Tyler Keys: “I did all of the free work and other jobs that interns have to do that nobody else wanted. I did that for close to a year and a half before I got my master’s degree in sports management. For the last six months, I’ve been the corporate sponsorship coordinator for Crimson Tide Sports Marketing.”

This is the season where Sports Industry employers seek candidates for their Summer 2012 Internship opportunities. These companies will receive hundreds if not thousands of applicant submissions. Interviews are usually conducted during the Spring months and decisions made shortly thereafter.

Below is an interesting story provided by Tyler Keys, the Corporate Sponsorship Coordinator for Crimson Tide Sports Marketing (The licensing arm for the University of Alabama Athletic Department). Tyler’s story provides great insight and information for all students currently seeking Summer 2012 opportunities.

NOTE: Remember to get your FREE Résumé/Job Description analysis before applying to any Internship opportunity, courtesy of Résunate and The Sports Résumé: http://get.resunate.com/thesportsresume

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When Tyler Keys graduated from Crossville High School in 2005, he had no idea his future job would be to work with legends of University of Alabama sports.

About three years ago, Keys got an internship working with Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, the official multimedia rights holder for the University of Alabama.

“I did all of the free work and other jobs that interns have to do that nobody else wanted,” Keys said. “I did that for close to a year and a half before I got my master’s degree in sports management. For the last six months, I’ve been the corporate sponsorship coordinator for Crimson Tide Sports Marketing.”

One of Keys’ responsibilities is to locate and get Alabama sports merchandise to be auctioned off on RollTide.com. Keys said all of the memorabilia auctioned off is authentic Alabama merchandise.

“I develop relationships with all of the equipment managers at Alabama,” he said. “We get the leftover equipment, and I bring it back, take photos, inventory it and upload it to the RollTide.com auction.

“Fans can’t find these items in sporting goods stores. We have stuff dating back for multiple years. The public doesn’t have to worry about anything being fabricated. This is all authentic, licensed memorabilia.”

Keys is a big Bama fan, and sometimes he crosses paths with legends like Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler and Ozzie Newsome.

“I get some of the memorabilia autographed,” Keys said. “I go out to university events and get with athletes like Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler and Brody Croyle and get them to autograph the items. Legends come in for all kinds of events, and we get them to sign.”

Keys said meeting Alabama legends was something he never expected.

“It was something I could have never imagined,” Keys said. “Meeting Namath, Newsome and Stabler at events we work on is exciting.”

Keys said prices for memorabilia are set based on the current market value for similar items. He said competitive pricing makes it possible for fans to get sports memorabilia to which they might not ordinarily have access.

“We auction items for football and all university Olympic sports – like baseball, basketball and gymnastics,” he said. “Not a lot of people know about the auction on RollTide.com. We’re hoping to get the word out about it so more people have the chance to bid on memorabilia. You just can’t go anywhere and buy SEC merchandise. You can actually see helmet marks on some of the jerseys.

“We auction off more than merchandise though. We do the Ultimate Football Fan Experience where we auction off four sideline access passes, so the everyday fan can go places they normally couldn’t. They get to go down on the field for about an hour before the game. The fan experience also includes concession vouchers and goodie bags with game-day programs, bobble heads and other memorabilia. We auction off fan experiences for gymnastics, basketball, baseball and softball, too.”

TSR members conducted a study during the week of September 26 – September 30, 2011. The focus of our study was to analyze whether technological innovations could possibly eliminate some employment positions within the sports industry, specifically the Ticket Sales position (Ex. Pacolian and StubHub).

We noticed a significant increase in Technology-Specific positions provided by Sports Industry employers. We usually post many of these positions during the Daily Job Blitzes on the Facebook page. This trend in tech-specific positions appeared to increase daily. This trend is what moved the TSR staff to conduct this research. As a company, we want to make sure all clients and inquirers are adequately prepared for the next generation of employment opportunities.

Here are the results, names of participating employers and employment websites:

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Adidas, NCAA, Madison Square Garden, StubHub, ESPN, TeamWorkOnline.com, Sports Recruitment International and Global Sports Jobs [IMPORTANT: Over 90% of the positions listed by StubHub were technology focused,no surprise].

September 26: Tech Jobs (4) Other (45)
September 27: Tech Jobs (8) Other (63)
September 28: Tech Jobs (10) Other (56)
September 29: Tech Jobs (15) Other (74)
September 30: Tech Jobs (10) Other (69)

This research shows a slight increase in the number of Technology-Focused employment positions posted daily. As a candidate, especially students, consider seeking a Minor is some Science/Technical discipline. This may strengthen your candidacy when applying for Sports Industry employment opportunities and definitely within other employment sectors.

TSR’s next research project will produce more detailed results, highlighting the frequency of “specific” employment positions.

The TSR staff will analyze the National pundit rationale in recommending all Sports-Industry job seekers make “Networking” an essential part of the employment search. Most Sports-Industry job consultants promote Networking as a zero-sum game, that without utilizing this method the chance of landing a job (specifically one with a Professional Sports franchise) are extremely narrow.

Networking is important. However, we do not feel as though it should receive a great deal of attention. Networking has its limitations. 

TeamWorkOnline.com: TeamWork is arguably the best online recruitment site for job opportunities with Pro-Sports franchises and related entities. There are no membership or access fees for job seekers. However, all participating companies license TeamWork’s technology which resides on the organizations website. Thetechnology posts new jobs on TeamWork’s site immediately after the team (or related entity) releases the information.

Which begs the question, why would an organization “pay” to list employment opportunities if networking was the best method in recruitment. Remember, most sports organizations, including the individual teams are private institutions. There is no obligation to publish these job opportunities and make the information available to the public. This is the total opposite to those receiving government funding whom must post all employment openings.

This is why we question the importance of Networking. It seems obvious these organizations are looking outside of the “inner-circle” for the best candidates. Otherwise why pay to post available opportunities, executive and entry-level positions.

The best method to Network is in writing a very seductive Cover Letter. Remember, as a job seeker your goal is to express “how” you will benefit the potential employer while fulfilling the obligations listed in the job description. Also, if you do not know the Hiring Manager or the individual to whom the Cover Letter will be addressed, research and mention something about them (or the organization), an accomplishment or achievement, in the opening paragraph. This will definitely help your candidacy.