In the wake Tiger Woods’ press statement on Friday, one thing really stood out for me; the stance that the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) took.  In preparation for the event, Tiger invited the GWAA to send three journalists to cover the statement which was by invitation only for the press.  The GWAA declined to attend for two reasons: the press conference was not open to all media and Tiger would not allow questions. According to the GWAA website, the “organization’s goal is to improve working conditions for the membership. We strive for constant improvement in press facilities at tournaments, hotel accommodations, local transportation, interviews with the players and work in concert with the Association of Golf Writers, our British counterparts.” Based upon this, the boycott makes sense. However, by boycotting the statement have they made themselves irrelevant in the golf writing journalist world?  By declining to take part in the most watched golf story in recent memory what does that say about their importance in the industry? Although the organization has a membership of 975 and stringent requirements to join, does anyone really care about what the GWAA says? Put another way, a Google search for “golf blog” yields in excess of seventy three million sites…isn’t traditional media really taking a backseat to the “new” media?   Maybe the GWAA should take a page out of St. John’s basketball book (see Peter Robert Casey) and start to credential bloggers. Is this just another example of the traditional “old school” media not getting/wanting to change and adapt o the “new” ways consumers get information?

This week’s post is written by guest blogger Beth Newman. Yes she is my daughter.  She is also a junior in high school and has done a very good job in her college search.  I asked her to write these tips for anyone going through this process.

For high school juniors and seniors, the college search process can be long, tedious, and stressful.  Luckily, there are many different websites that take some of the stress off you as the applicant.  One website that I have found extremely helpful is http://www.collegeboard.com.  This is the company that creates the SAT, so you will have to create an account anyway to register for the SAT.  Since you already have an account you might as well utilize all of the other features the College Board website has to offer.  One of the most helpful features on College Board was the college search questionnaire.  It may seem long and dull but it only takes about 10 minutes.  You also don’t have to answer all of the questions or you can save your search and come back to it later.  However, once you are done you will have a list of colleges that are specific to all of your preferences.  Also you can then look at all the colleges’ profiles which will give you all the important information (like cost, majors offered, and acceptance rate) in one spot.  Other features of College Board include articles with tips about visiting colleges and a scholarship search as well.

Another website that I have found extremely helpful in my college search is http://www.princetonreview.com.  The Princeton Review has a lot of the same features as College Board but it is not directly focused at high school students.  The Princeton Review is a great website to keep in mind when you are looking for a graduate school.  The website has tabs at the top so you can specify the type of school you are looking for.  It also has tutoring sessions when studying for the SATs, the PSATs, the MCATS, and the LSATs.  The Princeton Review also ranks colleges in different categories.  For example they have lists ranking colleges by the best academics, town life, quality of life on campus, and politics just to name a few.  Schools are sorted by attendance and major.  The Princeton Review also helps when trying to decide on a career.  No matter where you are in life, trying to find a college or a graduate school can be overwhelming.  These websites are free tools to help take some of the pressure off.

Things to remember during the college search process:

• Both College Board and The Princeton Review allow you to create profiles to keep your top choice colleges in order.  Keep your profiles up to date and check them often.
• Be aware of all deadlines.  That includes all admission deadlines and all financial aid deadlines.
• Go to open houses and visit all colleges that you are seriously considering.  You won’t know if you can see yourself going to that college until you experience the campus.
• Take the SATs and/or the ACTs multiple times.  A lot of colleges will take your best scores from each section.
• Don’t rule anything out.  You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
• Don’t overlook at a college because you think you may not get in—you never know until you try.

After taking an extended and much needed break, I am back! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and your new year is off to a great start.  During my break I did a lot of work.  I know it is an oxymoron but I started working on a couple of projects that I have been putting off and I am really excited about them now that the ball is rolling.  I am working with some great people and I will fill everyone in regarding these projects another time. 

This week’s post is centered on the theme of conferences and opportunities—both enable individuals to network and gain valuable insight on what it takes to get a job in the sports industry from those currently working in the field.  Although I am constantly telling students what they need to do or what they should be doing, it is sometimes more effective when they hear it from someone else.  As a result, I have compiled the following list of some upcoming conferences which I recommend attending if you are a student, young professional or someone trying to get into the sport industry: 

• 2/1-2/3 National Sports Forum – Baltimore, Maryland http://sports-forum.com/
• 2/19-2/20 18th Annual Georgia Southern Sport Management Conference – Savannah, Georgia http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/conted/sportconference.html
• 3/5-3/6 Sports Industry Networking and Career Conference Washington, D.C. http://www.sinc-conference.com/
• 3/26-3/27 Sports Events Marketing Experience Washington, D.C. http://www.seme-now.com/
• 4/14-4/16 6th Annual Southern Sport Management Conference Troy University Troy, Alabama http://troy.troy.edu/healthandhumanservices/khp/ssm2009.html
• 4/21-4/23 2010 Scholarly Conference on College Sport Chapel Hill, NC http://www.csriconference.org/

In addition, the two sites listed below are not actually conferences but both put on amazing networking events. I recommend you make them part of your regular reading and attend as many of their events as possible:

• The Business of Sports – http://www.thebusinessofsports.com/
• The Sports Networker (has a great weekly newsletter as well) – http://www.sportsnetworker.com/

Please let me know, if I have missed any conferences or good networking opportunities…I’d be happy to post them as well!

This week’s blog entry is a preview of an interview with Lewis Howes by Todd Shellock.  The full interview will be published next month in the Sport Management Insider.

Q&A with social media buff Lewis Howes

By Todd Shellock

Lewis Howes is a former professional football player and graduate from Principia College with a degree in sport management. The 26-year-old has since founded two sports social media Web sites, written a book and traveled across the world speaking about social media. He recently spoke to more than 200 sport management students at York College of Pennsylvania but still had time afterward for an “exclusive” interview. Here is a preview.

Q: What is Sports Executives Association?

A: Currently, I haven’t figured out what it’s going to be yet. Right now it’s just an online database of over 1,200 people, and more people keep signing up every day. Eventually it will be some type of exclusive network where top sports executives or members are paying a fee and are getting a lot of resources, content, connections, discounts, etc.

Q: So SportsNetworker.com is aimed more for everyone else that’s not an executive?

A: It’s more of a free resource for whoever wants to check it out online. Currently I’m on the path to trying to transition it to being all topics in the sports industry to more sports in social media and the various topics. So being the ultimate guide for social media in sports is what I want to make it.

Q: How did your book, LinkedWorking, come about?

A: After retiring from football, I had to wear a full arm cast for six months. During that time I spent 60 hours a day on LinkedIn.com, learning about it, trying to optimize it, figuring out how I could achieve my goals. By doing so I was teaching a lot of people how to use it, and they were getting a lot of results from it as well. I decided to write a book about it so I could put myself on a bigger platform and have a product to sell so I could go around the country and do speaking.

Q: How has your sport management degree helped you since graduation?

A: It’s given me credibility. I’ve got the SportsNetworker, I’ve got the Association, and if I didn’t have the degree, I probably wouldn’t have the same credibility talking to students or other people that work in sports. They’d probably say, “Who is this guy?” Since I graduated with the sport management degree, played sports and understand the business, it gives me more validity and credibility.

Q: What has been your favorite job offer since the success of your Web sites?

A: I got offered to do sponsorships and athlete relations with a sponsorship company. I would be working with Evander Holyfield and top tennis players, helping them get endorsement deals and managing their careers. Kind of like an agent, but more of an endorsement manager.

Q: What is your best advice for sport management majors?

A: Figure out exactly what it is you want to do and start taking immediate action. Start contacting those in your niche, start building your portfolio and get the experience you need. Create things online so you can build a platform, and interview people in that industry. Take action every day to start achieving that goal.

I started my career in the sports industry as a certified athletic trainer.  While earning my Master’s degree in Athletic Training at the University of Virginia, Joe Gieck, long-time Head Athletic Trainer said something I will never forget. In his thick southern accent, Joe said, “You need to learn peopling before you learn athletic training.” This very simple advice changed the way in which I approached the profession.

The fact of the matter is that the sports industry is about people. It is about the relationships that are built in order to help individuals and organizations meet the wants and needs of their consumers.  As a professor, I constantly talk about networking and building relationships. I also try and impress upon students that it is not a one-way street. Students seem to always ask other people to help them but rarely ask how they can help others. David Silverman wrote an excellent piece about this on August 31st called “How to Ask a (Near) Stranger for a Favor.” This is just one example of learning “peopling” before learning the sport industry.

The sport industry is no different than any other industry in terms of dealing with people.  Everyone encounters all types of people…some you like, some you don’t like; some you get along with, some your personality conflicts with…regardless, professionals need to be able to relate and talk to everyone. Whether it is the angry mother whose son didn’t get a piece of birthday cake on the party deck or it is the out-of-town family that traveled a long distance only to have the game rained out.  The individual who learned “peopling” will be able to diffuse these situations and will ensure that customers come back again and again.

Here are some tips that I share with my students:

 This post was originally written for Russell Scibetti’s The Business of Sports blog.