Jobs in Sports Presentation 11/14/2012

1. Jobs in Sports
November 14, 2012
Jeff Yocom
SVP, Executive Search
Game Face, Inc.
Twitter @jeffyocom
www.gamefaceinc.com

2. Who is Game Face?
• Founded in 1995
• Over 400 clients throughout sports and live
entertainment
• Born as a sports business training firm
• Developed into a leading executive search firm
placing hundreds of people in sports jobs

3. What is “sports marketing”?
• Build awareness through association with sports
• Athlete representation
• Sporting goods and licensed merchandise
• Event management and marketing services
• Sponsorship and ticket sales
• Media broadcast rights
• Multimedia (websites, video games, mobile
marketing)

4. Career Options in Sports Marketing
• Collegiate Sports
• Professional Sports
• Teams, Leagues, Motorsports, MMA/Boxing,
Extreme/Action Sports
• Amateur Olympic Sports (National Governing Bodies)
• Venues – arenas, stadiums, civic centers
• Sporting Goods and Licensed Merchandise
• Sports Marketing Agencies; Management firms
• Sports Media – TV, Radio, Digital

5. Types of Sports Marketing Jobs
• College Administration – AD’s, Compliance, SID’s
• Professional Sports – sales (tickets, premium/suites, sponsorships),
consumer/client service, marketing, public relations, community
relations, operations, broadcasting, technology
• Amateur Olympic Sports (National Governing Bodies) – marketing,
PR, compliance, legal, community relations
• Venues – facility operations, sales, marketing
• Sporting Goods – sales, marketing, finance/accounting, IT, legal,
design, supply chain, logistics, project management, human resources
• Sports Marketing Agencies – lawyers/agents, financial advisors, sales,
marketing.
• Sports Media – producers, camera operators, talent, sales, marketing,
digital/technical experts

6. Where are the jobs?
• “Community relations, marketing and PR” trap
• Sales is the widest door to get into the industry
• View industry job boards for most common
positions
• Where you start is not where you’ll end

7. How do you get started?
• No time like the present – take advantage NOW
• Benefits of Internships
• Learn the industry language now
• Is it who you know?
• Sports management programs are minting new
job seekers at an alarming rate

8. What are employers looking for?
• College degree is essentially required
• Skills are first
• Ability to get results
• Strong communication skills
• Coach-able
• “Fire in the belly”
• Resourcefulness
• “Look of longevity”

9. Top 10 Job Seeker Mistakes
1. “Superfan” aka The SportsCenter curse
2. Never let Win/Loss record affect decision
3. Thinking my resume will get be enough to get job
4. Focusing on just one entrance into industry
5. Inflated sense of self-confidence
6. Over-educating
7. Getting on the internship merry-go-round
8. Not recognizing sports is a business
9. Poisoning your “On-line Brand”
10. Careless communications

10. Realities of working in sports
• Long hours
• Low(er) pay
• Supply vs. demand
• Mobility is key
• Need a supportive family
• Best “brands” are not best employer

11. Jobs in Sports
Q&A
Jeff Yocom
SVP, Executive Search
Game Face, Inc.
Twitter @jeffyocom
www.gamefaceinc.com