So, You Want to Work in Sports?: The Ultimate Guide to Exploring the Sports Industry (Be What You Want) - Softcover

Mattern, Joanne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1582704481 ISBN 13: 9781582704487

Verlag: Aladdin/Beyond Words, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

Love sports? Make your passion your profession with this guide that can help you score a career in the sports industry.

The sports industry is wide and vast, and there are countless ways to get involved and make sports your job. From the popular careers of professional athlete, coach, sports broadcaster, and photographer, to the lesser-known professions of sports agent, statistician, sports therapist, and scout, So, You Want to Work in Sports? delves into a wide variety of possible futures that are exciting and rewarding.

In addition to tips and interviews from many different professionals, So, You Want to Work in Sports? includes inspiring stories from young adults who are out there exploring different sectors, as well as games, activities, a glossary, and resources to help you on your way to a successful career in athletics.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

After working as an editor for several major children’s book publishers, Joanne Mattern became the author of numerous nonfiction books for children. She especially loves writing about animals, sports, and interesting people and places. She lives in New York State with her husband, four children, and assorted pets.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

So, You Want to Work in Sports?

1

I Want to Work in Sports! But How?

Close your eyes and imagine some fantastic moments in sports. For a sports fan, there are few things as exciting as hearing the powerful crack of a bat meeting a ball and watching the ball soar over the outfield wall for a home run. Or how about the sheer joy of a seeing a football player muscle his way through a line of defenders, shaking off tackles, the ball cradled in his hands as he runs toward the end zone and a touchdown? Perhaps you get your thrills watching sprinters fly down the track, their legs and arms pumping, or hearing the crash and clatter of skates and sticks as hockey players fight for the puck. Whatever your favorite sport, there are so many amazing emotions, feelings, sights, and sounds. It’s no wonder millions of people are rabid sports fans and players.

Many people love sports and are content to sit on the sidelines, cheering on their favorite team, wearing their favorite athlete’s jersey, sharing the thrill of victory—and the agony of defeat—with their friends and family. Other people want to go even further. For you, just watching isn’t enough. Participating is the key to your sports joy. For you sports lovers, actually participating in the sporting world is the key to your dreams.

If someone asks you to think of a career in sports, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? If you’re like most people, you probably think of a professional athlete, like the Major League Baseball (MLB) or National Basketball Association (NBA) players you see on television. For a select few, becoming a superstar athlete on a nationally known professional team is a dream that comes true. However, that isn’t the only way to carve out a career in sports. In fact, there are many, many more people who make a living at sports and don’t appear on television. You can even have a career in sports without being particularly great at sports yourself!

Sports are played at every level in society. Stop and think about your own community. Your local high schools probably have athletic programs that feature everything from basketball to swimming to cross-country and track. Then there are college sports, local leagues, and sporting clubs. Youth leagues bring young athletes together. So do community organizations like the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Clubs. Whatever your sport, there is probably a local or regional club or team that represents it.

REASONS YOU MAY WANT TO WORK IN SPORTS

A Passion for Playing the Game

Do you love playing a sport? Do you enjoy the challenges of regular practice and improving yourself with each one? Does the roar of the crowd exhilarate you? Are you agile, fast, or strong? The arena, field, or court may be your workplace. Most of you who participate in sports are never going to be big league professionals making millions of dollars and flashing your smiles on television. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a living playing sports. For every MLB team, there are multiple levels of minor league farm teams or independent teams. Players on these teams get to play ball every day, hone skills, and get a paycheck. Some of these players move up to the big leagues. Others stay in the minors. Either way, you still get to play ball for a living. Many people would consider that a pretty great lifestyle!

In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.

Helen Thomson

SHOW JUMPER



There are also professional sporting options away from home. Many NBA players get their start playing for teams in Europe. The same is true for athletes in other sports, such as soccer. These players get to live in a foreign country, travel a lot, and be part of a team with fans. Some of them make a pretty good living too. Best of all, those of you who do this are working at what you love and getting paid for it.



Names: Sisters Jodelle and Abigail Marx

Ages: 14 and 12

Job (when not studying!): Equestrians, Columbia Winds Pony Club, a part of the United States Pony Club, Portland, Oregon

Dream Job: (Jodelle) When I am sixteen, I hope to qualify to represent the United States in an international rally, or competition. By the time I turn twenty-five, I want to be a Graduate “A” Pony Clubber (the highest ranking in Pony Club). I would like to go into a career with horses, possibly a horse trainer/riding instructor. (Abigail) I don’t know what my career goals are because I am only twelve, and I have a lot of options to choose from. My goals include, however, becoming an A Pony Clubber, which means that you have completed all the levels of Pony Club—in other words, you are a professional horse person.

Passion is a huge prerequisite to winning. It makes you willing to jump through hoops, go through all the ups and downs and everything in between to reach your goal.

Kerri Walsh

BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYER



What sports have you participated in and when?

Jodelle: I ride horses. Most people think of it as more of a hobby than a sport, so I always ask them, “It is part of the Olympics, isn’t it?” There are many different disciplines in horseback riding. I have dabbled in others, but I mainly do eventing, show jumping, and dressage. In elementary school, I played soccer, but I dropped out when I moved to my new school. I’ve always been an athletic kind of person.

Abigail: I played soccer when I was in kindergarten and a little in first grade, but I have always ridden horses. Even before I could walk, I rode horses. My mom would hold me on when I was about six months old and walk me around the arena on our pony named Rose.

What are you doing now in terms of education/sports participation?

Jodelle: I know that being a good horse owner is knowing as much as possible about horses. That’s why when I’m at school, and my teachers say, “Get out your books and read,” I don’t groan like my classmates. I take the chance to read about something that I know will further my career in the horse world. One time, I was reading a book about the anatomy of the horse, and my social studies teacher leaned over and commented that I always had the weirdest books; I just smiled and kept reading. I also take riding lessons every week and ride my horse at least four other days to keep us on track. During the summer I take my horse to camp to raise both of our experience levels.

Abigail: I am studying for Quiz rally next year. Quiz rally is a competition were Pony Clubbers work together on a team to earn points by answering questions about horses. This year my sister, Jodelle, went to the regional rally [Northwest Region] and qualified to go to championships in Lexington, Virginia; next year’s championships will be in Lexington, Kentucky, and I hope to attend it. I am also going to horse camps and riding lessons.

How did you get started in sports?

Jodelle: I have been riding horses since before I can remember. And before that my trainer, Joanne, would carry me around in a baby backpack while she gave my mom riding lessons. I joined Pony Club when I was five years old and am still in it.

Abigail: My mom has always had a passion for horses and rode when she was a kid up into her adulthood. So I think I got a...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Aladdin/Beyond Words
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1582704481
• ISBN 13: 9781582704487
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 224
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: webstar; casetta@mondadori.it; ; Via Mondadori 1,; Segrate Milano; 20090; Italien