The Future of Sports Jobs

6 minute read · Issue Number 119 · May 6th, 2022

This week, Airbnb announced their new remote work policy, which allows all their employees to work from wherever they want permanently.

The announcement follows companies like Spotify, Shopify, and Dropbox, who have also adopted a remote-first mindset – and we’re probably going to see more companies following suit.

Remote work has evolved quickly due to the pandemic and is changing how people, businesses, and industries co-exist.

Only a few leading brands worldwide have established clear and specific remote (or hybrid) work policies, but over 80% of small and medium enterprises intend to engage in remote work.

Due to the size and number of sectors within sports, I believe it’s essential to understand where remote work will most likely happen within the industry.

Here’s a list of sectors (or areas) in sports where I see remote work take the industry by storm:

1. Technology

Technology products require engineers, developers, data analysts, designers, and other positions that do not require the physical presence of the people working to build them.

I would expect companies in sports tech such as Hudl, Catapult, Autograph, Whoop, Peloton, and others to actively engage or plan to adopt remote work optionality.

2. Media & Content

Whether it’s around social media, graphic design, writing and communications, community management, editorial, branding, or diverse media strategies – most of it happens online.

I would expect big names in sports media such as Minute Media, Bleacher Report, The Athletic, One Football, and others to become the remote-first pioneers to then see companies of all sizes in sports media follow.

3. Sales, Marketing, and Admin

Most of the skills needed for tasks within sales, marketing, biz dev, market research, human resources, or even accounting may be language-dependent but not always location-dependent.

This allows companies to hire their admin and sales teams from almost anywhere globally.

In the past, maybe companies thought about opening an office in a new country to sell and engage with new clients in that region. Not with remote work.

All types of companies can land in this category – I’d expect diverse companies in sports from entertainment, betting, e-commerce, agencies, or even teams to hire people from all over the world for similar roles.

4. Investing

If venture capital and private equity funds want to expand and find the best companies to invest and support in the sports industry worldwide, they’ll probably want to become remote-first.

Hiring talent from diverse countries to scout, analyze, and invest in companies from emerging markets could be a massive competitive advantage for these firms, given the lack of capital and competition there.

The Bottom Line

Remote work is here to stay, and the sports industry will emerge itself deeply in the trend as well. Some might become fully remote, and others will opt for a hybrid model, but it seems like this is the future of sports jobs related to the areas covered above.

Becoming remote-first will allow companies in sports to:

• Access to a larger pool of talent

• Save unnecessary expenses such as office space & commute

• Provide additional benefits and improve employee satisfaction

• Have long term flexibility to grow and expand to different markets

When will this change happen?

Gradually, then suddenly.

You can already see big brands understand the value and future of remote work, and it is just a matter of time till it happens everywhere – including sports.

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