If you love seeing talent in people and want to change lives while being involved in the sports industry, becoming a sports talent scout might be the best choice for you. Sports scouts need to be very dedicated to their work, but will gain superb rewards.
What Is a Sports Scout?
A sports scout is a highly motivated individual that has a passion for sports. They need to be able to identify talent and strong players, and these signs are not always easy to spot. Moreover, many sports scouts need to have a talent or instinct for seeing promise within people.
It is not always enough to simply go by numbers. Instead, a sports scout needs to identify players that are motivated to succeed and that have a good spirit.
Sports scouts usually look through lower levels of teams and high schools to find players that show promise. They then attempt to bring the players into their team. Sports scouting can be extraordinarily aggressive, and the negotiations can be very difficult. S
couts that work for major agencies and talent centers may find themselves having to spend many hours on their work. However, they will usually be highly rewarded once they are successful. Scouts need to have a blend of social skills, business acumen and knowledge in the sports arena.
What Does a Sports Scout Do?
A sports scout will ordinarily attend numerous sports events to determine whether a certain player is outstanding or talented. Sports scouts may work with reams of information to identify players that may have potential, and they will need to talk in-depth with these players about what they can offer them and why they should come aboard.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sports scouting is expected to grow by 29 percent over the next decade. This offers tremendous job stability and many opportunities within the field.
How Do You Become a Sports Scout?
If you’re interested in becoming a sports scout, you may want to get a Bachelor’s Degree related to sports. Most sports scouts will have at least a Bachelor’s Degree, but experience can be considered a replacement for a degree sometimes within this field.
According to O*Net Online, some only have their Associate’s Degree. Many sports scouts are those that have already been in another position within the sports industry. Coaches and managers often become sports scouts later in their life, as the position draws from their natural talent.
Sports scouting is usually not an entry-level position and most people do not break into the sports industry through sports scouting. Instead, it is often a position that highly trained professionals move into after they have decided that they want a chance in career.
However, talent agents and talent scouts may find that they have much in common with sports scouts. If they can learn enough about sports, they may be able to successfully gain work as a scout.
How Do You Advance as a Sports Scout?
Advancement as a sports scout is usually determined by the amount of individuals the scout is able to successfully sign and how well they are able to negotiate. Those that seek advancement as a scout will be able to negotiate well successfully without making additional concessions.
Sports scouts will also need to be able to reliably predict talent, which can be a very tricky area. A sports scout that can often identify talent and successfully bring it into the team or agency will be found to be successful. Sports scouts can also move into related fields, such as sports management or sports coaching.