Glamour, fame and fortune – many of us grew up desiring to be famous athletes. Countless kids in the 90s shot hoops for hours in their driveways, pretending to be Michael Jordan making a last second shot to win the NBA Finals. Others imagined being Emmitt Smith, scoring a Super Bowl-winning touchdown. Baseball fans hit grand slams as Ken Griffey Junior. Sadly, very few of us ever become professional athletes. The odds of making it in professional sports are staggeringly low. So low, in fact, that you have better odds of being in a deadly car wreck. Don’t worry, we don’t think that will happen to you. There’s more exciting news, too. Just because you (most likely) won’t become a professional athlete doesn’t mean you have to give up sports. Here are ideas and tips for staying involved in the action and maybe even making some money.
Blogging/Podcasting
In 2019, all you need to be a sportswriter or sports talk show host is access to the internet. Creating a blog requires very little investment. In fact, content management systems like Wix, WordPress and Jimdo are free. As for podcasting, that can be inexpensive too. If you have a smartphone or laptop with a microphone, you’re ready to get started. Apps like Audio Recorder, Anchor and Speaker Studio should be explored as well, as they’ll make the process much easier.
Virtual Trainer
It’s time to become a YouTube star. It’s easy to create and upload a video to YouTube. Make a series of training videos that help athletes prepare for competition. Better yet, help people that are looking to get in shape, as the market for such a service is in high-demand. If the videos become popular, they may draw the interest of advertisers.
Virtual Instructor
Remember how we mentioned the ease of creating and uploading YouTube videos? The same applies here. You can give sports-related lessons on your YouTube channel. Are you a good golfer? Upload short videos teaching people how to putt or use a driver. Is baseball your game? Give youngsters advice on how to throw a curve ball.
Branding and Design
No matter what you choose, concentrate on branding, especially if you want to make money. Focus on having an online presence and business cards, as both serve as a showcase for you and your services. A website and/or social media pages should be visually pleasing, have a clear message and provide contact information. Your business cards should be identifiable, creative and professional so you have something unique and eye-catching to give prospective clients and existing customers. Check out these high end business cards, fitness business cards and yoga business cards for examples of what we mean.
You can’t hit a 95-mph fastball, sink a 20-foot putt for birdie or throw a spiral 60 yards. That’s okay (we can’t either). It doesn’t mean you have to give up on sports. You can still turn your love of the game into something that is fun and potentially profitable.
