The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

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

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.

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,

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. 

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?

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,

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 Smith* Landon Collins* Kendall Fuller * Morgan Moses* Chase 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. 

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… Welcome to February - it is snowing like mad here in Pennsylvania right now -- about 8 inches so far and another 10 expected today, so as you listen to this, picture me pushing a snowblower and shoveling, since that’s what I’ll likely be doing as you listen.  I’ll likely be listening to someone else’s podcast as I do that because it would be weird if I listened to myself.  Quick thanks to Grand Canyon University, University or Arkansas, University of Florida and University of Missouri - St Louis who have welcomed me into their classrooms over the past week to share career advice with their sports management students.  Always a great thrill for me, seriously, I love speaking directly with the students and being able to answer their questions and provide help. If you are listening and you are a professor, don’t be shy, reach out. If you think I can provide value to your students, I want to help.  As for content -- my speciality -- in January we busted out some amazing episodes - with a theme! Looking forward to hiring trends in the sports industry for 2021 -- Kali Franklin VP of HR at NYCFC, John Ferguson VP of People and Culture at Monumental Sports and Entertainment, Matt Resnick sports talent acquisition executive formerly at Madison Square Garden company … and we tossed in Nigel Eccles Co-founder of Fanduel, because, well, he’s Nigel Eccles. It’s a great month of content -- if you are new to the show, start there. Then, start looking for your targeted content. You want to work in sales? We have interviews there. Marketing, Partnership Activation, Scouting, Coaching, General Managers, Agents… you name it. We’ve got it. Alright -- before we get into today’s question, it’s time for the Stat Line - Meredith Johnson’s favorite segment.  Ok, three stats, data pulls, information -- that will help you understand where we are as a sports industry, right now. We’re giving you context! Stat #1 - 19,896 active available sports jobs right now. We will pass 20,000 this week. Why is this an important benchmark? Because the last time we were over 20k jobs was in early March of 2020. When Covid first started to become a reality and change the sports world.  This is huge progress, we are coming back, and that should get you energized for your search. Just to track january increases so far -- * Week 1 - Sports job total jumped 8%* Week 2 - Sports job total jumped 6.5%* Week 3 - Sports job total jumped 4.7%* Week 4 - Sports job total jumped 6.8% Total for the month of January, we at WorkInSports.com the leading job board for the sports industry, went from 15,573 active jobs...to 19,896. That’s what I’m talking about.  Stat #2 - Over the lasxt week we added 2,865 new fresh jobs to the job board.

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… One of my favorite parts of my work week is writing the intro to our Work In Sports podcast guest interviews. Gives me a chance to dig into the coming topic, set the stage, throw out some thoughts and opinions -- it’s awesome.  Well, this week, I’m going to shut up and hand over the reins to our guest, Kali Franklin VP of Human Resources for NYCFC -- this interview is on the longer side, because Kali is amazing, informative and so, so passionate about her role in Human Resources representing and working with the people inside NYCFC.  We’re going to discuss hiring trends for the coming year, diversity and inclusion, their organizational approach to coronavirus and staffing, how you should handle a video interview...and so so much more, so buckle up and get your notepad ready - I took four pages of notes from this conversation…  Here’s Kali Franklin, VP of Human Resources at NYCFC. Questions for Kali Franklin, VP of Human Resources at NYCFC 1: I love origination stories, to look back in someone’s past and see their path to who how they’ve become is fascinating to me. Your career arc makes a lot of sense, you were a sociology major at Georgia State, and have worked in HR most of your career – did you always have a pretty clear vision of who you wanted to be? 2: You’ve held high-level roles in HR at Target, Microsoft, and others – then in 2017 you jumped into sports with AMB Sports and Entertainment and now with NYCFC – what drew you to the sports industry?  3: When you first got into the sports industry, were there any “Ah-ha” moments when you thought to yourself, “Ok this is a little different than Microsoft”?  4: I don’t want to spend a ton of time looking backward, we all know 2020 was a mess and I’d rather spend most of our time talking about how we move forward, but I would like at least a little peek into what it was like for you on the HR side during the start of the pandemic.   In September 2019 you join NYCFC, On February 29th your first season starts, on March 12 the league suspends play. What were your initial fears from an HR viewpoint, and how do you think NYCFC and the MLS at large weathered those initial fears over the past year? 5: The pandemic hasn’t been the only headline-grabbing event this year, protests, social justice, massive issues surrounding racial inequality, political upheaval – themes that are hugely important for the direction of the sports industry. With athletes using their voice, teams, leagues, and organizations taking a stand and using their voices, how important was 2020 in terms of establishing a clear corporate culture?  6: Roles focused on Diversity and Inclusion are relatively new in the sports industry, sometimes we assume these roles have been prevalent throughout the years, they haven’t. In my view, this is one of the better developments ever in the sports industry. Why did it take us so long to give diversity and inclusion the focus it so desperately needed? 7: D&I isn’t just a feel-good initiative – I’ve read studies that say diverse workforces increase revenue, productivity, retention, morale, and more –  why do you think having a diverse workforce makes such a positive impact? 8: What other initiatives would you like to see grab hold in r...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… It’s almost the end of January, one of my favorite months of the podcast season… why, you ask? Well, January is when our download numbers and traffic to our site, WorkInSports.com are always highest. We get a lot of new highly motivated listeners, and subscribers to our job board, so it’s on me to impress the hell out of them with our content.  Well, this month so far we’ve delivered -- Matt Resnick, sports talent acquisition executive, Nigel Eccles, co-founder of fanduel, John Ferguson, VP of people and culture at Monumental Sports and Entertainment...and coming up later this week, Kali Franklin VP of Human Resources for NYCFC.  See a theme? We are highly focused on executives connected to hiring and understanding the trends for 2021.  My goal was to make a month of talent acquisition executives… but when Nigel Eccles people call you and say, hey we want Nigel to be on your show -- the best laid plans go out the window. He gets on the show. BUT, Matt, John and Kali are sharing all the trends in hiring that matter to you. This is the information you need, so if you haven’t listened yet, go back and listen. Set yourself up for success. But first -- the stat line -- and a great question on common job search mistakes. Ok, three data points regarding the overall health of the sports industry through the lens of employment, provided by WorkInSports.com the sports industry’s leading job board for the last 20 years.  Data point #1: 18,622 jobs currently active on WorkInSports.com - that is an increase of 5% over last week and a jump of near 18% since the beginning of the month. The trend line is pointing up -- more jobs early in 2021, this is really good news. Data point #2: 2,529 fresh new jobs added over the last week… that’s a down alittle from last week but still pretty amazing. Data point #3 -- that’s an average of 361 new jobs added every day of last week. Think about that a second, our site pulls from over 8,000 sports employers -- there is no way you could replicat that work. That’s why we are a service worth considering, your time is worth it, and you get exposed to opportunities you may not have known about. Ok, let’s get into three cool jobs for this week -- One piece of advice I give a lot when I speak in college classrooms is when you are getting started and trying to find your fit, search utilizing keywords like “coordinator”. Everyone searches for job terms like social media, marketing, operations -- but if you are getting started in yoru career, still trying to figure out who you are aand where you fit, the best way to do that is search for terms like “coordinator” which aligns with entry level roles.  Do that and you’ll find things like… marketing coordinator, social media coordinator operations coordinator -- and then you can rad these entry level jobs and see what strikes you as interesting. So let’s do that as the theme this week! Digital Media Coordinator for Comcast Spectacor in Philly -- this job is working with...

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast… Do you ever say a word over and over again so that it becomes common in your mind, but if you take a moment to really think about it, it’s arbitrary and weird.  Take the word spoon for example. Yes, I know this is a strange start to a podcast intro but you should be used to that about me by now, so stick with me.  We all know what a spoon is, but when you say it a bunch of times you start to realize -- that’s a weird word. Who the heck came up with calling that scoopy you eat with a spoon.  We normalize things in our brains the more we say them or experience them. We become desensitized over time to their uniqueness and just accept them for what they are. We don’t often challenge what has become normal. Spoon. Not to go too far down this rabbit hole - but spoon is of Germanic origins meaning “chip of wood” which doesn’t help things at all.   Alright, I have a point here.  Let’s spin this forward to this conversation, and throw another phrase out at you: Human Resources.  Think about it for a second -- it’s kind of cold, isn’t it? Objectifying just a little?  People are people, not just resources to be managed. Human Resources makes it sounds like “Hi I’m Jane, I manage the Human Assets, John over there manages the Material Resources, and Bill manages the Software Assets”   Kind of cold, right? And yet the Human Resources departments of every organization are the people that care most about the employees! These are the living breathing hearts and souls of an organization! But their title, their sector of the industry... I don’t know, kind of sounds menacing when you really think about it with a fresh set of eyes and ears. Smarter people than me, I think, have started to feel this same way. I’ve seen more and more titles break away from straight up Human Resources, and break toward something more akin to -- Chief People Officer or People and Culture. Look there is nothing wrong with Human Resources, I’m not getting upset over it, I’m not staging a walkout, I just like to question some of the things we accept as normal. Watch a movie from the 80’s and you’ll see people smoking at their work desk or on airplanes -- that was really normal for a while, until someone said -- maybe we need to do this a little differently.  Again, not conflating human resources with smoking on a plane, but I just find myself enamoured with norms and accepted behavior and terms...that when you really think about them are a bit out of place.  This brings me to today’s guest -- John Ferguson, who is the VP of People and Culture at Monumental Sports And Entertainment, one of the biggest ownership groups in sports -- Washington Wizards, Mystic, Capitals - arenas, esports teams, conferences, TV networks -- they dominate the sports scene in the DC region.  And John, one of the coolest most down to earth people I have ever spoken with in my life, cares about the people and the culture of his operation. He cares so much about every person that comes into the organization and creates a culture that brings out the best in everyone.  Gear up -- this is one of my favorite discussions of all time -- here’s John Ferguson:

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkinSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast… So quick update before we get into the stat line and this week’s fan question. Like so many of you I made a resolution this year. A kick off the new year with a new attitude resolution. Well, I’m here to report, I’ve already broken it. That’s the problem with resolutions, it’s usually something you are very drawn to and therefore difficult to cut cold turkey. Mine, was a reduction in sugar intake...both desserts and alcohol. The desserts part isn’t too hard for me, I’m not a big sweets guy, thankfully, but I do like the wine, the bourbon and the tequila.   I lasted 16 days… which actually was better than I thought I’d do. Football is just really hard to watch without something wonderful in the palm of your hand. I made it through wildcard weekend drinking lots and lots of tea.  But two glorious football weekends was too much for my resolve, Aaron Rodgers and I had a little bourbon together, then Tom Brady and I had some red wine.  I’ve come to the conclusion, resolutions can be kind of silly, especially dramatic ones. Just make incremental positive choices, keep your vices in moderation, and set goals for yourself that are based on accomplishing something positive… and you’ll be better off. Ok, enough about that -- let’s get into the stat line! Alright people -- let’s jump into three stats that will help you see exactly what the sports industry employment situation looks like right now --  Stat #1 17.783 jobs currently active on WorkInSports.com the number one job board for the sports industry. To put that in context -- that’s a 6.5% jump over last week. We are in the upward trend right now, lots of positive activity in the sport industry, lots of opportunity. Stat #2  The first full week of January we added 3,002 new jobs to the job board, and I was pumped -- that is a great sign, January is always a huge month, but I was a little fearful of things being flat. Well, for the second full week of January we beat that number, 3,022 fresh jobs added last week.  Now this isn’t just a puff out my chest and brag about our job board and product moment - although I am feeling pretty puffed up -- now for real, these stats are too show you what’s happening in the industry. I’m showing you trends and patterns so you can have a more educated knowledge of what is out there for you. Stat #3 --  Every day of the week last week we added 432 new jobs to the job board. Sports specific jobs all across the country - including 1,518 currently in or near Los Angeles California, and 206 in Miami, Florida.   This is the absolute right time to be a workinsports.com premium member -- we work with over 8,000 sports employers, if you think you can search the job postings of 8,000 sports employers yourself -- good luck. We do the work for you, that’s just one of the huge benefits of our site! Ok - - next step -- let’s talk cool jobs and internships! Job #1 -- Have you heard of the O’Fallon Hoots. Nope, neither had I. I was looking on our jobboard and say O’Fallon Hoots and thought, that is a typo. It is not. The O’Fallon Hoots a collegiate summer league baseball team in the United States Prospect League, are hiring a broadcaster and media relations intern. 

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and engaged Learning at Work in Sports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast. I’m no psychiatrist, I barely understand why I do what I do, but I can tell you that fear is a pretty insane driving force.  Chased by a bear, you’ll run faster than ever before.  Have a big test tomorrow that determines the status of your scholarship - you’ll study harder than ever. Fear is a strong motivator. Well, scratch that, fear makes us uncomfortable, and we try our hardest to return to comfort, that is the human condition, get into comfortable spots and build a house there. So yes, fear contributes to the motivation, but really it’s the idea of staying in a fearful state that motivates us to get out of it.  OK, let’s not get all nuanced and into the psycho-babble -- suffice it to say, if you are sitting on your couch doing nothing, and a racoon comes in through the window, after screaming, you’ll move, fast. The fact the remote was just out of reach, or you needed water, or the doritos on the countertop didn’t get you to move… but that damn racoon sure did.  Fear works.  I’ve interviewed many entrepreneurs over my career, and they are a different breed.  You think their motivation comes from money - I’m going to make this thing and sell it to Apple for a billion dollars -- that’s not it.  It’s not the money. Success is the goal. Legacy. Developing something completely new, disrupting a marketplace, changing the world. That is what entrepreneurs seek.  Like an artist, they are consumed by their passion for their vision. And more importantly, to put a fine point on it, they are ruled by fear.  What if this isn’t it? What if my idea doesn’t work? What if it doesn’t disrupt? What if i am not special? This fear drives Entrepreneurs to work harder and with more passion and focus than most others can reach. Failure is not an option.  Because of this passion and focus many entrepreneurs aren’t willing to pivot. They stick to their vision with steadfast determination, determined to find success where they thoughtit would be.  Today’s guest, Nigel Eccles co-founder of FanDuel, Flick and StarStock, is a serial, and successful, entrepreneur, but he’s also a pragmatist.  FanDuel, the multi-billion dollar daily fantasy sports company, wasn’t a pure idea created on the cliche cocktail napkin during a discussion amongst friends over adult beverages.     FanDuel was HubDub - the original idea was an online political prediction market. It failed because as nigel himself said “HubDub didn’t really have a good business model” I can see where that would be a problem. But Nigel isn’t the type to just pack up and turn off the lights. He looked at what they had created, and how to pivot it into a new and different market. Sports. He and his HubDub team pivoted.  I’m guessing, and he may not admit this, because his fear of failure drove him to see other options for his success.  https://youtu.be/Qe-LqEodZFQ And FanDuel has been successful. At the time Nigel sold his interest FanDuel had around a 450 million dollar valuation. A few years later, it is now valued at 11.2 billion.

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at Work in Sports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… Well, I could surely get used to back to back NFL triple headers - I kept trying to get out of my house and doing other things, but the games just kept drawing me back in.  And then it’s 8:15 on Saturday night and I’ve got Brady and Gronk to watch?  And then it’s 8:15 on Sunday night and I’ve got Steelers Brown to watch?  I mean the good news is, I could turn off the Steelers-Browns after the first quarter, sorry Steelers fans, and get off my ass.  What a weekend.  For those of you who haven’t listened to last weeks interview with Matt resnick, I suggest you go back and listen. For 5 years Matt was the People Acquisition Director for Madison Square Garden, [Knicks, Rangers, MSG Network, MSG] and knows his stuff when it coms to getting hired in sports.  We shared a ton of tactical advice, plus some strategic thinking and planning that can really make the difference for your career.  Go listen Coming up this week - Nigel Eccles. Name sound familiar? Well, it should. Nigel is the co-founder of FanDuel. Yes, that FanDuel. The one he sold for 450 million, and has a current valuation of ...wait for it… 11.2 billion dollars.  Spoiler -- I did not ask Nigel why he didn’t wait a few more years to sell FanDuel and make an extra couple billion. I’m figuring that could be a sore spot for him.  But we did talk a ton about leadership, creativing, establishing a culture, the growth of tech and his new start up -- Flick, a sports focused chat app which looks super cool.  Tune into that on Wednesday.  One last note -- Because i want to brag a little. As we start the spring semester for college students across the globe, I am proud to announce our sports career game plan is now bing used in the curriculum of over 30 sports management programs. University of Florida, Grand Canyon, Ball State, Graceland, Dean, Findlay, East Carolina, -- and many more -- sorry if i didn’t mention your school, I’m going off the top of my head here.  Our course is on professional development for the sports industry, and if you are a college professor listening and I’ve piqued your interest, email me. If you are a student, talk to your professors and have them email me. If you are just an interested person, we can sell it to you direct. Boom! Ok, enough of me talking -- well, that’s not true, I’ve got a lot more talking to do, enough of me pitching… let’s get to the stat line… [music] Here we go, three stats to give you an update on the overall health of sports employment… Stat #1 16,705 active sports jobs on WorkInSports.com the leading job board for th sports industry -- that is an increase of 8% over last week.,..that’s a big jump, and I told you it was coming. January is always huge for new jobs. Stat #2  We added 3,005 active new jobs in the last week. That is a jump of… wait for it… 215% week over week. Like i said, here come the jobs. First week on January, 915 jobs added, this week, 3,005. Stat #3 That means we added an average of 429 new jobs every day of the week last week. That is worth checking in on. We’re back baby! Ok, second part of the Stat Line… jobs! Job #1

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast… There is a theme already clearly presenting itself in 2021 - get back to work.  I didn’t have to spend a lot of time workshopping that theme, there wasn’t a lot of debate or struggle -- it’s clear as day.  2020 wrecked a lot of people. Careers were put on hold, bills became hard to pay,health was in question, it became hard to see a bright future --- everyone, in some way or another was knocked down.  I don’t mean this to sound trivial, and I’m not minimizing the pain people are going through -- but it’s time to get back up.  I tend to be someone who visualizes a lot. I’m what you call a visual learner, if I drive somewhere once, I’ll never forget how to get there again, because I can see it in my mind. If I am shown how to do something, whether that is fixing the plumbing or running a report in google analytics, it sticks.  Because I know myself and what impacts me the most, I conduct a lot of visualization exercises throughout my day. Sometimes certain visuals get stuck in my mind on a loop, and there are two that keep resonating with me, and are indicative of 2020. #1 is from my fav movie of all-time, Good Will Hunting, if you haven’t seen it, go, now, do it. It holds up. Some movies don’t stand the test of time, this one does.  There is a scene where Robin Williams who plays a psychologist, is trying to help the troubled boy genius Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon, by looking him in the eyes and saying over and over again each time with more meaning and feeling “it’s not your fault”, which eventually makes the tough skinned Hunting break down and cry.  That’s 2020 for you people. It’s not your fault.  That’s a realization we all need - but it’s not enough. Just realizing it isn’t your fault is a good start, but it also puts you on the edge of excuse making.  It’s not my fault… so let’s go grab another bag of doritos and watch UNC-Greensboro play Wofford on ESPN plus.  Nope - that’s not the visualization, or reality, we want.  It’s time to channel your inner Herb Brooks. The rousing pre-game speech from the movie Miracle, about the MIracle on Ice when the US defeated the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics.  I’ll summarize it thusly --  “This is your time, now go out there and take it” It’s not going to come to you, it’s not going to find you buried in a pile of misery, self-doubt and Cheetos and offer you salvation. It’s on you to take it.  https://youtu.be/-FkgrqSFx84 This month, to get you focused on all the steps, strategies, and trends in hiring for 2021 we will feature interviews with three incredible people connected to sports Talent Acquisition.  John Ferguson, VP of people and culture from Monumental Sports and Entertainment [Wizards, Capitals, Mystics, TV networks, eSports teams you name it]  Kali Franklin, VP of Human Resources for NYCFC of the MLS  And today’s guest Matt Resnick, former Director of People Acquisition for the Madison Square Garden company -- Knicks, Rangers.