The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

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Dr. Cara Wright: Running the Business Operation of a Sports Team Oct 10, 2018

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Dr. Cara Wright, the Director of Business Operations for the LA Clippers G-League team, joins the show and discusses everything from buying a bus, to the changing roles for women in sports. Dig into this episode!Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.I was listening to some other podcasts the other day, you know a little opposition research, and I was trying to figure out if I needed to change anything. Not because I wanted to, but just because I wanted to learn what people were gravitating towards.You know what struck me, most people who have guests on their show, the guests are there to sell something. Their course, their book, their speaking engagements, their conferences.Now of course, someone will point out, I work for a subscription sports job board, so my very presence is trying to sell memberships… fair enough, and we are the top sports jobs board in the sports industry so what’s not to love, but what I’m really talking about here is our guests.They are here for one reason, and one reason only – they want to help you. Not me, they aren’t doing me a solid, they are here because the like the idea of giving back to you. Of helping guide and mentor.When I listen to other podcasts you notice a different tone from guests who’s end goal is different. When their goal is to move product, they have an anxiousness in their voice, and a near over-exuberance that borders on being inauthentic.I listen to our guests and they don’t sound rehearsed, they sound raw and honest. They don’t sound scripted, they seem like they take pauses to get their thoughts together before speaking. They don’t sound slick, they sound vulnerable and open.That’s what I love about this show.Everyone gives a piece of themselves. Sure I’ve tried to sell tickets to our sports accelerator event, and I’ve mentioned the benefits of our membership a few times… but if you don’t think I’m giving back, I don’t think you’ve been listening well enough. And if you don’t recognize how dedicated and authentic our expert guests are, well, you don’t truly have an appreciation of how cold it can be out there, and how warm it is in here.This week’s guest is Dr. Cara Wright, Director of Business Operations for the Agua Caliente Clippers – the LA Clippers G-League team… she’s on the cusp of her season and she took 40 minutes to chat with me about her section of the industry, competing in a market so close to LA, and the growing role of women in sports. Why? Because she cares about helping… so do her the courtesy of listening and sharing!Here’s Dr. Cara Wright:Questions for Dr. Cara Wright, Director of Business Operations for the Agua Caliente Clippers1: Looking back at your beginning, you played D1 basketball at the University of Dayton – how much did being a student athlete prepare you for the sports industry?2: Many student athletes will say they don’t have time to intern and gain experience that is so vital to getting hired in sports, how did you overcome this challenge, and do you have any advice to the 460,000 student athletes out there?3: You made the choice to go further than most in your college education, getting your Masters and eventually your Phd. Only 8% of US citizens over age 25 have their Masters, and only 1.68% have their doctorate… why was this the right path for you, and has it helped differentiate you in your career?4: It’s pretty clear tracking your career that you are a big basketball fan – from coach, to camp administrator for Basketball without Borders in South Africa, to the Indiana Pacers and Fever, to the Clippers …with a few stops in between – how important was it for you to know what your passion is, and lean into those opportunities?5: As the Director of Business operations for the Clippers G-League team you handle the daily operations of the business – that’s a huge role – can you tell us a little more of the specific expectations of the role?

Time Management for the Sports Industry – Work in Sports Podcast e122 Oct 08, 2018

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We all struggle with managing our to do list and prioritizing our day. In this episode Brian shares some tips to make life more efficient! Isn't that the goal?!Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.I just got back from Phoenix we had our quarterly business summit with our team at Work in Sports, and a couple of notes. We have some big things coming, which I am very, very excited about. There is still a ton of work to be done, but we have the framework in place for some dynamic changes that will serve all of you better.We’re a customer focused company, and when we have these quarterly business meetings all we ask ourselves is, “what can we be doing to serve our members and our partners better?”Last year, we focused hard on upping the quantity and quality of our jobs – we used to hover around 6-7,000 jobs, and in the last year we’ve added so many new employers to our site that we are now up to 10,000+ jobs.Think about that for a second – we focus in on many of the small to mid-sized employers in the sports industry, so when you come to our site you will find 10,000 available sports jobs from all kind of employers, many of which you may never have even known existed.I mean I had never heard of True North Sports and Entertainment, but when I go on our site I see they are hiring for a Manager of corporate partnerships. And right next to it I see a job with the Boston Celtics for a Sr, Coordinator of Community Engagement.Point is, we have them all. Big and small. And that was our big push last year, this podcast and upping our job totals. I’d say both have been a success. This year we have a new focus and it's going to be really cool.The second note I had from our business summit was this. 4 times a year I go to Phoenix, and it’s a total change from my norm. It’s dry, it’s hot, it’s sunny… no humidity, no rain, clear skies, bright sun.You know what happened this last trip. Rained the whole damn time. I’m inside most of the time anyway working… but come on. Can’t a guy get dried out a little bit?Alright let’s move on to this weeks question from John in Missouri – John’s going to get a free month on WorkinSports for asking a question and having his question answered… you can too!Email me, podcast@workinsports.com or hit me up on LinkedIn, or through our private facebook group. Many options.Sports Career Question from John in Missouri!Question from John in Missouri:Hey Brian, big fan of the podcast, thanks so much for what you do. I’m currently a senior in college and I’m probably trying to do too much. I’m interning for a local team, volunteering at the school paper and in the athletic department, I’m president of a few clubs on campus, have a full class load and …to be honest, some days I am way overloaded. I’m doing this all so I have notable experiences on my resume, but it brings up two questions:1: I feel like my time management is poor – do you have any advice?2: Is all of this necessary or am I just doing a lot of running around like a crazed man for nothing?John – I like both of these questions.For the first part on time management – I stress to people all the time that they need to focus on time management when they are in the early stages of your career (I view college as the start of your career – because time is your own to manage). The reason you need to focus on time management early on is because the workload and demands of your career and life will get harder from here, and if your processes aren’t well structured you’ll struggle to manage your own growth.Here’s what goes wrong when you don’t have time management processes in place:You limit your potential –being inefficient limits your ability to accomplish what you should, and reflects poorly on youYou scramble your priorities, if you don’t weigh out what is most important, you tend to go toward the things you like to do, or can accomplish faster. So you put the wrong things first.

Jennifer Keene: Strategic Marketing for Professional Athletes – Work in Sports Podcast e121 Oct 03, 2018

Show notes

Ever wonder what it would be like to create the marketing plans for professional athletes and help develop connections to build their brand? Wonder no more, Jennifer Keene Octagon, VP of Athlete and Property Marketing joins the show. Questions for Jennifer Keene, VP of Athlete and Property Marketing at Octagon:Listen to the podcast episode for the answers to all of these questions and more!1: You majored in psychology at Cornell – which at first glance seems like an odd way to enter the world of marketing…but I wonder if it isn’t quite an asset being able to get into the minds of the audience, but also to connect with your athletes – am I giving this too much thought, or does that educational background help you still to this day?2: You are another in a long line of top level sports executives I’ve interviewed who started their career in sales – what would you say was your approach to your early career, and what stands out from your “getting started days” in sales?3: Next move NBA entertainment in licensing and then on to a major Washington DC law firm Williams and Connelly. Williams and Connelly is well known for representing clients on the business side of sports – leases, arbitration, litigation – but you were on the creative side in marketing…how did that role function and operate?4: Then, Octagon. I don’t think most people getting started in the industry realize how big and powerful of an organization Octagon is – take a moment and tell everyone about the breadth and reach of the Octagon empire. You guys are in everything sports!5: Your official title is Vice President of Athlete and Property Marketing – which I’m not going to lie sounds like a lot of fun – take us through your role and responsibilities.6: You’ve worked with numerous top athletes and celebrities on their marketing opportunities – Emmitt Smith, Steph Curry, David Robinson, Hannah Storm – what’s the process of onboarding a new client like? You sign a deal with a guy like Emmitt Smith…where does the road go from there?7: Forgetting the nuts and bolts of the job for a second – let’s get back to the basics, how do you gain trust with these top athletes who have probably been pitched all of their lives? How do you connect and build a strong foundation?hhh8: I hear many people talk about wanting to work in Sales…or wanting to work in Marketing…as if they were different silos. But isn’t the line between each pretty blurry? Aren’t most sales jobs also involved in marketing and vice versa?9: As VP you have a much different set of responsibilities than when you were a sales associate at People Magazine in the late 1990’s. Looking back what were the major challenges you faced going from bright eyed new employee embarking on a career, to being a VP and having to manage so much more?10: Which part do you enjoy the most – the creative process of coming up with an idea or concept? Or the actual activation of the ideas? Why?11: So many people in our audience are interested in sports marketing careers – what parting advice would you give someone with a deep desire to someday end up near your shoes?

The Reality of “Embracing the Grind” and Standing Out in a Big Crowd Oct 01, 2018

Show notes

Many people in the sports industry will tell you that you must embrace the grind (code word: work long hours and always be available) but is that real? Also we dig into a fan question on standing out in a guest relations role with a pro team. Show notes coming soon....

Getting Hired in Professional Sports – Work in Sports Podcast e119 Sep 19, 2018

Show notes

Philadelphia Eagles Talent Acquisition manager Colleen Scoles joined the podcast just over a year ago, but her advice on getting a job in professional sports needs to be heard. We're updating and rebroadcasting this episode because it was that good. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for Work in Sports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast.I have this personal mission statement – I tell myself all the time “Fix the Problem” and that is a constant reminder to me that it serves no purpose to blame, or make excuses, or whine about problems as they arise.My job is to fix the problem. Identify the problem, understand the root of it, and get to solving it. That’s life. Work life and Life life – things don’t usually go as planned.So who are you, are you the type that when problems arise you panic in blame… or do you go into solutions mode?I’ll give you two examples from just the last week for me. We had our Sports Career Accelerator event last week in Atlanta. Our first Work in Sports branded event like this, along with our good friends at Tremont Sports.Scott Gray from Tremont had worked for months on booking guests, facilities, transportation, lunches… we worked hand in hand in getting this event off the ground. I had planned to moderate a panel or two, but generally be in the background shaking hands kissing babies and taking some videos for our marketing efforts.Day of the event – Scott got sick, like really sick. The kind where you don’t leave your bedroom for a few days see you at the clinic sick. I found this out about 20 minutes before we were opening for registration.It was about 100% humidity, and I could feel my body going into heavy sweats, which is not a good first impression. I had a choice to make, panic or produce. So Michael Brown, the CEO of Tremont, John Mellor the CEO of WorkinSports and myself all just said – we have a job to do, lets figure this out.The event was awesome – sure we were uncomfortable at times behind the scenes but no one in attendance knew it. Fix the problem. We lost a main player – so what, time to go to work.Second example is this here podcast episode. I had a plan to record a few sessions from the accelerator event and package it up all pretty for an episode. Well, no one spoke close enough to their microphones, the audio was intelligible and no matter how I tried to edit and effect and enhance it… it just wasn’t happening.Fix the problem. Go to plan B.Yesterday I was supposed to interview Dr. Cara Wright, Director of Business operations for the Clippers. Great, I’ll turn that one around quickly and publish this week instead.5 minutes before our interview, my daughters school calls – accident out front of the school busses can’t get in, please come get your kids through the back access. Uh oh. Have to postpone with Cara.Fix the Problem -- Plan C.We’ve had over 100,000 downloads of this show... but so many of you listening today are 100% new to the show in the last few months or even weeks. One of the absolute best interviews to date was in the first month of our existence. Colleen Scoles Talent Acquisition manager for the Philadelphia Eagles…not enough of you have heard this interview. Not enough of you have learned the secrets of drawing the attention of a major professional teams hiring department.So we’re bringing back one of our greatest hits this week. Get your pen and pencil ready – because here comes Colleen Scoles Talent Acquisition Manager for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Top Advice from our Sports Career Accelerator Event in Atlanta – Work in Sports Podcast e118 Sep 17, 2018

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Our Atlanta Sports Career Accelerator is in the history books - in this episode of the Work in Sports podcast I'm sharing the top advice from our incredible speakers. Show notes coming soon!

Jumbo Sports Career QA Session from the University of Florida Sep 12, 2018

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Last week I was invited to speak to a Sports Information Management class at the University of Florida, the class peppered me with questions, great questions, about their sports career. Listen in to what happened.Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast…We are totally mixing things up this week.Last week I was invited into the classroom of Professor Eric Esterline’s Sports Information Management class at the University of Florida …and it was a blast.His class had a bunch of questions ready to ask, and I intentionally said – I don’t want to know what they are in advance, I want this to be totally organic and raw, honest and in the moment.So here it is – my time at the University of Florida. Subject discussed include:Sports job interview preparationThe most important thing you should do while in collegeA strategy for internshipsHow to organize your networking effortsHow long you should wait to follow up after a job interviewGetting feedback from a job interviewGaining experience while a student athleteAnd much more. This is a really robust episode with many different topics discussed -- enjoy!

Making the Jump to Management – Work in Sports Podcast e116 Sep 10, 2018

Show notes

The skills that got your hired to do an entry level job are different than the ones which will get your promoted to manager - here's what you need to develop.Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp, Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast!I got called out this week.It’s OK, really it is, I loved the feedback and honest opinion of one of our longtime listeners.It went like this - He wrote in to me on LinkedIn and said, I’ve been listening to your podcast from the start, but since I have a job in sports now, it seems like a lot of your advice is geared toward people trying to get in to the industry, rather than growing once they get in it. How do I still get value out of your show?Now, without trying to sound defensive, I explained a few things:The advice on the show is more global and career spanning than you think.That if I talk about how to make a great impression, or how to perform on an internship – these still apply to your world now because you are making impressions every day…and while not on an internship, the tips and ideas of how you should act and show spirit are very applicable.And most importantly, the expert interviews should be up your alley... these are the pro's sharing their journey, lots of nuggets in there that you should be focusing on as your grow in your career.But all that said, maybe he’s right. Maybe I should focus a little more on once you get in, how do you go up?So let’s talk about that exact subject. How do you go from entry level employee – to mid-level management? What skills do you need?Because the skills that got your hired to do an entry level job, are different than the ones which will get your promoted. Get your pen and paper out because here comes your game plan.Supervision – When I’m promoting someone to a mid-level manager, I have to identify in them the maturity to work with and lead other staff. Are they mature enough to handle controversy, questions, attacks on them and other things that come up as a manager. Can they supervise others and hold them accountable in a respectful manner.Communication and Intellect - A manager is seen as a resource for employees to get answers – can this person spread and share proper information and be in line with company messaging?Can they Control the Room – I look at a mid-level manager as someone who has to represent me when I’m not available or on. Can this person control the room? Get everyone moving in the right direction? And stand tall on their own?Budget Management – if you are a mid-level manager that means you have control over a small team…and that takes budget management to understand financials, operating costs and more. Plus you need to value costs as a metric in your decision making as well. Can this person do that?Organized – Can this person manage multiple workflows, needs and demands of multiple employees and keep a proper paper trail of everyting from communications to financials?Collaborative – Can this person work well with others in different departments? So can a sales person integrate well with marketing or pr or community relations staffs? If not, not aThink long-term – the biggest jump for managers, outside of managing people, is in thinking long-term and strategically. Not just to get through and execute on today’s goals, but to set the goals for the future and hold people accountable.People person – I don’t promote people who aren’t relatable and good listeners – managers listen, managers help, managers see what needs doing and do it. If you aren’t a people person, get back in your spreadsheet, you aren’t a manager.See the broader business – as a new employee you see your silo, you become the master of your segment. But at some point, to be promotable, you have to see the business as a bigger entity. When I was a sports producer, I was only worried about my show that night and all the components of it. When I was a News Director, I had to see affiliate deals, public relations initiatives,

Emily Jaenson: Forging a Path in Minor League Baseball – WorkinSports podcast e115 Sep 05, 2018

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Emily Jaenson, General Manager of the Reno Aces, Triple A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks and highest ranking female in Minor League Baseball, joins the podcast!Spoiler: We talk about a lot more than just being a woman in sports, we go deep into her role, accomplishments, traits she looks for in people and the art of being intensely curious. Hi everybody I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast ---I want to keep this intro from being too self-aggrandizing – but this is a pretty cool day. One year ago today we launched the Work in Sports podcast.My good friend Carl Manteau, senior director of group sales for the Milwaukee Bucks was our first guest…and he was great. I was a little dicey, but Carl was great.On one year we’ve had over 100,000 downloads, about 1,000 people in our private facebook group for fans of the show to discuss sports career issues and network, guests like super agents Leigh Steinberg and Jack Mills. Sports recruiters like Dan Rossetti from Prodigy sports and Colleen Scoles Philadelphia Eagles Talent Acquisition Manager, Sales Managers like Mike Judge from the Cleveland Browns and Chris Valente from the Boston Red Sox, marketing experts, branding experts, pr experts… you name it.In the next year we really want to push the envelope – so please send me your guest suggestions, who do you want to learn from, because that’s the goal, getting these experts to teach and share their knowledge. You can email me at podcast@workinsports.com – but also, join our private facebook group, if you haven’t already you are missing out – search for the Work in Sports podcast on facebook, answer a few quick question to prove you are in fact a real human… and you are in!One thing I have really learned over the 1st year of this show is that there are two different types of people out there – there are learners and there are tellers.They are pretty easy to distinguish – and before you think this is a good vs evil comparison it is not. One is not better than the other, they are just different characteristics and personalities.Learners are really curious, always seeking out new information, new mentors, new challenges…and never really feeling comfortable in their professional status because they always feel like they need to know more. They are likely surrounded by shelves full of business books and can quote Malcolm Gladwell with ease. They are also the ones who stay on the line and chat with me after the interview, ask questions, talk shop… good times.The tellers have a little more confidence, they feel like they’ve accomplished things that are worthy of sharing. They learned by doing - and have a little more of a stubborn streak for how things should be. They probably look around at popular business books and think – duh, who doesn’t know this stuff already?Learners sometimes can lack confidence and don’t exude a presence. I had a mentor once that used to say, a leader changes the temperature in the room when they enter it. Learners can sometimes be uncomfortable in that role, of personality dominance.Tellers can sometimes lack listening skills, or an openness and flexibility when change comes knocking.Is any of this feeling like I’m hitting a nerve?I think it’s clear we should all strive for a balance of both – confidence and openness – but that’s a rare breed indeed. I’ll admit, I’m a teller. Hell I preach on this show twice a week – I guess that one is obvious. I’m stubborn, a little set in my thoughts, and I’d like to think I exude some presence. But every day I try to improve as a listener, and work at my shortcomings to come closer to the balance of learner and teller.Today’s guest Emily Jaenson General manager of the Reno Aces, Triple A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is the rare breed. Inquisitive and probing with an intense curiosity, she has a thirst for knowledge and improvement…but she’s also tough, believable and galvanizing.

Brilliant Sports Career Advice from Super Agent Leigh Steinberg – Work in Sports Podcast e114 Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

Super agent Leigh Steinberg joins the podcast to talk about leadership, what motivates him, climbing back up the hill after crashing, the patterns of success and a whole lot more.We also discuss his new online course -- The Leigh Steinberg Sports Business Certificate - follow the link for more information on this robust course that will take you deep inside the world of sports business! It's the most cutting edge education program on the business of sports to ever be produced. This course will teach you the ins and outs of the sports industry, how to land the job you want, and how to create a successful legacy working in sports.Hi everybody, I’m Brian Clapp Director of Content for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast!My wife has this saying – she probably stole it from someone else, I’m not trying to say she’s Socrates or anything – but it’s always in my head.She says “there is power in vulnerability”Think about that for a second. We are all so preconditioned to toughness, both physically and mentally, that we don’t often allow ourselves to be really honest with ourselves and others.But you know what happens when we face up to our true feelings and express them? You find out the world is actually more accepting and welcoming than you had ever imagined.By facing up to and admitting your fears, needs, wants and pains… you actually gain strength. Because burying emotions doesn’t make them go away, it just lets them fester.Gimme a second… I want to figure out who said that quote because I’m giving my wife too much credit… “there is power in vulnerability”…ok, google has the answer it is noted author Brene Brown.She’s a boss.She also adds – “vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change”Which fits into why this particular topic is so relevant today.You all know me for my public persona, rock star podcast host and helpful fella on social media. But I’m as nervous and often neurotic as they come, I’m fragile, sometimes broken and easily emotionally intimidated. In some ways I’m a fraud, since in the early days of my career I acted like a know it all because I was afraid to admit I didn’t know anything.The old fake it til you make it BS. I took that catchphrase pretty literally.This isn’t meant to martyr myself. This is meant to show honesty, so that you can open up the same in your own life.Never before has this fear and nervousness been more evident than this past week. I found out Leigh Steinberg was coming on our podcast. His people had ignored my request for months, but then one day it happened they said yes and here we are.The truth is, I started to panic. I wasn’t consumed with joy and a sense of accomplishment. I was paralyzed…like when you are sitting in the waiting room for a job interview and all you can think of is what will go wrong in the near future.You picture nothing but failure.What if he hates my questions? what if he is bored with me? What if he doesn’t answer his phone? What if I stumble, or forget, or stutter, or blather on?I’m 43 years old. Over my years I’ve learned how to harness this fear into focus, but the earlier version of me couldn’t. I failed. A Lot. I made an ass of myself A LOT because the nervousness and fear consumed me. A unwavering need to be liked and respected prevented me from being honest and doing simple things like asking for help.But now, good things happen when I talk about fear instead of burying it. Good things happen when I talk about and admit to myself and others I’m nervous.I went on to our private facebook group and said as much – I told the community 2 hours til my interview with leigh Steinberg and I’m not gonna lie I’m a little nervous.You know what happened? Outpouring of support. And you know what comes from support…strength.I knew I had worked hard on my questions, I knew I could drag unique conversations and angles out of him…and the support of my peers, and of my friends in our community… pushed all doubts to the side,

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