How To Network In The Sports Industry

I love sports. I don’t understand how there are people in the world who don’t love sports. What do people like that do on Sundays during football season? I can go on but I digress. Let’s talk about how to network in the sports industry, and how to break into one of the toughest industries. I currently do not work in the wonderful world of sports, however some of my friends do. That’s right fellow millennials, we’re being represented in the sports world! These millennials have networked their way to the positions in which they work and they told me all about it.

Here’s millennial tips on how to network in the sports industry:

Amit Badlani
College: Fordham University
Current Job: Site Manager for MLB Advanced Media

Amit specifically chose the prestigious Fordham (okay, I’m a bit biased) because of great play-by-play broadcasters who came out of the school before him. However after working for the radio station, he knew that play-by-play wasn’t for him and started interning his junior year to explore other options. Between his internships and beat reporting, Amit was able to make many great connections, some of which even helped him get interviews, acted as a reference, and helped him get his current job. A network is powerful, right? While Amit was between jobs (he’s the first to admit that it’s not easy breaking into the sports world), he reached out to an old connection he had made during his internship at SNY (SportsNet New York) for help. This connection was able to set him up with his current position at MLB.com. Amit encourages millennials to start building a network. His advice? “While LinkedIn is great for that (building a network), it’s better to keep in touch the ‘old-fashioned way’ though email, text, or (dare I say it) a phone call. You never know who is going to be able to help you.”

Caroline Sayer
College: New York University
Current Job: Production Assistant at NBC Sports

Caroline started interning at NBC Sports in the administrative department where she was able to interact with all other departments. She spoke with people from various departments to find out more about the different aspects of sports. From these conversations, Caroline knew she wanted to pursue production. Upon graduation and completing a production internship, there were no openings in her field. Thanks to the many connections she made through her networking over the course of her internships, she was able to get a job in the tape library, and eventually moved her way up into the role of a production assistant. How did she do this? She asked to start shadowing the Production Assistant jobs. Caroline was never afraid to speak up and ask someone if she could shadow them. Because of these conversations, she was able to land her dream job. Her advice? “Even if you can’t get the exact job you want right away – there’s always another way to get into the company and then you can figure out how to transition to the job you want. For me, that meant shadowing and learning the job in my spare time, and when they were hiring, I was the perfect candidate because I already knew how to do the job.”

Jake Brown
College: Hofstra University
Current Job: Digital Program Manager and Columnist for CBS Sports Radio, Host of Brown and Scoop on CBS Radio’s Play.it and iTunes, and Host of SportsTalk1240 on Am1240-WGBB

Jake started interning during his freshman year of college and hasn’t stopped working in sports since! From interning with the NY Islanders and SNY, to landing a writing gig for a NY sports site his junior year, Jake always took advantage of every opportunity he got. He knew he had to get his name out there any way he could. He encourages fellow millennials not to be afraid to take on too many things. Jake currently has 3,000 connections on LinkedIn and urges everyone to have as many connections as they can. All because of opportunities on LinkedIn, Jake has been interviewed for radio shows and podcasts. In fact, the way he got his current position was by messaging a woman who works at CBS Sports on LinkedIn who ended up helping him get his current job! His advice? “Find the person in the right department and send them a friendly message.”