Athlete and Sports Sponsorship Coordinator
Look around at any sporting event and you’ll see brand names and logos everywhere. It’s no accident; in fact, it was someone’s job to talk to all those big companies and coordinate deals that would give brands a new advertising outlet and sports teams and associations the money to put on more events.
Personal Connection
- Have you ever been told that you’re good at negotiating?
- Do you want to work in the sports industry?
- Are you a skilled salesman/woman?
- Do you want to learn about sponsorships and how to negotiate a good deal?
Other Connections
STEM Connection
Data analytics is used to determine the best potential sponsors and how effective sponsorship has been:
Digital media advertising is the name of the game:
Projection mapping is used for sponsor logos and messages:
Virtual reality allows brands to connect with sports fans in an entirely new way:
Journeys to Becoming an Athlete and Sports Sponsorship Coordinator
Whitney Wagoner was an account manager for the NFL for seven years, and along the way she learned exactly what it takes to not only break into the field of sports sponsorship, but succeed as well.
Whitney graduated from the University of Oregon’s Sports Marketing Center. Her first opportunity to join the NFL’s corporate sponsorship department came in the form of an unpaid internship. Whitney worked her way up from intern, to contract employee, and finally full-time employee. Along the way she also received promotions, going from assistant to account executive and then account manager.
Whitney was surprised to discover that in the world of sports sponsorship, you don’t actually have to be an expert in sports. Instead, you have to get to know your sponsors and be familiar with their markets, whether they’re credit card companies or auto makers. Some of the biggest names Whitney worked with were Motorola, IBM, and Sony. Her advice to students starting out in the field is to always focus on your options and “be open to working for a property, sponsor or an agency of any size. Know that sponsorship experience is equally valuable whether it be in sports, the arts or community-based events.”
Read more about Whitney’s career.
Read about one man’s path in sports advertising:
Sam Cole is a sports sponsorship expert. These days he serves as the Director of Corporate Partnerships with the New Orleans Pelicans, but in the past he has worked with MLB, NHL, NFL, and NASCAR teams. Because of his experience in corporate partnerships across all different major sports industries, Sam is well-suited to give advice to the next generation of sponsorship coordinators.
Sam says that one of the biggest struggles new professionals face is the realization that “our jobs aren’t as easy as people think that they are.” People have trouble understanding the purpose of sponsorship sales, and it takes a special kind of professional to be able to convince different companies of the value of a sponsorship. He says that even large and well-known teams have difficulty recruiting sponsors, so sponsorship coordinators must be patient and persistent.
Learn more about Sam’s journey and his expertise on sports sponsorships here.