Sports Jobs

Most of us are capable of sporting activities but not all of us are gifted with the talent and mastery of athletics.  But we don’t have to be athletes to have careers in sports and opportunities could be limited and low paying but sometimes, it gives us the chance to travel and be with the stars of the game.

According to a career guide website, sports physisicans, psychologists and therapists have the most lucrative sporting careers.  Personal trainers, coaches and athletic directors who usually were former athletes also have good paying jobs.   In the US, depending on the state and the news outlet, sports editors and reporters are paid an average of $19 an hour. 

Here are two sports jobs that offer the most chance to travel and rub elbows with the stars.

Boxing Judge - This probably has the most travel opportunities but it’s not the most lucrative.   Steve Weisfeld, whose day job is a full-time real estate lawyer, had judged several memorable bouts, including the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight. 

For five years, he judged amateur bouts and went through a one year apprenticeship requiring him to attend every fight in New Jersey.  He’s now licensed in at least 25 states and has up to 30 fights a year.  With a Saturday fight card, he flies to the venue on a Friday and flies out on Sunday.  A boxing judge does not know which fight he will be officiating until the day itself.  Keeping things simple, Weisfeld looks for who lands the most effective punches and who controlled the round.  Small-time matches pay a few hundred dollars while high profile bouts gets several thousand.

Ball Boy - As far as basketball is concerned, this job has the most proximity to stars, although with very limited chances of travel.   In the NBA, they are paid on a per game basis and earn extra cash from players who ask them for errands, like getting sneakers out of players’ cars or being given by Allen Iverson a bundle of cash and asked to buy as much beer as they can.  The pay is not substantial but it’s worth more with the memories and stories made.

Chris Mannix, probably a distant relative of our very own TF sports ed Mannix V., who now works for Sports Illustrated magazine, was employed by the Bosotn Celtics from 1995 to 2003 as a ball boy.  He’s got pictures of Kobe, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady and most of the Celtics players including Larry Bird, who was a few years into his retirement.  His most prized photo was of Michael Jordan shooting jumpers over him.

In time, Mannix learned where to get extra cash by making mental notes of what players prefer, like their pre- and post-game snacks or drinks.  Carrying players’ bags to the bus earns a few hundred dollars as well.  Getting doused with beer inside the locker room while celebrating a win or getting out of the way when teammates charge toward each other after a tough loss is part of the job description. 

Being ball boys or locker room attendants may not pay well but it gives you the kind of regular access to star players even the most privileged fan can’t have.