By Davis Turner
(June 16, 2022)

The answer is yes.

As a former NCAA athlete, my goal was to “go pro” or I would have to settle. If I did not make it to the level of a professional athlete, then what did I do? I made it one week into training camp before my athletic career was cut short due to injury. I was not prepared for this, even though I knew the odds, I thought I’d be part of the small percentage of those to overcome. It didn’t happen that way, and for many of us, we did not have an alternative or backup plan.

Alternative careers in sports were never a thing, never thought of, and never mentioned. Luckily for me, I was able to find an indirect path to continue my passion for athletics but for some, that path is not always as clear.

To go pro means being the best in your sport, but what about the people that help the athlete go pro? What about the people that make the athlete look good? The people that help the athlete stay safe. One might argue that they are also professionals in their field, the field of sports.

Have you ever thought of whom it takes to make football shoulder pads? There are careers invested in research and development of the chemicals used to make the materials, designing the look, fit and feel of the pads, evaluating the safety protocols for the pads … the list goes on and on. The same could be said for whom it takes to market and promote an athlete or a sports franchise, what it takes to prepare the field or court for a game, who handles the community involvement of the athlete or organization, and who helps provide financial advice and support for an athlete. The career opportunities within sports are endless.

There is nothing wrong with “going pro” being your goal within sports, but it is important to know about the multitude of other careers to “go pro” in, in case “going pro” does not always pan out (it happens only 0.00075% of the time). There is a clear push for kids to specialize and achieve at the highest possible level. As coaches of young athletes, our job is to prepare them for the field, but also for life after the field. As a coach, how are you harnessing your athletes’ passions for the game into their next career path? How do you challenge them beyond who they are as an athlete to leverage their skills and attributes for a successful future?

I do not cover this just because I want you to look elsewhere and not fulfill your athlete’s dreams. Actually, the opposite is true. The benefits of youth sports greatly transcend whether the chances of going pro are in your favor or not. I want you to be aware of all the unique and emerging opportunities that sports and the business of sports have to offer and to use this to help you and your athletes navigate the sports landscape. Often, student-athletes are unaware of the many sports-related career possibilities. They feel drawn to the sports community due to their experience with that community, but they are unsure as to the best course of action.

As a coach, a father, and a mentor, it is upon us to have these discussions with our athletes. Allow them to think beyond what it means to “go pro” and harness their passion for the game into their next career path. Challenge them to find out who they are beyond an athlete and leverage those characteristics and attributes to fulfill their dream of going pro.

Here are a few examples of ways coaches can open the conversation about different elements in the game, and career possibilities to empower your athletes beyond the field.

• Consider handing out this survey to your athletes at the beginning of the season. As a coach, I handed out surveys at the beginning of each season and throughout the year to better understand where my athletes were mentally and physically and to get to know their interests outside of being an athlete.
• Discuss the not-so-typical side of sports with your athletes. Have your athletes take an active role in learning about the equipment they are wearing, and why they chose it – the fit, the safety, and the performance factors.
• Talk about your stadium or field, what makes it a “good or bad” field compared to others, and what should athletes look for when performing at their best? Phil Mickelson shared a fitting example of his evaluation of the course each time he plays in his 2018 interview with David Feherty (link).
• Have a performance staff such as a trainer, strength coach, sports psychologist, etc. speak to your players about their career path. How they got there, why they chose the path they did, etc.

Remember, not everything is linear. Often, we find new passions through experience, but awareness is often the precursor to experience. Sports are an extension of us and our identities. We take pride in our abilities and accomplishments, let us embrace the athlete within each of us, and allow our true selves to be present in the work that we do, today, tomorrow, and in the future.