Let’s talk money.

So you want to work in sports? 

Someone once told me that working in sports is a lifestyle, not a job. Because working in sports, it isn’t just a job. It isn’t even just a career. It is everything. Everything that you do. Everything that you are. Everything that you think about. Especially when you work in social media in sports. There’s a lot that needs to be talked about for those of us in social and sport. Money. Mental Health. Sexual Harassment. The list goes on. But today, we are starting with money and work/life balance.

Let me start by saying, I have absolutely loved moments working in sports. I have gotten to do incredible things and meet the most amazing people. For that, I am grateful and would do it all over again if I had the choice. But those amazing people I mentioned - aren’t the professional athletes. They aren’t the musicians. Or actors. Or coaches. They are my coworkers. I have worked with the best of the best. From the marketing department to the sponsorship team, to hockey ops, to interns, these people are some of the very best at what they do. And in my opinion, deserve to be paid like it. 

People often say that it is taboo to talk about money. But frankly, I think that is stupid. Sure, no one needs to hear about all the extra cash you have in your pockets while others are struggling to make ends meet. But quite often, I think we could all learn a lot about handling our finances from each other. But everyone is too afraid to talk about it. However, I am not. 

When you work for a professional sports team, people assume you make bank. I am here to tell you that, that is very much not true.

For my last two career advancements, I took a pay cut to take those positions. To go from a manager at a minor league team to a manager at a major league team, I had to fight to make the same. And I didn’t even get it. But what was I supposed to do, not take the job? This is what I had worked every second of every day to get to. And there’s only so many of these positions, you can’t afford to pass one up when you have the chance. And there’s putting in your time, but I had long passed that. As the voice of a professional hockey team, I made $44,000 a year. I used to be embarrassed to tell people that. Especially those who knew how much I sacrificed for this job. To work every single day, night, weekend, holiday. Sacrificing my personal life and mental health. I spent countless holidays alone. Lost sleep. The stress of the job itself let alone my financial struggle caused me anxiety attacks and stress rashes. I needed to go to the doctor because of my job, but I couldn’t afford to go to the doctor because of my job. Nor find the time to. And this is not on one team nor sport. It’s the industry. And far too often it is a topic that remains hushed, but I am here to change that. Because I realize now that I shouldn’t have been the one embarrassed by the amount of money I was paid. The people paying me should’ve.

Those of us in the sports industry have feared discussing this aspect of the job for many reasons. First, it’s difficult to bring up when people are constantly glorifying your job. Everyone wants it. Everyone is trying for it. And you have it. You don’t want to appear ungrateful and you don’t want to lose it. But when you give up the rest of your life for this job, they should be the ones who are grateful. There is always someone there waiting to take your spot. But we EARNED that spot. We worked our asses off to get there. We shouldn’t constantly feel like we could be replaced at any time, our employer should feel like they could be replaced at any time. And just because we bring up these issues, it doesn’t mean we don’t love our jobs. Or that we aren’t grateful to have one in a time that many don’t. It means that we love the job so much that we are willing to be paid unfairly to do it. But should we have to?

Far too often I have seen people leave a job that they were so incredibly talented at because they gave, gave, gave, and didn’t get what they deserved in return. They had nothing left to give. The job had taken it all. Took countless hours away from being with family. Took away their savings. Their voice. Their freedom. Took away anything and everything outside of work. And what did they get in return? It sure wasn’t paid. And as someone who dreamt of working in sports and one day having a family, I know it would be extremely difficult to do both. I’m not here asking for a million dollars and a yacht. All I want is to be able to save and one day buy a house or pay off my car. Or buy my damn gluten-free crackers without feeling guilty. I want to not say no to dinner plans because I can’t afford to go. Or cash out my 401k just to pay off my credit card. Or feel like a bad person for leaving a crummy tip or not donating when asked to round up every time I go to Walgreens. Because I have nothing to donate. I have nothing to give. I had enough money to survive, but not nearly enough to live. 

And because I know it will come up, I understand we are in a pandemic. Which is exactly why I feel it’s time to bring this up. Because these amazing, hard-working people who sacrificed so much to be paid so little, were often the first people to lose their jobs.

I know some of you reading this will be upset by my words. But it’s the truth. And many if not all of your coworkers feel and experience these struggles on the daily. A majority of them probably contemplate leaving every day because of it. Money is not everything, but when your job is everything, money better be something. Being paid poorly shouldn’t just be “part of the job.” Those who work in sports deserve to be paid fairly. That is a fact. And I’m not afraid to talk about it. You shouldn’t be either. And if you are, it’s probably because you know you are part of the problem.

Digitally,

G