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Dylan Andrews
Ms. Jizi
Uwrt 1102
6 April 2016

Careers in Sports
When I first began my college journey this past August I had already planned out
my path for the following four years and beyond. I was going to get a degree in
economics or finance and then go into banking. But once the first semester had ended I
found myself struggling to answer a lot of questions about my future. After taking a
business course and learning more about economics, finance, and banking I began to
wonder if it was really the right choice for me. I could not picture myself being happy
and thriving in a job and environment like that. I asked myself, what is something I
would truly enjoy doing?". My first thought was to make a list of things that I am
passionate about and then research what type of careers would resonate with my interests.
One thing I knew for sure is that I have always loved sports. This pushed me to find what
jobs are available to pursue within the world of professional sports. I always knew that
there were ways to be involved with sports aside from being an athlete. I have considered
professions such as coaching, officiating, management, and training. However none of
these careers really crossed my mind as something I would ever do until recently. This
year I attended the Big South Conference Championship game between UNC Ashville
and Winthrop at Campbell University. My fathers friend had two extra VIP tickets and
offered them to us. Being the huge sport enthusiast that I am I jumped on the offer. While

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at the championship game I met the Big South Conferences Deputy Commissioner, Jeff
Jackson. I had a few minutes to chat with Mr. Jackson and ask him about his job. After
my talk with him I decided that a career in sports may be the correct path. He talked
about how he had always loved sports so he decided to turn that love into a career. That is
what gave me the idea that I too could do this.
I feel like many former high school athletes have gone through the same things I
have. You may be done with your days of playing, but want to find a way to still be
involved with sports. We get to college and attempt to find a career, but may struggle to
find something that feels right. For many of us the answer may be right in front of us.
Instead of trying so hard to find something new just find work in something you have
always loved. As a former high school athlete I know this is the correct path for me. I
want to find a way to get my foot in the door and work my way up the ladder. I hope to
one day be the General Manager of an NBA team. I believe this is the right path for me
and I hope that this shows other former high school athletes that they too can find a
career they enjoy.
There are a few people that I got my information from that made a big impact in
my research. The first part of my research was very preliminary so I read part of Dennis
Vilorios book More Than Play: Three Careers In Sports. In his book Vilorio talks
about three of the most common careers in sports, coaching, officiating, and athletic
training. Out of the three careers that Vilorio discusses the one that interests me the most
is athletic training. I have no real in interest in the other two careers he talks about,
coaching and officiating. What draws me to athletic training is that it is something I
already do. While you are working with athletes a large portion of the time, When not

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helping athletes, athletic trainers may manage medical inventory, check the integrity of
safety equipment, and track injuries and treatments (Vilorio 8). This would be very easy
for me because these are things that I already do when I workout. Vilorio also talks about
the main objective of an athletic trainer and that is to keep athletes healthy before,
during, and after competition (Vilorio 5).
After deciding to look more in depth at athletic training I went to
ExploreHealthCareers.org and searched for athletic trainers. The first part of the
information that I found helpful was about the required education for the field. It says,
Athletic trainers must graduate from an accredited professional program. Those
programs

are

currently

at

both

the

bachelors

and

masters

level(ExploreHealthCareers.org). Another important piece of information I found was

that the medium salary for athletic trainers was $55,036 and the current job outlook for
the profession was listed as excellent.
I have always loved basketball, so this made me think it would be a good idea to
see what types of careers I could find in the league. The first place I looked was on
NBA.com. On NBA.com I went to the jobs part and researched what types of jobs I could
find with my current major. The most interesting career I found with my current major
was Senior Accountant. The job description for Senior Accountant was The Senior
Accountant will assist the Controller with the development, interpretation, and
implementation of complex financial and accounting concepts, reports, techniques for
financial planning and internal controls, and maintenance of the general ledger(The
Official NBA Team Jobs Board). Though I liked what I read about this career it takes
years of experience and work to get a position like this. This led me to look for some

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entry level positions that NBA organizations have available. The first one I found was
Assistant Video Coordinator. After a little further research I found a video that featured
John Ross, the current assistant video coordinator for the Portland Trailblazers. I
personally related to Rosss story because it was much like mine. He was also a high
school athlete that did not enjoy what he was doing every day so he decided to see what
careers in sports were out there for him. One thing that he said in his video that really
resonated with me was I had a dream that if I couldnt play in the NBA I would at least
work there(Ross). What I found most useful about Rosss video is that he explained the
path he took to get to where he is now. Ross first took a scouting/management course
through Sport Management World Wide, then he work with Liberty University before
interning with the Portland Trailblazers and then eventually getting a job with them. I
thought this was helpful because it gave me an idea as to what I could do too. Another
entry-level position I found was as an organizations social media manager. After further
research I found a video by Brian Clapp. Clapp worked in the sports media field for 14
years as a writer, editor, and producer. He explains that you are in charge of managing the
organizations social media pages. This is a great entry-level job because they look for
young people that will be up to date and aware of all the current trends and will be able to
utilize them on the organization's social media pages. I think this is a job that I could do
because I am up to date with all the relevant trends and would be aware of what the fans
want. Since the social media pages are for the fans it would be important to keep the fans
involved.
In the end I think the most helpful resource I found was the video by John Ross. I
believe that I could follow a path like Ross. I think that this will most likely be the best

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path for me. I will finish my bachelors degree at UNC Charlotte, then go to work for a
few years to gain some experience, then I would go back to get my masters degree at
The University of Maryland and intern with the athletic department while I am there. I
hope to eventually begin my pursuit of getting a job with a NBA organization.
What I have discovered from my research is some great entry-level jobs in sports
for me. I also found positions I could get down the road once I have some experience.
After my research I do not have any questions left. My next step will be to do further
research into how to become a General Manager for a sports team since that would be my
dream job.

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Works Cited
Basketball Jobs : The Official NBA Team Jobs Board." Basketball Jobs :
The Official NBA Team Jobs Board. NBA.com, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Clapp, Brian. "WIS Social Media Good.MTS." WorkInSportscom
Sports Career Blog. WorkinSports.com, 29 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
ExploreHealthCareers.org." Athletic Trainer. N.p., 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr.
2016.
SportsManagementWW. "Success Story: John Ross, Basketball GM & Scouting."
YouTube. YouTube, 16 Apr. 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Vilorio, Dennis. "More Than Play: Three Careers In Sports." Occupational
Outlook Quarterly 56.2 (2012): 2-11. Military & Government Collection. Web. 1
Mar. 2016.