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Dylan Andrews
Ms. Jizi
Uwrt 1102
6 April 2016

Careers in Sports
When I started my college journey in August I has already planned out my path
for the next four year and beyond. I was going to get a degree in economics or finance
and then go into banking. The first semester ended and I found myself with a lot of
question 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. This made me start to wonder what is something I would love to do?. My first
thought was to come up with things that I am passionate about and see what type of jobs I
could find to go along with them. I knew that I have always loved sports, this pushed me
to research what types of careers I could pursue within the world of professional sports
without being an athlete. I always knew that there were ways to be involved with sports
besides being an athlete. I knew of professionals like coaching, officiating, management,
and training. However none of these careers really crossed my mind as to something I
would ever do until recently. Recently 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 I am was happy to accept them. While at the championship game I met the Big

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South Conferences Deputy Commissioner Jeff Jackson. I had a few minutes to chat with
Mr. Jackson and asked 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 go through the same things I have.
You may be done with your days of playing but still 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. When 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, sports. As a former high school athlete I know this is the correct path for
me. I want to find a way to get a foot in the door and work my way up the ladder. I hope
to one day be the General Manager of a 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 in sports.
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 this book Vilorio talks
about three of the most common careers in sports, coaching, officiating, and athletic
training. Out of the three careers Vilorio talks about the when 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 the career of athletic training I went to
ExploreHealthCareers.org and searched for athletic trainers. The first part of information
that I found helpful was about education for the field and 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 the medium salary for athletic trainers and it 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). While 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 entry
level positions that NBA organizations have available. The first one I found was Assistant

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Video Coordinator. After a little further research a 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 decide to see what career in sports were out
there for him. What I found most useful about Rosss video is that he explained the path
he took to get to where he is now. 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. On 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 organizations social media
pages.
In the end I think the most helpful piece 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
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
Maryland University and intern with the athletic department while I am there. Then 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 and then positions I could get down the road once I have some experience. After
my research I do not have any questions left the only thing I need to do is look further

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into careers. My next step will be to do further research into how to become a General
Manager for a sports team.

I think that my intro and addressing who this is significant to is working well.
Im not sure if I my part III follows the inquiry format
Do I use my sources enough?
Is the any one part that could use my detail?

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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.