guy, I love tech, but I’m not what you would call an early adopter. I don’t run out to buy the latest and greatest new toy, I tend to sit and wait and read and review. Often in the end I evaluate and say, nope that new shiny thing isn’t necessary for my life – I’d rather buy a stand-up paddle board and get outside. But, there are undeniable truths to technology and automation – and that undeniable truth is that it has and will continue to affect employment. Now we’re in my wheelhouse. Jobs on assembly lines have been the most affected by robotic automation, but that tech future is pushing itself far beyond the line and into our worlds. Artificial Intelligence has enlightening possibilities but also some unforeseen consequences. Which leads to our question this week from Jordan Bryant – AKA Jub. – Jub has guest written for us before on volunteering at global golf events and is living quite a life for himself. Love that guys spirit. Anyway – his question is straightforward: AI is dissolving lots of jobs in various industries. What jobs inside sports do you think won’t exist in 5 years? What jobs will be created in 5 years? Good question Jub – to be honest I needed to do some studying to get myself smarter for this conversation, I can admit that, but once I did I found myself hooked. I was reading a great deal and seeing the impact of technology on our sports industry. It’s really quite fascinating. If you are interested in more details I’d suggest you read techemergence.com’s article on artificial intelligence in sports – it was my favorite read from my research and I’ll link to it in the show notes. Let’s start with this baseline assumption – the sports industry generate revenue in 4 major ways: Gate receipts – i.e. tickets baby Media Rights – leagues make big money when they sell the broadcasting rights of their product to networks. Sponsorship – Brands pay in to be associated with a team or venue. Merchandise – you know, that New York Mets shirt you are wearing right now. Those are the four big branches of revenue in the sports industry. In a way, Gate Receipts and Media Rights are in conflict with one another. The better the media partner produces content, the more likely someone is to watch from home instead of buying tickets. Right? I know I prefer to watch from my couch nowadays, but teams and leagues still want to sell tickets. Interesting conundrum. But that’s not for today. It is where AI comes into play though. AI is playing a bigger role is the ability to sell tickets, and the overall quality of the broadcasting and knowledge sharing. Where is Artificial Intelligence popping up in sports – three major avenues: Chatbots – i.e. virtual assistant Automated journalism – now that is scary. Wearable Tech We’ll talk about each of these briefly with an example. Let’s start with the chatbots of virtual assistants. In 2016 the Sacramento Kings unveiled Kings Artifical Intelligence or KAI as a customer service rep or sorts able...

Marissa Brooks spent 10 years in sales and marketing with the Miami Heat - then she went international. Her story and advice is the focus of this episode of the Work in Sports podcast Hi everybody, I'm Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. In the early days of Work in Sports, we're talking early 2000's, my boss Robert Oakley was on the grassroots hustle. When you are trying to build a name for an emerging sports specific job board you hit the streets. More specifically, you go to job fairs. Lots and lots of job fairs. You meet employers, share your value proposition, get them excited about how you'll make finding qualified employees easier for them and then you work on fulfilling those promises. In those early days Robert met Marissa Brooks, an up and comer with the Miami Heat in the sales and marketing department who was also at one of these job fairs. They hit it off from a professional stand point and now near 20 years later Robert asked Marissa to join the show. I'm thankful he did, because Marissa brings something very unique to the table that no one else I have interviewed has. Global experience. After 10 years at the Miami Heat, Marissa was looking for something bigger, a new spark, a challenge that had been dreamed of, but maybe never seriously considered - going international. Sports marketing isn't limited to the US, there is a whole world out there of brands looking to associate with the biggest stars in the world and Marissa wanted to be a part of that unique challenge. So she left the Heat with a job offer that would take her to Switzerland, working as Senior Sports Marketing Director for luxury watch brand Hublot, but in truth, it was way more than just Switzerland, she executed events in 15 countries on four different continents with athletes like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Usain Bolt, Floyd Mayweather and Pele. She's back in the states now as the CMO for EEM World, the globally recognized leader in indoor show jumping and the Longines Masters event in New York. Marissa and I ended up talking for almost 2 hours. Seriously. Now, this interview isn't that long, don't worry, I've cut it down to the best 40ish minutes, but trust me when I say, Marissa is a raw, thoughtful, straight shooter with lots to share. So here it is, Marissa Brooks and her frequent flyer miles: Questions for Marissa Brooks 1: I don’t expect you to be able to speak for all people – but, I’m kind of going to ask you to anyway -  what do you think motivates people to want to work in the sports industry? 2: I’d imagine you’ve been in hundreds of pitch meetings over your career in sports marketing – trying to sell a sponsorship, or an athlete, or a partnership – how do you keep it fresh? 3: Would you consider yourself a competitive person? And is that a necessary attribute to thrive in the sports industry? 4: Let’s talk about corporate culture – it is a buzzword in a way, a term people throw around but probably don’t spend much time really thinking about. You’ve worked in the NBA with the Miami Heat, for a luxury watchmaker in Hublot, and now with another high society brand in indoor show jumping at Longines Masters – how does corporate culture change from employer to employer? 4a: How much should a prospective employee value culture as they choose a job? 5: As I just mentioned you’ve been a part of the global sports machine having executed events in more than 15 countries on four continents -- I think in America we tend to think of ourselves as the center of the sports world, but that isn’t really the case. Are there more global opportunities than ever before and is that a m...

You've gone to a sports conference or a networking event and met some important people - yippee! How do you follow up with them to make sure the relationship stays strong? We have a plan for that! Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports Podcast… It’s a Monday QA session! We’ve got a good question coming in from Alan in Kansas City. And since Alan is having his question read on the show – he’s going to get a free month of full access to WorkinSports.com, which as of right now…. We have 6,636 jobs available and another 471 internships… here’s a digital and social media manager for adidas, pretty cool, and a director of marketing for a golf course in Florida. See, quick tangent here, that’s what I love about our site, we represent employers big and small, not just adidas and the Oakland Raiders, smaller and mid-sized companies that may not be as well known. I’ve been in the business 20 years and it seems like every day on our site I read about an employer I had never heard of before. Those small to mid-sized employers present opportunities I would never have found on my own, but these are good jobs really good jobs, that could be your stepping stone to your dream position. It just makes so much sense. Anyway – on to Alan’s question: Hi Brian – Love the podcast, thank you so much for your effort and consistency in publishing. You’ve mentioned many times that you don’t really like networking, but I get the vibe that you probably still have a process you utilize to maximize any networking experience you are in. Am I right? So can you share some secrets, because I find I go to conferences and networking events, and within a week the new best friend I thought I made is all dried up and crusty.   Oh Alan, you know me so well. And I loved the way you wrote this question so you get bonus points. Yes, I have a method and system for following up with people whether I meet them at a conference or a networking event, or I speak in a class…whatever the scenario, I have a process. Side note – I don’t think of myself as a meticulous process guy, but when someone writes in and assumes that I must have a process and in fact they are right, I do have a process, I think it is time to conclude that I am a meticulous process person. Which sounds so lame, I much prefer to think of myself as a hippie, creative, fly free type. But I guess when you have lists of processes you should implement for various scenarios, you aren’t exactly a wildling. Alright on to Alan’s question. Networking events and conferences can be an exercise in futility if not properly managed. As Alan eluded to in his question for me, networking events can be anxiety producing, out-of-comfort-zone, exercise in cold sweats. Maybe I have my mom to blame for constantly drilling into my head I shouldn’t talk with strangers, because even almost two decades into my career, I have never felt comfortable at networking events or even conferences. We all have our issues. These conferences and events are important though, because while you may get introduced to opportunities on sites like ours, the more people you know in the industry, the more likely you are to have a connection that can help you in your process of getting noticed. The old “it’s not what you know it’s who you know” – now for the record I think that saying is a BS cop out, but that’s a story for another time. The goal of any sports conference or networking type event should be to learn, but also to make lasting deep connections,

Smart questions you should ask at the end of your job interview Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports Podcast – it’s a Friday QA session! It’s almost the weekend, it’s 64 degrees here in Pennsylvania, I’m feeling good and I hope you are too. Today’s questions comes in from Ashton from North Carolina, Ashton connected with me on LinkedIn and asked her question there, but she could have emailed me at podcast@workinsports.com, or joined our private facebook group by searching “the work in sports podcast” on facebook and answering a few questions. Before I get on to her question – two quick things. 1: I don’t understand why people request access to our private group but don’t answer the questions provided. The way this works is, you request permission to join, and all you have to do is answer three very simple questions – what is your favorite episode, who would you like to see as a guest, and have you given the show a rating on iTunes. Now, I ask these questions just to prove you aren’t a robot or troll. And because your answers help me make the show better. Guest suggestions and telling me what episode you liked best help me direct the content in the future. So far 128 people have requested entry, but didn’t answer the questions – either they are all robots and trolls… or they are just being anti-establishment. Don’t be anti-establishment, I am your friend, I’m not here to oppress you or steal your data and sell if off to some Nigerian war lord looking for your social security number – I’m just trying to learn a bit, and verify you actually breathe air, so stop fighting against my questions, play ball a little. #2 – Ashton will get a free month at WorkinSports.com and if I haven’t made this clear yet, we’ve been the number one job board for the sports industry for like, 20 years, so we’re good at this, and we know lots of employers, and they like us. They really really like us. And, they really really like you. We’ve been told many many times by employers that they love our members because they are serious about their careers and qualified…they aren’t just someone playing around thinking it would be cool to work for a sports team. Our members are the elite, and employers know it. Alright, on to our question from Ashton: Hi Brian, this is Ashton from North Carolina, I’ve read your content on the WorkinSports blog and now I am so excited that you are doing a podcast. I’ve read before where you’ve written about preparing to ask questions back to you interviewer, the dreaded “do you have any questions for me?” at the end of every interview. Generally speaking, I’m mentally exhausted and the end of interviews and mess up this part, with a feeble, nope I’m good. Can you help me craft a simple strategy for smart questions I can ask at the end of an interview? I love these questions Ashton because everyone needs this help – this isn’t just a you problem, it’s a we problem. I have messed this up before myself. I remember interviewing with New England Sports Network about 5-6 years ago for a VP of Production job there. Am I allowed to say this? Oh well too late. Anyway, I’m meeting with the CEO, big wig, powerful guy on the sports broadcasting landscape, and we talk for about an hour. You know me, I’m bringing it, I have ideas on leading a team, pushing our content to the next level, philosophies on hiring. I feel like we are becoming bro’s, like we’re going to go grab a beer and talk about our mutual love affair with Gronk. We’re wrapping up and he asks – “so what questions do you have for me?