“Sweat equity is the best form of equity.”

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks

The DVD, Major League Entrepreneurs is now available. It features two of the youngest owners of Professional Sports franchises.

Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, explains his decision to drop-out of the University of Maryland and leap into Entrepreneurship. From there, he became the youngest person to own a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. He then formed an investment group which eventually purchased the Redskins from the trust of Jack Kent Cooke.

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, did however graduate from college. However, according to Cuban, he knew his future did not include working for anyone but himself. Cuban owned and sold two companies. The last provided him with enough money to be able to purchase the MAVS from former presidential candidate, Ross Perot and his son.

Major League Entrepreneurs will not only share the life stories of Cuban and Snyder, but provide guidance to those seeking Sports-Industry employment opportunities, which include:

a. Where you should initially focus your energies

b. What the professional teams needs are (present and future)

c. Expectations of Salary

Major League Entrepreneurs is an excellent resource for recent college graduates. The DVD is affordably priced. Enjoy and learn.

Most of the major television networks focus on a limited area of sports as pertaining to programming (Football, Futbol, Baseball, Basketball, etc…). Fitness, we believe is the most “over-looked” area of sports, getting only secondary consideration and mostly limited to infomercials. The only time the fitness industry receives serious attention is when the issue of “health and wellness” is involved.

However, the writers at TSR would advise all Sports-Industry job seekers to seriously consider looking for employment opportunities within the Fitness environment.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to interview ’08 National Fitness Hall of Fame inductee, Tamilee Webb. Tamilee is known for her popular Buns of Steel exercise series, which has sold over 10 million copies. During the interview, we inquired about possible employment opportunities within Fitness and were given the following areas of interest:

- Marketing

- Choreography

- Production (video production)

- Mobile Application development

- Personal Training (Athletes, individuals, corporate employee benefit, etc..)

Ms. Webb also provided the names of organizations candidates should look into where they would receive an unlimited amount of valuable Career/Networking opportunities: ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) and IDEA (Health and Fitness Association).

As mentioned earlier, fitness is usually mentioned when the issue of health and wellness appears. Sports-Industry employment seekers should consider opportunities in the Fitness. With such a low profile in “career preparation,” the competition will not be as intense as in other Sports industries. Also, the Fitness industry provides the best opportunity or entry-level for those wanting to take the entrepreneurship route in lieu of job searching.

Don’t be worried about being turned down 40 out of 50 times. That’s going to happen.

As founder of the sports agency firm Proserv, Donald Dell provides guidance to those seeking employment opportunities in the Sports Industry. Dell has over 30+ years industry experience. A list of Proserv’s former clients include: Michael Jordan, Dean Smith, Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Bernard King, Marques Johnson and others.

This is a summary of Donald Dell’s advice to those seeking job opportunities:

1. Have Good People Skills

2. Study the Market (Know the Marketplace you want to pursue)

3. Network

4. Look for an Internship (including “unpaid” opportunities)

I’m not as worried about the Super Bowl as I am about getting the damn luxury boxes sold.

- Jerry Jones, King of the Cowboys

This is a rare instance when the owner of a professional sports franchise has become more popular than the team itself. Mention the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones is the first image that comes into place. Jerry is a great SALESMAN.

Can you sell the future? What if the product is no better than its competitors? These questions were answered when Jones persuaded the City of Arlington to contribute $325 million to build a new stadium for a team who has not won nor been to the Super-Bowl in over a decade.

The only thing Jones has not been able to sell is the naming rights to the new stadium. It is believed the Cowboys are seeking a minimum of $20 million annually. That may a difficult task in this economic environment. But Jerry Jones has persevered before and will probably do the same going forward.

He knows how to assess risks very well. He’s not gonna shoot the dice on one deal. So I don’t think you’re gonna find him with his dress over his head in a bad situation.

- Boone Pickens

Sales and Marketing are the cornerstone of the professional sports industry. The leagues and its team members must offer a great game-day experience for the fans and long-term value for its corporate sponsors. If you desire a long career with a Pro-Sports organization, then you must develop great Sales and Marketing presentation abilities and offer VALUE to your potential customers. You will have a great career by developing the Jerry Jones credo for success:

 If it works, become the product and sell “YOU”

Would Jerry hire you? Can you sell an unpopular product and brand? How would you get people on board with your plans?

Dallas Cowboys Employment Opportunities