Forging a career in sports can be incredibly difficult. Not only do you have to have the drive, talent and dedication to make it happen, you also need a solid network and a sizable chunk of luck. But at the end of the day, and as much as we’d like to admit it, the sports business and in particular the broadcast aspect of it is a business.
The popular career website WorkInSports.com has a great look at the business side of the sports industry from just about every angle. It advocates that those looking for a career in sports have an in depth understanding of how the business works. Whether a formal education with an MBA, or practical experience in the administration of a school or team…an understanding of the dollars and cents can be useful for forging a long and successful stint in sports.
Sports are often boiled down into visuals for the average fan. See ball, follow ball, cheer for person hitting/shooting/throwing ball.
But to limit sports to that overly simplistic viewpoint conceals the identity of the true industry movers and shakers. Sports are a $600-billion-dollar international industry with thousands of employees directly connected to each home run, not just the guy swinging the bat.
While the average fan may believe sports are nothing more than on field competition and a good reason to barbecue in a parking lot, sports industry veterans come to a much different conclusion that has little to do with the final score:
Sports are about running a business.
Take the Dallas Cowboys for example, they haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1995, in fact, since that last Super Bowl victory over 20 years ago, they have only won three playoff games. Despite this two decade run of mediocrity they are the most valuable franchise in sports, 25 places ahead of last year’s Super Bowl winner, the Denver Broncos.
To read the full article, click here.
