Thursday night as the United States Olympic Committee announced that Boston was their bid choice for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, the worlds of LinkedIn, social media and networking immediately began to heat up. Young people, and their parents, started sending resumes around to anyone and everyone in hopes of finding jobs for their young people willing to “do anything” to work in sports.
In reality, the amount of jobs that come immediately out of a potential bid are very few. Until Boston actually wins the Games, the work needed is really more on the lobbying and planning side. Agencies get work for sure, full-time paid people? Yes there will be some created by the bid committee, but not that many, and most will be very specific for tasks that the USOC and ultimately the International Olympic Committee, will need to be handled.
However what will be needed are VOLUNTEERS. Yes, free help. In the coming few years there will be events public and private, that will be created to show the viability of a Boston bid. Some will be large, some small, but chances are many will need help to staff and execute. Now while volunteering isn’t for everyone, the ability to volunteer to help can have a very long tail, especially for those looking to break in, especially if Boston wins the bid. Then the chances of those volunteer spots turning into jobs rises exponentially.
Recently lawsuits have challenged the definition of volunteer for some major events, with a minor pay scale being instituted. However a small fee is no substitute for experience, and the ability to gain experience and network and learn skills with a major lead-up like Boston will have in trying to be the host for The Games is a rare one in the United States.
We took a look at the value of volunteering in our book, with the excerpt below. For those starting out, opportunity awaits in Beantown. Go have at it.
In any pursuit, motivation needs to be the key. The entry-level position needs to be filled by those with a passion and a desire to learn. Therefore it is extremely important to be also able to step out and ask for help. Network. Just like finding a job when unemployed, or gaining rungs on a social ladder, networking in sports for you is just as important as knowing which network the NHL plays on these days. But where to start?
Here are a few suggestions, both for the young person starting out and the person currently in a career but looking to make the jump.
VOLUNTEERING
Until the last few years when there was a downturn in the economy, volunteering seemed to be a lost art. Getting dollars for any activity was tantamount. However the influx of experienced people into the job market has now re-jigged the economy, and experience at every level is now the requirement. With that potential of experience comes less dollars. That’s the bad news. The good news is there is stiIl a wealth of ways to get experience if you can fit it into your time and budget. The explosion of the digital space has also created the ability for virtual opportunities in writing, research and design that never existed before, making the ability to find what you like, or what you don’t like, even more available.
Sports and entertainment remains an industry that is still growing, especially on a global level, in terms of events, corporate sponsorship and man-hours needed to pull off said events. There is no shortage of space for people to work. What there is, especially in smaller markets, is a shortage of quality people willing to put in the time investment to make events the success they can be, or even to make sure that those involved…athletes, organizers, corporate sponsors…get out of it what they are putting in. There is always the need for volunteers to fill that gap.
In the next few pages we will list just some of the organizations, events, and opportunities that you may be able to contact, not only where you live, work or attend school now, but anywhere around the world. From Sochi 2014 to two events in Rio (World Cup 2014 and Olympics 2016) to local bike-a-thons, there remains a huge need for volunteers and all are RECRUITING quality volunteers now. In most major cities there are events that are constantly looking for volunteers. The New York City Marathon, the U.S. Open, the White River Games in Indiana, the Rodeo in San Antonio, the Boston Marathon, even the Super Bowl organizing committee in New York for 2014 will take on hundreds of volunteers. The great thing if you are interested in working with the media, or even seeing how media operations work, is that there is a need with every mega-event to have quality, smart people work in the press room, press tent, what have you. For example, the US Open, which if you are not aware is the world’s largest annual sporting event, held every year at the beautiful Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. Every year, it is like handling the media crush for the Super Bowl every day for over two weeks.
Over 1,500 journalists are accredited from around the world, and the level of volunteers in the media room was outstanding. They came not just from around the city, but from around the country and around the world to work the event, see and speak to journalists, and many actually went on to get credible jobs in sports and entertainment through the contacts they made in the press room. People every year from many professions take their two weeks of vacation just to work in the press room, in the hope that it opened some doors to ignite their career goal change? Is that a risk? Yes. But for some the risk paid off in great experience and the opportunity to find what they did or did not want to do.
Now taking two weeks to work the tennis US Open or flying to Russia for the Olympics is not for everyone.
So what to do if you are not in a city that has a major event, or for that matter a major sports team? Even better. The ever-growing rage of sports statistics and coverage down to the little league level has created an even greater need for folks to do things like manage websites, volunteer to write game stories for websites and local newspapers and in some cases, even create entire jobs built around selling sponsorships for leagues, creating coverage and doing regular stats projects for websites.
EXAMPLE: Dr. Harvey W. Schiller is perhaps one of the most well respected and accomplished professionals in the world of sport. Dr. Schiller has headed the Southeastern Conference, the United States Olympic Committee, Turner Sports, Yankee Nets, the International Baseball Federation and several other high profile public and private corporations. Yet for all his success, Dr. Schiller did not start fulltime in athletics until he was almost 46. Prior to that his work was all volunteering…from running the rugby club at the University of Michigan (where he was getting his doctorate) to being on the athletic council for the Air Force Academy and many other positions. Through his time in Colorado Springs, he met the people at the USOC and he became the venue coordinator for boxing at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games. There he met more people involved in the Olympic movement and college athletics. When the SEC was looking for a commissioner, they wanted a different background. Dr. Schiller, a lifelong volunteer with a deep resume, got an interview and his first fulltime job in sport.
One other thing. If you want to work in sports, learn the audience you currently serve. If you are on the collegiate campus, VOLUNTEER to write for the school paper, radio station, website or TV station. In many cases these will not only open some doors for you into the sports PR side, but you will hone some very vital skills like reporting, note taking, public speaking and even photography or layout and design. These basic skills are all very important in putting together the PR puzzle. They give you assets you may not have ever had the opportunity to add. Also, you may be able to use those press credentials, respectfully and honestly, to gain entry into covering some non-campus events. In New York for example, many of the collegiate radio stations have the opportunity to cover the professional teams on a regular basis. That can be true in any market if you ask properly and act professionally. You may also, if you are lucky enough, be able to write or talk about alumni who have gone on to the professional ranks in one way or another through the guise of the school media outlets. Another great opportunity gained through volunteering.
OK, let’s move off the collegiate level to the pro level. Currently there are literally hundreds of minor league baseball teams, minor and junior hockey teams, minor league basketball teams, NASCAR events, USTA pro circuit events, and arena football clubs, in this country. That does not include all the Mixed Martial Arts tournaments, professional wrestling, poker events, marathons and Special Olympic and charity events. All of which suffer from a great amount of time needed to get the job done and not enough staff. It’s simple, take a look in the local paper or website if you don’t already know, and contact the media relations person. ASK them if you could volunteer to help them on a game night. My bet is there will be stunned silence, followed by a little laughter and then you are in the door.
IMPORTANT TIP: If you don’t get through on the first attempt or get turned down on the first try, try and try again. You may be catching someone who couldn’t pay his stat crew, someone who lost all the popcorn sales money that night, someone who just got into a heated argument with the parking concessionaire and is having a bad day. Also, be cognicent of schedule and time. For example, do not call Raymond Ridder, head of communications for the Golden State Warriors at 6:00 on a night when they have a home game. It shows that you don’t really know their business. Think if you were in their shoes WHEN would be a good time to call, and call then. Email is also a start, but follow up with a phone call as well.
SO TO RECAP VOLUNTEERING:
1- Locate the events in your community and campus.
2- Do your homework as to when and what to ask to help with…don’t just show up and say “what can I do?”
3- Be prepared to put in long hours, treat the volunteering as your job.
4- Ask questions of the professionals there, both media members and staff.
5- Don’t take volunteering for a lesser event or sport as a negative. Find ways to make the most out of it.
6- Make sure when you say you can do something that you have thought through the time commitment and stick to the plan. Worse than not volunteering is letting someone down.
