by Scott Kaptur > University of Maryland, College Park     photos Ryder Haske

Not everyone can make a living as a professional athlete or self-made mogul like Kevin Plank from Under Armour, but fields like sports representation and management, sports medicine, and sports journalism all put you right in the middle of the action. Competition for the jobs off the field, however, is as fierce as the battles on it.

“The sports world is growing, and every day more people are applying,” says Matt Ritchie, a senior sports management major at Oklahoma State University.  The key to standing out in a job market saturated with applicants, he says, is getting an early start.  Ritchie is a veteran intern of four very different sports settings; his resume includes internships with D.C. United, Washington D.C.’s professional soccer team, as well as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

While he’s now actually turning down internships with pro teams he would have killed for previously, Ritchie says it wasn’t long ago that he was spending hours each day applying. He sent out 60 applications and was rejected 59 times before getting a call from D.C. United.

Sue Frentz, a senior journalism major at the University of Maryland, spent the summer interning with ESPN.  Like Ritchie, she had solid experience before moving up to the big show, but, while an encyclopedic knowledge of sports stats might impress your friends, Frentz says that if you want to stand out in Bristol, you need a strong work ethic. “I’ve never seen so much ‘I’m-so-happy-to-come-in-even-though-I’m-going-to-work-until-4a.m.’ They really love what they do,” Frentz says of her coworkers.

And it’s ultimately that passion, combined with a competitive attitude, that you need to make it in the sports world. “I’m a go-getter,” Frentz says, “I want to reach as high as possible.”  Ritchie, who hopes to be general manager of a pro team someday, believes himself to be the most motivated person he’s ever encountered.

Just like on the field, you’ve got to give it your all and never give up. “Even after the fifty-ninth rejection letter,” Ritchie says, “that sixtieth one could be an acceptance.”

Sports After Graduation

Sports Marketing
Connecting sports fans’ wallets with the advertisers who love them.
Daily Tasks: Talk on the phone. A lot. Brainstorm and coordinate promotions and events. Negotiate. Close.
Requires: Charisma. Determination.
The Catch: Ten no’s for
every yes.

Sports Management and Representation
Helping athletes and teams navigate the legal world.
Daily Tasks: Negotiate. Also, read and understand contracts—hideously complicated contracts. Make other people lots
of money.
Requires: A J.D. or an M.B.A. Preferably both.
The Catch: You probably are not evil, and you probably never will be. Good luck convincing someone else of that once you’re an “agent.”

Sports Medicine/Physical Therapy
Maximizing the abilities of the human body.
Daily Tasks: Help others exercise—from pros to children and the elderly. Convince people to do painful and uncomfortable things.
Requires: Experience. Patience. Eventually, a license.
The Catch: Smelly people need exercise too.

Sports Outreach
Using sports to make the world a better place.
Daily Tasks: Remain upbeat, at all times. Play with kids. Convince people, even people with millions and millions of dollars, to care. Ask for money.
Requires: Energy. Determination. Charisma.
The Catch: Kids can be fun. They can also be irresponsible, temperamental and immature—just like professional athletes.

Sports Journalism
Telling people what’s happening and why they should care.
Daily Tasks: Write. Speak. Ask questions. Never sleep.
Requires: An eye for detail. An ear for a good quote. The ability to at least look trustworthy.
The Catch: Steroids. Point shaving. “Spygate.” Actually, Bill Belicheck in general. Labor disputes. Guns, stripclubs and other things that should never mix.