CAREERS & EDUCATION
From Issue #19
Have You Got Game?
Sports Jobs For The Grown-Up In You
by Brian Bileski
You think you got game? Can you throw a 90-mile-per-hour
fastball? How many touchdowns did you score for your
high-school football team? No matter how good you are, the
chances of actually earning a spot on a big-league roster are one
in a million. This is the reality of professional sports.
But if you love sports so much that you can’t see yourself doing
anything else, consider these career choices:
SPORTS WRITER
Imagine taking your writing skills and
all that sports knowledge buried deep in your cranium to
one of Canada’s leading media sources. Perhaps one day
you might find yourself writing for the Calgary Sun,
following Jarome Iginla and the Flames to their first
Stanley Cup championship since 1989! If baseball is your
flavour, you could get a gig writing for the Toronto Blue
Jays’ website, while following the bluebirds to their first
ring since winning back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.
What a story!
EQUIPMENT MANAGER
Ever see those guys who
hang out with the coaches on the bench and hand off
towels to the players between periods? These guys are
equipment managers and they do anything and everything
for the players of their clubs. Sometimes it might mean
sharpening skates and taping sticks, or it might even mean
washing the players’ jockstraps after a hot afternoon of
baseball! Yet with the bad comes the good, and that
means these guys get a ring when their teams win a
league championship.
SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTOR
Whether you’re ripping
down the side of a rocky mountain in British Columbia or
skiing fresh powder on Mount Tremblant in Quebec, one
thing is for sure — you are one heck of a snowboarder!
There are hundreds of people out there who dream of
learning how to ride like a pro. If cruising black diamond
runs on your Burton deck is like heaven on earth, perhaps
you should consider becoming a member of the Canadian
Association of Snowboard Instructors. With a certificate
from them, you could teach the sport on any mountain in
Canada — even Whistler!
TEAM TRAINER
A torn ACL (anterior cruciate
ligament) or broken bones can occur in any sport, often
ending the career of an incredible athlete. When these
terrible events happen, there is always a team trainer on
the field to assist the athletes through rehabilitation. Most
trainers have years of post-graduate education and
understand the ins and outs of the body almost as well as
a doctor. If you like medicine and sports, this is the perfect
fit. One day, you may help your favourite athlete through a
tough injury as they get back to the sport they love.
SPORTS CARD DESIGNER
Do you collect baseball
cards? These days, just about every sport has some kind
of card featuring the top professional players in their
league. Upper Deck, Topps, and Bowman have been the
top-selling cards for decades. If you have a knack for
computer graphics and some good sports knowledge, you
might find yourself designing cards for Alex Rodriguez and
the New York Yankees.
