Sports Leagues and Associations

Melinda Travis has worked in both marketing and communications for major sports leagues including the NBA and MLB. Before she got her start, Melinda knew any early experience with sports would help her achieve her goals. She says to students looking to work in professional sports, “Get involved with your high school or collegiate athletic program. If you want to be a sports journalist, get involved with the school paper and start writing sports stories. If you want to be a sports therapist, volunteer as an assistant to your school’s athletic trainer – anything and everything is relevant.”

In her final years of college, Melinda knew her best shot of breaking into the world of professional sports was to secure an internship with a major team. She studied the names and faces of players, listened to hours of radio interviews, and stayed up to date with the latest sports news. Her hard work finally paid off when she landed an internship with the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

Melinda found that developing relationships with other people in sports was the most important part of securing a permanent position in a professional sports league. She says, “Like any other job-seeking endeavor, it’s all about developing relationships.” Melinda attended conferences, reached out to teams directly, and connected with professionals on social media to meet prospective employees. “You won’t get hired if people don’t know you exist so it’s important to find a way to be top of mind with people in a position of influence.” Melinda enjoyed a successful career working for the NBA and MLB before starting her own company in sports communication.

You can learn more about Melinda Travis’s career path here

Since there are so many roles in sports leagues and associations, different careers require different skills. Undergraduate students can choose from a variety of majors that are applicable to working in a sports league. Read about Brenna Webb, who focused on athletic public relations and eventually earned a degree in sports management:

Brenna works in PR for the NFL and knows firsthand what it takes to make it in a sports career. Her first big opportunity came in the form of an internship, which is the case with most careers in sports. Her internship allowed her to make industry contacts who were later able to help her get a job with the NFL.

Her best advice for students pursuing sports careers is, “When it comes to education, the best education is experience and on-the-job training.” It’s important to do well enough in high school that you can move on to college and earn opportunities that will give you direct industry experience.

Brenna’s story can be found here