The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team does things differently, but not just for the sake of being different, he's pushing for new. Listen in to this episode and get ready for a different perspective on sports business. Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.I think over my years in the sports industry and in business in general, I have a pretty good BS detector. I can usually tell when someone is less than they project themselves to be. Or they are all flash and no substance.These people exist everywhere. They live by the fake it til you make it mantra, they try to blind you with their smile or their louder than life personality, or their command of the room…but deep inside when push comes to shove they don’t have the ability to get the job done.As someone who has interviewed hundreds of job applicants over the years, this is one of my big fears…that someone will sell me on their image rather than their substance and ability. I’m always very leery of people like this, and the cynical side of me comes through, fully expecting it to be nothing more than an act.I always envision the clown at the kids party who is all energy and excited and engaged and funny…and then you see him in the backroom smoking a cigarette and looking at porn on his phone. It’s all just an act.You can’t afford to be fooled by these people. You have to have a good BS detector and question things. Which is what I did leading into my interview with Jesse Cole founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the Savannah Bananas collegiate bummer league baseball team.Just speaking honestly here – I saw Jesse, at first, as a gimmick. The yellow Tux and the over the top personality….it can’t be real, it can’t be authentic and genuine….and he can’t really know what he’s doing. I saw all this glitz and glamour and dancing grannies and thought to myself, his 15 minutes of ESPN fame will run out and the Bananas will be out of business in 5 years.I know that makes me sound like a bad person… but I’m just not that trusting with flashy people, I’ve seen it, and been let down by it, too many times.I was wrong. And here’s why – Jesse mixes the enthusiasm and spirit with underlying business principles that work. Sure he does things differently, and never saw a camera or microphone he didn’t love, but in a lot of ways the over-the-top promotional elements and the uniquely yellow wardrobe is just the cover of the book…and we all know not to judge a book by it’s cover.Jesse’s book, and I mean it in the figurative sense, not literally his Amazon best selling book “Find Your Yellow Tux”, is chock full of substance and vision and eagerness and fire.So here he is, Jesse Cole owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team… I can’t tell you enough, listen to the details of what he has accomplished Listen in to the podcast to learn more about Jesse Cole and his unique approach to sports business

Each year there are hundreds of sports conferences around the globe which make for great learning and networking opportunities. How do you make the most out of these large scale sports events? We explain on this podcast!Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for Workinsports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.Last week we had our first Facebook live broadcast and it was pretty incredible, lots of engagement, great questions, and some fun interaction with all of you. If you were in there… thank you, I had a ton of fun, if you weren’t… well guess what, we are doing it again this Thursday!To start I’m going to go once a week on Thursday nights at 7:30 EST. In the future we may go every other Thursday, but I’m kind of into the idea of going full bore at the start, work the kinks out and improve on the delivery.We can always scale back if it’s too much… but knowing myself, I’m chomping at the bit to improve…right after I finished the first one, I wanted to go live again the next day and improve on some things I thought I could have done better.So long story short – we will be live this Thursday 7:30 PM eastern, from our main facebook page. Not the Work in Sports podcast group, the main Work in Sports facebook page!Here’s why, I found out our tools that help me interact with all of you during the live only work on facebook pages, not groups. So please, if you are a member of our work in sports podcast private group…make sure to come over to our facebook page for the live. Cool?One of the topics that came up during the live event was networking at a major event like the Baseballl Winter Meetings. For those of you that don’t know, the baseball winter meetings are a huge event and hundreds of baseball teams in Minors and Majors hire staff for the upcoming season. But with any huge event, you can’t afford to sit in the background and wait for thing to come to you… you need to go after it.Now, I’m a transparent dude, I’m not the type to fake things or provide fake advice. I’m not great at this. I know what you are supposed to do, I know what works…but I am not a natural networker. I have to work at it.It’s like my kids – one is like a math savant, can do anything math related, but he has to work harder at his writing skills. My daughter on the other hand can write like no tomorrow…but has to work harder at math.We all have weaknesses, and it’s important to acknowledge them and work towards improving them. Other things come naturally so I don’t have to work as hard at them, networking is less comfortable. But we can’t avoid what is hard, you can’t ignore it, you have to work at it.What I have learned personally is the more uncomfortable I am in a situation, the more I need a well laid out plan and strategy. I need an executable structure.So here goes – here’s my approach to networking at larger events.1: Research – I do as much research as I can into the people, teams and organizations that will be at the event. From this I create my target list. Rather than trying to approach 1,000 sports businesses and go the speed dating route, I try to narrow down the field. Who is in an area I might want to be? Who has a product I am genuinely interested in? Who has made it pretty clear they are hiring?Narrow the funnel. You can’t possibly see and talk with everyone well, so make your target list and do some research. Find out about their structure –* who is in charge* who runs the business* what were their attendance numbers* what were some of their big marketing campaigns* If it’s a product, who are their investorsOnce you have some of these pieces in line, you can gain confidence in your upcoming conversations.

Milwaukee Bucks senior group sales director Carl Manteau joins the podcast to talk the real nuts and bolts of the sports sales side of the industry. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast…We’re going to take a trip down memory lane today and bring back one of my favorite episodes that the vast majority of you have probably never heard.Last September after a few years of haggling, we launched this podcast. I spent a couple of weeks getting prepped, learning the tech, getting our workflow down… and then it was time to start getting guests.I knew I needed a strong guest out of the gate, but I also knew with a new show, and my name not being Bill Simmons, it may be a struggle to convince someone to come on. I have hundreds of friends in the sports media and was tempted to go to one of my high profile buddies…but that felt like I was chickening out and taking the easy way…plus I was afraid I’d be too casual in the interview and it would sound like an inside joke or a buddy talk, and I didn’t want that.So I reached out to someone I knew a little, Carl Manteau Senior Group Sales Director for the Milwaukee Bucks. I had never met Carl, but I had interviewed him once for a written article on sales careers and knew that he had a desire to help others.He felt like the perfect start…and he said yes.Now here’s the deal… we’re a brand new podcast, we have no audience, we have no promotional budget, we just have a good attitude and are ready to provide actionable career advice. I’ve spent 20 years in the sports industry so I’m qualified, and I’m going to get guests who can really add to the conversation… BUT, very few people listened to that first episode.Most of you didn’t even know we existed.To put it in perspective, we get more downloads in one day now than we have all time for that episode.Now, I want to set some expectations here. Carl is awesome. Me…not so much. It was my first episode, I was a little nervous on the tech and my questions. So just ignore my parts and listen to how great of information Carl was serving up.Here he is, one of the best guys in the sports industry and someone you should definitely connect with on LinkedIn – Carl Manteau, senior group sales director for the Milwaukee Bucks!Listen in to the podcast episode to learn more about sports sales careers!

Every interviewer starts with "So tell me a little something about yourself" -- why do they ask this and how should I answer it? We've got you covered on this weeks episode!Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.Fred Hoiberg of the Bulls just got fired, Mike McCarthy of the Packers just got fired, and last night Bill Belichick told Adam Theilen to shut the F- up.I love sports. I mean the firing part always stinks, but the soap opera, dramatic effect of sports…it’s just awesome. You never know what’s next.I’ll remind you, if you are serious about this life, about working in this industry and making it your career not just a hobby you enjoy on weekends or during your lunch break – at WorkinSports.com we have…let’s see… currently 10,487 active sports jobs on our site. Including 772 in Broadcasting, Digital and content creation. That’s my world, which is why I cite that data point.And if you are listening and you are a student, we have a ridiculous deal for you… go to workinsports.com/students and you can get a 6 month membership for just $30 – which is 87% savings, because I love gronk.  Let’s get into today’s question – it comes in from Corie A – A few weeks ago I joined the Facebook group for the Work In Sports podcast and was moved by all the great feedback I received after sharing that I was feeling a little defeated in looking for a job in the sports industry. Since then I have been applying to internships and jobs for the MiLB, MLB and other organizations. I have heard back from a few teams and have scheduled phone calls with them.  In the past I always feel very anxious in interviews when asked the simple question of "tell me a little about yourself". My question to you is how do you answer that?Corie – this is a really great question. Before I get into it – Corie references our private facebook group for this here podcast. It’s a great group of over 1,000 people and growing who share advice, answer questions and network with each other, I moderate…and am in there all the time. In fact, I’m going to do a Facebook Live session Thursday Dec 6th at 7:30 pm in that group – so join in! Search for the Work in Sports podcast on facebook, jump into the conversation and join me on facebook live on Thursday!Back to the question…With all the advice I give I try to go really in depth and high level…I try to push myself to give you new ideas to chew on… but you know what, sometimes it’s very important to go back to the basics.And this question you ask is the start of just about every single interview you will ever be a part of.So let’s dig into this!“Tell me a little about yourself”There are two main reasons interviewers ask this question.1: It’s a bit of a stall technique for the interviewer.Maybe they weren’t 100% ready to get started and they wanted a moment to get their thoughts together.  They just got out of another meeting, they had some other thing come up, they had an issue, or a project that they were behind on and worked right up until your interview started. Maybe they want to review your resume a bit and refresh their memory on you before they really dig in.So they ask this layup question, just to buy themselves a little time. Managers are not perfect beings, they aren’t on schedule every moment, they don’t plan for every contingency or situation…sometimes they stall or improvise. They dance! So this question can be just a moment to put you on the spot so they can get organized.2: And this is the really important one – it’s a confidence/personality test.The easiest way for a interview to discover who you are is to listen to you talk about yourself. There is no trickery, it’s not a complex question, it’s not confusing…it’s your story, and no one can tell it but you.

Sports community relations jobs leverage the reach and power of the industry to make a positive influence in the local area. Sports jobs don't get much better than that!Listen in to this weeks episode with Kristina Wedseltoft, Indiana Pacers community relations coordinator to learn more about this exciting career.Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the work in sports podcast.There is a balance I strive for in booking guests on this show. I go for the big names… the Leigh Steinberg’s, the Brian Killingsworth’s, the Jennifer Keene’s… these are the executives, the true thought leaders in the industry who have lived it all, hired hundreds of people and set that stage for what the sports industry is.But I also like to bring on guests new or newer to the industry.Dasmine Evans, Kelsey Smith, Evan Feinstein, Betsy Lauritzen… because there is a relatability to their story. They are you. People recently in the industry or fighting to get in.  They are also the people setting the stage for what the industry will be. And they just recently got hired… so they have an experience to share!Their challenges, pitfalls and successes may be exactly what you are dealing with right now, and that is so important.Here’s the amazing part.I never know how a guest will connect with all of you… I guess and speculate but never really know how much you will connect with the subject. It turns out you are just as interested in Kelsey Smith as you are Leigh Steinberg… so while I’ll always strive for Theo Epstein, I’m kind of proud that you all learn and engage just as much with your near peers.Today’s guest Kristina Wedseltoft has been in the industry for a few years now, in the midst of her second season with the Indiana Pacers as part of their community relations team. She worked previously with the San Diego Padres in Fan Engagement and with the Indianapolis Indians in Community relations.She’s a real up and comer in the industry, and there is a lot to learn during this interview… we actually taped this conversation on Pacers opening night, a crazy night that Kristina was so kind to carve out some time to chat with all of us. Here’s Kristina Wedseltoft!Questions for Indiana Pacers Community Relations Coordinator, Kristina Wedseltoft: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 communication from UC-San Diego but started out in the fashion industry working in PR for Viktor Luna designs … and I am totally comfortable admitting I remember Viktor from Project Runway. Anyway, how did you get from that start…to working in sports?2: After the fashion move, and then joining the San Diego Padres as a Fan Experience representative – you decided to go back and get your Masters.

Soft skills are so important for getting jobs in the sports industry... but can they be learned? Can you develop attributes like confidence and charisma? Listen in, because we're going to talk about it!Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.Quick housekeeping note – I didn’t publish an expert interview last week for the first time in over a year! It was Thanksgiving and when I published an episode on the day before Thanksgiving last year…it bombed, and it was kind of a wasted effort.So you know what… I didn’t publish one this year, and I’m totally OK with that. I also ate a lot of stuffing… but as a vegetarian there was no turkey. Actually, I take that back, my brother in law came over and brought a 20 lb turkey all for himself.No he didn’t eat the whole thing… I’m guessing he still has leftovers a week later.Anyway, before I get any further off track – since there was no expert last week, this week is Indiana Pacers Community Relations Coordinator Kristina Wedseltoft – it’s a great interview I think you will all like very much!As for today – I had a question come in that really challenged me, which I love. Here goes:From Nathaniel in Michigan,Hi Brian, thank you for the podcast, your effort is greatly appreciated. I have a question I’d love for you to dig into for the podcast. You’ve talked many times before about getting the interview means you’ve already passed the “skills test” and that during the interview is about your soft skills, like charisma and cultural fit. Well, I am the living proof you are correct in your assessment.I have the skills needed for the industry, and I keep getting interviews, but I can’t close the deal. I am an introvert, and so much of it stems from my lack of charisma. I just don’t have that swagger that I see exuding from others. I know I don’t have this element, so I retreat mentally into my corner.My question is two-fold – Is charisma something you can develop and learn. And how can an introvert get a job in the sports industry? Wow. This is a big one Nathaniel, and I really thank you for asking it. It takes a lot of courage to admit and acknowledge your weaknesses, but it’s also the first step in fixing the problem.Let’s talk about charisma first – it is really just a person with compelling attractiveness. Everyone is naturally drawn into this person. But I think the idea gets overused. There just aren’t that many people who are truly charismatic. Many people think they are – you know that guy right, the one who thinks he’s ruling the conversation and wooing the crowd, all his jokes are hitting, but in reality everyone is thinking to themselves, “Oh my god will someone shut this guy up”.To be truly charismatic, I believe, starts with intentional listening and engaging where appropriate -- anyone can do that.Charisma isn’t about trying to be the loudest voice or get the most laughs… it’s about making the other people around you feel special. We’ve been around people who talk about themselves a lot, their experience, they accomplishments, their successes – this is not being charismatic.We’ve also been around people who listen with eye contact, ask smart follow up questions, are present in the moment, share their own experiences where relevant. That’s being likeable, that’s being connected to the moment --- that’s being charismaticIt’s about presence. Presence is all about being truly engaged with others, showing the other person that they have your complete attention. Ok ,so how do you take action with this concept of presence – since I’m all about actionable advice - How do you develop presence:* Pay attention to every word that comes out of someone else's mouth.* I read this suggestion once and it stuck with me - Imagine you're watching a movie or readi...

So you are ready to find a job? Here are 6 things you should be doing right now to prepare for your sports job search. Do these things first!Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the WorkinSports podcast.Before I get into today’s podcast question – which is a good one by the way – something I forget to mention often enough is our student pricing deal at WorkinSports.comJust checking the site…we currently have 10,685 active sports jobs on our site and another 696 internships… that’s an insane amount of opportunity! And for those of you who are students, we’ve recently introduced deeply discounted student pricing.Get this – a 6 month membership, for only $30. That is 87% savings!You get all the features and benefits of membership, but at a deeply discounted rate. Our little shout out to the students out there trying to make it in the sports industry.Go to workinsports.com/students and fill out your membership details. You need to have and use your .edu email address. That’s how we know you are a student. This is student pricing!Now, real quick – if you’re a student you may be thinking…I’m not ready for a job yet, don’t need the service. Wrong answer![Bonus tip of finding the right skills for your ideal sports job]That’s a little bonus tip for you today. Let’s get into today’s question from Harrison in New HampshireHey Brian – thanks so much for the podcast, I have really learned a ton. Just wondering, should I pause my job search over the Holidays? Seems like it is hard to make any progress this time of year.The simple answer is No, you should not pause your job search over the holidays.There are many reasons for this, namely, many employers are still active and are impressed by those people who don’t take the time off this time of year.That is especially important in the sports industry… sorry, there is no break. Football, Basketball, Hockey, soccer and Baseball’s off-season adventure are all in full force. There is no break.Also, from my own experience, holidays are blurry lines for people in sports. Everyone else knows the holidays have an exact date, but when you work in sports and you have odd hours and off-days…the holidays are sometimes where you can squeeze them in.The train doesn’t stop. Period.Sometimes people don’t like to hire right before the Holidays, but they get the framework in place so that they can eventually hire in January.Many organizations are holding out for January to do their actual hiring, it’s when their budgets for the new year kick in and often can result in a frenzy of hiring. Plus, new staff can get off on the right foot, rather than trying to start in the crazy period between Thanksgiving and New Years.So here’s my suggestion – keep going…and do some house-keeping:1: Contact all of Your References and update their contact information 2: Update all of your Social Media Profiles (i.e. Get Rid of You Being Dumb)  3: Prepare for THE Question  4: Stimulate your Network 5: Know Who You Are Online 6: Explore Your WeaknessesListen in to the episodes to get more details on all of these concepts for preparing for your sports job search!

Want to Work in Sports? Of course you do! Bottom line: If you have sales skills, you'll go far. Bill Guertin is the guy who trains the sales staffs of pro teams around the nation, he knows what teams need and want on staff, and he joins us on this weeks podcast!Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.As many of you know, we hosted a Sports Career Accelerator event a few months back in Atlanta. 2 days of intensive learning and exposure to top flight sports teams and orgs in the Atlanta region.But let me give you a little behind the scenes. Trust me, it relates to this week’s episode, this isn’t just a trip down memory lane.Day 1. Our first event like this, and to be honest, not exactly my comfort zone – I’m not always a small talk guy.But I was pretty relaxed because we had a guy on the ground in Atlanta doing all of our logistics and would be essentially shepherding all the guest speakers in place, navigating where we go at what time, Sign ins, swag bags… he had things covered.So I wake up morning of the event, get a good breakfast at my hotel, get changed up and walk to the event. It’s about 7:30am…things don’t start til 8:30. I’m relaxed and calm because the pressure is not on me.Then I get a text message. Our guy is not just sick… he’s out. Down and out. Like heading to a clinic because he hasn’t stopped vomiting for a few hours.I’ve been in a few pressure situations over my career, so I don’t exactly panic…but I also don’t feel I have everything I need to succeed which means I’m not exactly comfortable. And then an attendee shows up… early, very early.Hello Sean Grassi if you are listening.I’m now scrambling to get people checked in, hand out swag, give out badges… and it’s not the best start in the world.People are filing in, they are in the room we rented, but it’s deathly quiet in there. I’ scrambling in the front of the lobby….and the vibe is…shall I say, poor.Then I see Bill Guertin come around the corner, one of our guest speakers. He takes one look at me and says…here, I got this, and he walks into the room with our guests.Next thing I know I hear chatter, and laughing, and cavorting and cajoling. Bill came in and just started to own the room.I had a mentor once who said – leaders change the temperature of the room when they enter. Think about that for a second – the idea is, everyone can feel a leader when they enter. It’s a changing presence, an attention grabber.Bill has that, and more. Right then I thought, OK, this guy is good, he can control a room with ease…which isn’t easy. Then I started to listen in, then I started to check his resume, then I started to admire.Bill has worked with over 100 professional sports teams to help train their sales staff… from the Boston Celtics, to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Football teams, basketball, baseball, NASCAR, hockey – if you have a sports event and a sales staff, Bill is the guy to train them.And, lucky us, he’s our guest this week as we dig deeper into the role that comprises a huge percentage of sports employees.Here’s Bill Guertin – and stay tuned at the end of the show for a special offer from Bill’s company ISBIQuestions for Sales Trainer Bill Guertin:Listen to the episode for the answers!1: You’ve been in the sales game since 1992 – specifically in sports sales since 2004 – you are truly the expert in the field having worked with over 100 professional sports teams. I’ll make the first questions really simple…or complex in it’s simplicity, you decide… why sales? Why has sales been your calling?2: What I think I’m most impressed with about you, and there are many things, but I know how difficult it can be to get in with pro teams as an outside resource.

There are opportunities out there to build your personal brand, and I'm sorry to say, most of you aren't taking advantage of them. Time to get to work.  Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.There is no fan question today. Instead, there is a bit of a rant from me. Buckle up.No, I’m kidding, it’ll be a friendly rant.   Let me set the scene for you – I don’t do much for our social channels on Instagram…but I should, and I realize that.I do a lot on LinkedIn – makes sense, that’s where people go when they want to look for jobs, network and have business related conversations. That’s our market, so it makes sense that I become an expert in this realm.I spend time on Twitter – heck it’s fun, and I share a good amount of content and keep up with all of our guests on the podcast.And of course I spend a lot of time in our private facebook group for this podcast which is now over 1,000 strong and amazes me every day with the level of engagement and advice that is shared. So thank you for that.But Instagram… I hadn’t really been there much because our business isn’t always visual, and frankly I hate seeing pictures of people at conferences. It’s like they are just showing off… look where I am! And that doesn’t provide any value.I always try to focus on value – what can I add to the discussion, how can I help someone learn, how can I change their approach even just a little, that’ll make a difference for them.I hadn’t been convinced that Instagram or Snapchat was the avenue for that… so I avoided it. BUT, I like to push myself, so I want to grow in these areas.As I’ve advised many of you countless times, one of the best areas to learn new skills is via Youtube. You can differentiate yourself by learning skills like Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Pro Tools… all skills you can literally master on Youtube. Just last week I was trying to learn how to burn captions into a video… boom youtube video – three minutes later I’m doing it.So, I go to Youtube… I type in Instagram for businesses, thinking I’ll get some ideas that could spark some creativity.Now, I’m not trying to be ageist, I’m not trying to be judgmental. Heck I just did an entire podcast intro on not being judgmental. But there is a huge problem when I search youtube for Instagram techniques and videos and all of the advice is coming from 40-50 somethings.I’m 43 years old, mentioned this many times, not afraid of talking about it one bit… but if I want to learn something in social, I want to hear from the young people who grew up with it, use it communicate with it, have expectations for it, know what they like, what they don’t know what their friends share and the tone and the tenor of what they speak.Why aren’t any of you taking charge?I mean this as seriously as possible. And it’s not just about Instagram… it’s about building your brand, building your expertise, building your stature in the marketplace.I see people who are considered “influencers” by the way, hate that word, and while I think their content usually sucks, they have an audience and they leverage it. They have a brand, they have an audience.How powerful do you think it would be to create videos on mastering Instagram…you could create hundreds of tutorials from they eyes and mind of a millennial, and develop a huge brand for yourself.How do you think that would play out when you go to apply for a digital marketing job with Atlanta united?...

Sports agent Nicole Lynn goes through her daily adventure of representing NFL players on this weeks episode of the Work in Sports podcast. From recruiting and signing athletes, to setting up their future and being discounted as a woman in a predominantly male field, she shares it all.  Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.Today’s guest graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s in business management. They then went on to earn their Doctor of Law with honors. They then went on to work on Wall Street as a Financial Analyst and obtained both their Series 7 and Series 63 certifications through FINRA.Sounds like a boss, right? Literally and figuratively, like this person could be your boss…and they are a boss.  But there is something that happens to most people between their brain and their eyes. There is often a disconnect.  You brain observes this person based on qualifications. Data. Details. It tells you this person is smart, motivated, qualified…But sadly, most, if not all people, make decisions with their eyes. They judge what they see -- based on external appearances, based on pre-conceived notions, based on superfluous data points.This happens to everyone, not just today’s guest. People judge you, every one of you, day in and day out, without knowing a thing about you. They assume, they guess, they predict.You’re too young.You’re a woman.You have blond hair.You wear braces.You’re short.You’re dressed different.You have darker skin.You have different eyes.You have different beliefs.We are all guilty of judgement. I can’t change that today, there is no way I can impact that on a scale that will make any difference, there is no way any of us can. It is our sad reality.Don’t blame it on social media, don’t blame it on video games, or helicopter parents or millennials – because this has been around forever.When I was a kid I remember there was a girl that came to our school, I’d guess it was around 6th or 7th grade and she was always dirty coming to school. Her clothes were a mess, her hair was in knots, she had an odor about her.We all assumed she was gross.What we didn’t know, was all of things she was going through on a daily basis in her life that would have rocked our safe, little suburban bubbles. She was smart, athletic and scared to death every day… yet all we saw was a dirty girl and we judged her. We made her days even worse.This is the sad reality of our world and it doesn’t stop in middle school, or after high school, or after college. There are cliques, there are groups, there are bands of people who will find comfort in their community of judgement. And at some point, it will likely be aimed at you.So what do you do?I wish I knew… I wish I had some great advice, some bumpersticker, meme, shareable quote logic. But I don’t really think that way. I draw inspiration and perspective from the people I talk to each week on this podcast. I learn about myself through every conversation, and I’m self-aware enough to realize I’m still a work in progress too.Today’s guest, the one with the incredible resume, is Nicole Lynn a young black woman, who faces this judgement every day as an up and coming sports agent…in, let’s speak frankly,  a white man’s world.68 % of the athletes in the NFL are African American and that number jumps to 75% in the NBA and yet, of the top 50 sports agents in the world for 2018 published by Forbes, there were only 5 African-Americans….and zero women.When Nicole Lynn walks into a workout, or a pro day or a negotiation, the other people in the room figure she’s one of the players girlfriends. This bad ass negotiator, who has earned every bit of knowledge and power s...

You don't need just one mentor in your life, you need multiple mentors that fill various roles in your work and life. Check out this podcast to learn more about the different types of mentors you should seek out.Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.A few months ago I answered a fan question on networking, essentially they asked what type of people they needed in their network, and I went into great detail explaining the 5 different types of personalities and people everyone should have in their network.It’s a really good episode ---episode #65 if you want to go back and listen. I thought of that episode this morning when I received this question from Mark in San Francisco –Hi Brian - Love the podcast – I’m a junior in college majoring in Sports Administration, all of my courses talk about the nuts and bolts of this career path, but you are the only person out there helping all of us with ideas in internships and networking and strategies for our resumes and cover letters. Plus introducing us to all of these experts in the field… I mean come on it’s awesome.(Thanks mark)My question today for you is about mentoring… I know you’ve talked about the importance of finding a mentor before on the show… but I still feel lost in this area. How do you get one? What should they be like? How do I know if they really want to be a mentor? I really need some guidance here.Mark – I’m happy to provide guidance here! It’s a great question and per usual I have a lot of thoughts on it.Finding a mentor is important, as we’ve all stated, but it isn’t a just add water exercise. Meaning it isn’t just something on your to do list you decide to complete today.It has to happen more organically than that. Which sounds so squishy… but it’s true, it’s not something you can force.You know how you buy a new shirt and you really think it’s cool and unique…then you go out on the street or around campus and it seems like everyone has the same shirt, or something close to it? It’s not that there is a change, you are just more aware of the shirt now, your awareness is heightened, so you notice it everywhere around you.When my wife first got pregnant, it was like everywhere I looked was pregnant ladies… the number of pregnant ladies likely wasn’t any different, but because I was so hyper aware to it now, I just noticed it more.The same thing goes for the mentor conversation… we talk about it, so that you have awareness, and when a relationship starts to form that makes sense… you identify and value it’s importance.You aren’t actively going out and saying – you want me be my mentor? I think you’d be great!It has to happen more naturally than that…but you also have ot put yourself in position for it to happen…which means getting out there. Talking to leaders during your internship, trying to form relationships with professors, going to conferences and speaking up…get yourself out there and put yourself in a position to notice the opportunity.Now, here’s why I references my earlier podcast episode about the types of people you need in your network. I’ve gone back and thought about this in my own career…and I realized something. I don’t have just one mentor. I have multiple mentors.So when people say “How do I find A mentor” what they should be asking is “what type of people are good mentors to have?”Let’s answer that question too! BONUS BABY!I went back and thought about my career and the guidance I’ve had and I’d say I’ve had at least 5 different mentors who all served different purposes and they all played a vital role in helping frame my perspective on work ...

Dan Rossetti is the President of Prodigy Sports Recruiting, and an expert in what it takes to get hired in the sports industry. Check out this episode and learn what it takes to stand out to employers for sports jobs.Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.When I was younger I had this idea about being discovered.You read these clickbait stories of famous people being discovered just walking around town. Ashton Kutcher was ambling through the mall in Iowa when a talent scout discovered him.Jennifer Lawrence was walking with her family in Union square while vacationing in New York and a talent scout discovered her.When I was young I thought of these moments a lot… like my time was coming, I’d be discovered soon.Truth is I was kind of chubby, kind of short and had a lot of freckles and braces.I mean, back then I was… now I’m tall and strapping…back then I was chubby.The point is, I was consumed by this idea of something great happening TO me, just by being somewhere.The lottery ticket of life was going to be bestowed upon me as I walked through Chess King at the Leominster Mall, picking out some horrendous outfit, or at least looking significantly intrigued as if I was playing a role to some camera that didn’t exist.You day dream and think someone may be watching… right now… time for Blue Steel!You laugh, because you did, or still do the same thing. We all do.People do this with their careers too. I’ll be discovered after college, by someone great doing something I deserve to do and they’ll pay me, LOTS!In the early months of this podcast I had on sports recruiter Dan Rosetti, Dan is incredible, he is the President of Prodigy Sports Recruiting and one of the true greats in this industry along with his co-workers Mark Gress and Scott Carmichael.But here’s what happened when I released that episode – I was flooded, and I imagine Dan was too – with requests of people who wanted Dan to find them a job. It didn’t matter what the job was, or what their skills were…they just wanted Dan to discover them.Sorry people, that’s not how the world works.You need a plan. You need a skill set. You need to build your brand. You need experience. Then someone like Dan can take you to another level.He can’t make you desirable to employers, that’s on you…only you can do that.Here’s the other thing that happened during that interview – Dan dropped some incredible knowledge and insight about what makes people successful in their sports careers and he would know better than anyone.So let’s go back in time and listen to Dan Rossetti, president of Prodigy sports and one of the most insightful people in the industry.

Careers in sports social media require skills outside of content creation, it takes strategic thinking, research, planning and more. Katie Gillen, Atlanta United FC's Manager of Social Media and Analytics joins us on the podcast to explain.  Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.There tends to be very blurry lines in the sports industry.In some industries jobs are like silo’s – you work in a very specific function doing a very specific thing… do not venture over here, that is not your world. Stay in your lane, enjoy your silo. You push the paper from point A to point B…don’t even make eye contact with point C.Of course I’m being a little dramatic but, I know people who have this existence…it usually requires a cubicle, just to remind you that you have to stay in your space, and not play elsewhere.In sports, the lines are a little blurrier.Sports sales is a whole lot of marketing. Marketing involves a lot of social media. Social Media involves a lot of content creation. Content creation includes a lot of graphic design.We can play this game all day long.One of my early career bosses, Sandy Malcolm, used to tell me all the time, you have to be versatile. You can’t just be a good writer, you have to know how to run a camera, edit video, ask good questions and more and more and more.This formula is constantly changing.To be a scout, well now you have to know analytics… that wasn’t the case 10 years ago.To be a storyteller you have to know Instagram, also not the case a decade ago.As they say, the goal posts keep moving.Careers in sports are blended….and often require both right and left brain.Take sports social media for example. You think it’s a right brain career choice, all creative and abstract, spontaneous and artistic. Sure, that’s part of it. But not all of it.A huge component of successful social media is in the left brain activities… like setting strategy, planning, data mining, analytics and projections.This weeks guest, Katie Gillen from Atlanta United FC – she’s the manager of social media AND analytics…which to many of you may sound like an impossible combination of left and right brain, but for her, is the perfect mix of both.And Katie's daily reality points out a truth you should write on your wall or inscribe in your notebook – don’t pigeonhole yourself.You can’t be just one thing, you can’t be just a creative type…you have to be tactical and able to get things done. You can’t be just a data person, you have to be able to translate that into action and into a format your audience, whether that’s a fan base or a sponsor or a group sales target…is ready and excited to consume.This interview ahead isn’t just a “let’s talk about how fun it is to work in social media!” Sure that’s part of it, but there are challenges ahead, challenges that you need to face if you want to work with a major professional sports team in any role.In social media you must be able to complete the cycle --  from over-arching strategy, to concept, to planning, to execution, to evaluation, to adjustments, to data collection, to learning and applying, to next challenge.Any part of this cycle that you avoid, or can’t complete, means you have a weakness that can be or must be filled by someone else.   Wouldn’t you rather be able to contribute to the whole process?Today’s guest Katie Gillen sure can. As the Manager of Social Media and Analytics for Atlanta United FC, the University of Florida grad has been up to the challenge of the whole cycle, and that’s one of the many reasons she’s a rock star…listen in, and you’ll find out the rest of the reasons real soon.Sports Social Media Questions for Katie Gillen,

Brian Killingsworth CMO of the Vegas Golden Knights joins the Work in Sports podcast to discuss the success and overall brand approach of the young NHL organizationHi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.Vegas Baby! I’ve said these words many many times prior to boarding a flight for the oasis in the desert.Visiting with friends, visiting family, heck I even got married there. No not a drive through elvis chapel, the real deal top floor of the Mandalay Bay looking down the strip.I love Vegas.But I never, ever, thought any sport outside of boxing and MMA would thrive there. Those are events people go to to be seen, and that is Vegas in a nutshell.Mike Tyson fight – heck yeah bring it to Vegas and roll out the red carpets…or as Iron Mike would do, cut a hole through the middle of a hotel towel and drape it over himself.Seriously, for all of you who only think of Mike Tyson as the guy from the Hangover… come on, he was the baddest man on the planet for real.Ok, I’m getting off track.My point is this – I never believed Vegas could support a day in day out team. An 82 games in a season, practice daily, win some lose some team. I just didn’t see it.There are communities in Vegas, full of families and schools and kids and water parks… but they tend to avoid the strip.When the Vegas Golden Knights announced their existence, my first thought was… this is going to be awful. Hockey in the desert hasn’t done well, the locals don’t go to the strip and there just isn’t enough interest from tourists to go see a hockey game…when they can go do other things.Think about it, if you are a tourist from Minnesota going to Vegas in the Winter to get some sun… are you going to go see a hockey game? No I don’t think so, you’re going to be poolside at the Hard Rock for a few days getting your pasty white arse a little sun.To me the equation of season ticket holders + local interest just wasn’t adding up.But so far, I have been miserably wrong. Now before you say “success changes everything, wait until they lose” you need to remember that before they even dropped a puck, they had sold 13,000 season tickets for an arena that holds 17,500. That’s 74% capacity for the season, guaranteed and before they even made any calls for group sales, individual game sales, premium seating…They were netting a hat trick before the ice got cold.Why? A fan base that was starved for a team and an aggressive marketing strategy that former guest on the show Leigh Steinberg called “a miracle on and off the ice.”Who better to learn about this successful strategy from, than Vegas Golden Knights Chief Marketing Officer, Brian Killlingsworth, who after 10 years with the Tampa Bay Rays, and then multiple years in the NFL with the Rams and Buccaneers… took his talents to Vegas!Questions for Brian Killingsworth, CMO Vegas Golden Knights1: You’ve worked in various marketing roles in Major League Baseball, the NFL and now in the NHL. How much does the approach to marketing change in different sports with different target audiences?2: Not only are we talking different sports, we’re also talking about a first of its kind location. You spent many years in Tampa Bay with the Rays and the Buccaneers… how much have you been blown away by the Vegas experience?Does it allow you some freedom from a marketing perspective to say ‘this is Las Vegas, we can do anything!’3: In a way, having an expansion team is like working for a start-up… ...

Phone interviews are the pre-screening of choice for most sports employers, so we will all have to face them at some point. How do you nail the phone interview so you can get the face-to-face one? That's the subject of this weeks Q&A!Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.Last week on our private facebook group I asked everyone to post a GIF that exemplifies the status of their sports job search.43 people responded… and they were pretty darn hilarious, but at the same time kind of depressing. 81% of the respondents had negative themes to their current job search.The cat running up a slide and getting nowhere… kid crying during a TV interview… a justin timberlake or two…I mean I laughed a lot…but it was sad, man.I want better things for all of you, that’s why I do this damn show. I’m not here for the sponsors… psst, there aren’t any.Unemployment is low thanks to Obama, and we have over 10,000 sports jobs available on our site right now, so what is going wrong?  Where is the disconnect between your skills and their openings?Before we get into today’s question, which is related to this subject, you’ll see…I want you to go through a little checklist:As yourself:* Am I being too specific? – Sometimes you need to broaden your search and change what you are willing to accept as an entry level position to get things started.* Am I being too rigid on where? I’ve said it many times before, you often need to relocate for sports careers – go where the opportunities are, take some chances, sports isn’t a passive industry, you can’t wait for something to come to your door. Also, make this clear in your cover letter. Finish off by saying something like – “While I am not currently local to the Pittsburgh area, I am willing and anxious to relocate for an opportunity like yours.” Phrase it better, but let it be known relocating is not an issue.* Are you lacking primary skills? You need the tangibles! What do you have that they need – if you can’t answer that question, you have work to do.* Have you done a personal audit? Check yourself and your skill set against job descriptions. Where are the gaps?* Are you networking? If you aren’t connecting with all of the gueests on this show – if you are active on LinkedIn sharing, commenting and liking, if you aren’t going to your career center and finding out about alumni in your area of expertise – you are not working hard enough at getting a job. It’s work – put in the time.Alright let’s get on to today’s question – this one comes from Morgan in South Bend – I have known Morgans who are men, and Morgan’s who are women, so I will not specify gender and I will not judge. Morgan asks –I’ve been binge listening to your podcast and I have to say I love it, I can’t believe how much advice you give that motivates and inspires me to take action.[thanks morgan]You’ve talked a lot about interview techniques including video interviews… but I have a phone interview next week that I am very nervous about. Do you have any tips?YES! I’ll tell you this, I hate phone interviews. They always feel off-rhythm to me. I know for me personally I feed off of body language and reading the room… without that I feel like I’m trying to play basketball with both my hands tied behind my back.Which means I dribble with my face. Which is awkward.That said, phone interviews are a reality of our world and the most common pre-screening used before bringing someone in for an in person interview… so we all must deal.Here are a few tips to help smooth out this phone conversation:Let’s start with a couple easy logistical issues that are pre-interview – remember someone has to call you first to set up the interview:1: Check your voicemail outgoing message.