What Type Of Person Thrives In The Sports Industry, According To A Nebraska Athletics Assistant Athletic Director
To thrive in collegiate athletics, a deep passion for sports is essential, as the job demands long hours and extends beyond a typical nine-to-five schedule; however, the ability to embrace new challenges and innovative events, such as the record-breaking "big volleyball day" which saw 92,000 attendees, is key to combating burnout and finding fulfillment in this dynamic field.
Sports Enthusiasm, Dedication, Adaptability, Teamwork, Passion for Events
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mattie Fowler Burkhardt
Assistant Athletic Director - Annual Giving
University of Nebraska Athletic Department
University of Nebraska, 2015
MBA, University of Nebraska
Finance
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking, Sports & Fitness
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. You need to be a passionate sports fan to thrive in this industry, as many work hours extend beyond the typical nine-to-five schedule and frequently involve attending sporting events.
2. The ability to embrace new challenges and adapt to change is essential to avoid burnout, as the industry demands constant innovation and fresh approaches.
3. Large-scale events and projects can be incredibly rewarding, providing a sense of accomplishment and demonstrating the impact that this line of work has on the community and student athletes. The example given was a volleyball game in a football stadium that broke a world record for attendance at a women's sporting event.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
You have to be a sports fan to thrive in this industry. I'm working for a university athletic department, and while there are community and engagement aspects, at the end of the day, you really need to be a bit of a crazy sports fan. A lot of my nights and weekends involve going to sporting events.
You see a lot of people burn out in this industry because there are so many extra hours. It's not a typical nine-to-five at all. The best way to combat burnout, I think, is to challenge yourself with new things. If you're constantly doing the same thing month after month, getting stuck in a cycle, it can be draining.
But if you have new challenges and new things to focus on, like new events, then it stays fresh. One event I want to highlight is "Big Volleyball Day" in Nebraska. We took a normal volleyball game and held it in our football stadium. It energized our team to pull something like that off.
It took everyone in the athletic department: concessions, events, ticketing, fundraising, all the teams, sports medicine, and facilities. To see how that energized everyone was incredible because it was new. It was a challenge we weren't sure we could achieve.
We had 92,000 paid attendees at a volleyball game, and we broke a world record for a women's sporting event. It was one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of. I literally stood there during the National Anthem and flyover, looking at the full stadium for these female student athletes, and I started crying.
I thought about how far we've come and how many people it took to make an event like this happen. I was so proud to be a part of it, and it gave us all energy for the rest of the year. This is why we do the work, for events like this and for the international impact.
So many little girls and boys at home watched that and thought, "Wow, that is possible." It's possible to be a female student athlete and play in front of a crowd usually reserved for football. We got to do that for our female student athletes, and it was truly incredible.