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Best Sports Related Side Jobs for Athletes
Professional and amateur athletes earn extra money by taking on sports related side jobs. Side jobs for athletes are becoming more and more common in the modern world. The concept of side jobs is nothing new, but it seems to be gaining traction among athletes as a way to earn extra cash. Unfortunately, not every professional athlete gets to sign multi-year multi-million dollar contracts. Many need to supplement their income to make ends meet.
Amateur athletes likely have full time jobs and careers already and just love playing their favorite sport. Why not make a few dollars as well on a sport you have spent countless hours and money training and playing throughout your entire life?
In this article, I will talk about the kind of side jobs available to athletes looking for a little bit of extra cash on the side. Side jobs can be related to the athlete’s current sport or totally unrelated. Some side jobs are extremely flexible, such as Uber driving, some have really low startup costs such as an e-commerce site, while others take longer to ramp up and are more time-consuming than others. Many athletes turn to internet side jobs for income when they cannot find more traditional jobs or other sources of income. That being said, many people want to continue and focus being an athlete as well.
Why Athletes Pursue Sports Related Side Jobs
Athletes pursue sports related side jobs for a number of reasons. They may need money to cover expenses, they may want to pursue an interest outside of their sport, or they may want to pursue a new career altogether. Athletes are able to use their skills in many different ways, and some athletes take advantage of this by pursuing side jobs. There are many ways in which athletes can use their skills outside of the sport that they play professionally or at an amateur level.
Athletes need cash to survive. Whether to top off their income or to replace income they were once making in their sport. They should find a side job that is meaningful to them and ideally allows them to stay active in their sport.
If an amateur athlete has a full time job or career, their off time is usually spent training or competing. If they are in a profession that requires a lot of physical labor already, they might not be able to keep up the regime necessary to stay at the top of their game. A flexible, non physical and simple side job such as an internet side hustle maybe a good fit.
In addition, semi-professional and professional athletes turn to side jobs because it is difficult for them to find typical 9-5 jobs due to their schedule, strict diets and/or workout regimens. The irregular nature of their training and competition schedules make it difficult for them to find other sources of income during their off time. Extremely flexible side jobs such as an Uber driver maybe a good fit for these athletes.
7 Side Jobs for Athletes Related to Sports
Athletes are some of the most talented people in the world. They have developed some incredible skills besides being in top physical condition such as discipline, mental focus and a hard work ethic. They deserve to be well-compensated. Nonetheless, sometimes they don’t get paid as much as they should or they have to retire too soon because of injuries. When this happens, side jobs can be a great way for them to earn income or extra income and stay active in sports.
Sports-related side jobs allow athletes to continue competing in their sport while earning money on the side; this is often ideal. Athletes can do anything from coaching other players to being an assistant coach on a team or even working with kids at summer camps.
7 great side job ideas for athletes in their sport include:
- Coach or assistant coach on a sports team
- Refereeing or officiating
- Blogging related to their sport or their athletic life
- Personal trainer focusing on athletes in their sport
- Working at a sports store selling equipment or clothes that athletes use
- If you have some status , sell your own branded merchandise outside of sporting events, like baseball caps or t-shirts or through online stores like Etsy or Zazzle
- Getting paid to play for teams short players or desperately looking for quality call up or replacement players
Coaching is an Ideal Sports Related Side Job
Coaching is great for people who are passionate about sports and have the right qualifications; one of the best ways to make money on the side. It requires no formal education, but you can get certifications if you want to coach at a competitive level. The coach’s job is to help athletes improve their skills and performance. Coaches can have a variety of titles depending on the sport, including head coach, assistant sports coach, instructor and consultant.
If you want less responsibility than being an actual head coach but still love coaching as a side job, consider becoming an assistant coach. This position is popular among organizations that have a large number of coaches on staff but don’t have enough assistants to help with all of the tasks. The assistant coach assists with drills, practices, and other duties as assigned by the head coach.
Refereeing or Officiating
Refereeing or officiating side jobs allow you to work your way up the ladder to become a professional if desired. It’s a great way to actively continue enjoying the sport you love without actually playing.
Refereeing or officiating is not just about making calls and giving penalties. You also need to be able to communicate with players, coaches, and other officials. This means being able to use your voice effectively and having the ability to stay calm in high-pressure situations.
Sports Blogging as Sports Related Side Job
Sports blogging is a type of journalism written about sports. It has been around for many years, but the rise of the internet has caused it to grow exponentially. Sports blogging jobs are sought after by many people because they offer flexibility and creativity. An ideal side job for those with extensive experience in their respective sport and unpredictable schedules.
Personal Trainer
Personal trainers are people who work with athletes in their sport. They may also work with people who want to become athletes or athletes who are getting back into the game. Personal trainers are found in gyms, schools, and colleges. They also work with employees of companies that need to stay fit for their jobs.
Personal trainers can focus on strength-based, metabolic conditioning, sports performance enhancement, specialized programs and injury rehabilitation. Personal training while focusing training on your respective sport is a great side hustle. You will generate revenue, build a long term client base and still stay in touch with the sport you love.
Sports Sales Representative
A sports sales representative is someone who works in a store selling sports equipment or clothing. This type of side job is quite readily available and often has numerous shift options. Notwithstanding, these are typically entry level type jobs. If you prefer advancement or a higher level position you might want to obtain a degree in business management or retail management.
Selling Personally Branded Merchandise
Branded merchandise is a great way to build your personal brand. Nonetheless, it can be difficult to get started if you don’t have a strong base of followers already. If you do have a solid following, you can sell your gear at sporting events, like baseball caps or t-shirts or through online stores like Etsy.
Get Paid to Play as a Free Agent is a Perfect Sports Related Side Job
There are many ways to get paid to play as a sports free agent. The most popular way is to play for teams that need players. These teams might be short players or desperately looking for quality call up players. You can find teams by searching individual club websites or using a service like Teamup.com. Alternatively, just list yourself on Subsneeded.com and wait for teams to find you!
List and showoff your skills, set your availability and take bookings from teams desperately looking for good quality players. Especially if you are a talented goalie or goalkeeper. Lots of teams are constantly on the looking for a goalkeeper to recruit or callup as a free agent. Ensure you charge a fee as well. You are in huge demand and extremely valuable to any competitive team looking to win!
6 Side Jobs for Athletes Not Related to Sports
Not all athletes need may be looking for side jobs relating to their sport or industry. You may simply be looking for a change of scenery or an entire career change. Some great side job ideas for athletes not related to their sport include:
- Online side hustle such as affiliate marketing or blogging
- E-commerce business
- Online life coaching
- Online training courses
- Uber driver
- Another career outside of sports and athletics such as crypto trading
These potential job ideas just brush the tip of the iceberg of opportunities for athletes looking for a nonsport related side job. Only your imagination and available hours limit you!
Online Side Hustle
An online side hustle can also be used as a stepping stone for other more lucrative opportunities. For example, if you have been blogging for a while and the blog has gained traction, you could start to monetize it by using affiliate marketing or setting up an e-commerce store. This would allow you to make more money with less work. An online side hustle is ideal due to its flexibility and relatively low startup costs.
E-commerce business
E-commerce is an interesting and lucrative business to consider. It is also one of the easiest businesses to start with a low budget. The best part about starting an e-commerce store is that you can do it as a side gig or even as a full-time job. It is very easy to setup an e-commerce store once you have decided on your niche. You can choose anything from clothing, beauty products, sporting products and electronics to food items, health and wellness products, or pet supplies. This is also an ideal side job due to its flexibility, speed to market and relatively low startup costs.
Online Life Coaching
Life coaching has become popular lately. In order to offer these services, you need to be highly qualified and have experience in the field. It takes time to build up a reputation and get your name out there in order to be successful. You can leverage your many years of training and experience from your sport specialty and transfer these experiences to your clients. This is a great long term side job. Keep in mind there is a longer lead time to develop both your client base and you coaching skills.
Online Training Courses
Online training courses are becoming more and more popular. There are many people who start a side hustle by offering online training courses to others. The number of people who enroll in online training courses is increasing every year. The most popular online course topics include design, photography, and languages. Record and offer training courses based on your many years of expertise and experience training in your sport. This is also a very good side job due to the lower costs to startup, flexibility and quick speed to market.
Uber Driver
Uber is a great opportunity for drivers to make some extra cash. Lyft is also another option for drivers that want to make money on the side. Driving for Uber can be a great way to earn some extra income but it’s not always easy. The company has been criticized in the past due to its poor treatment of drivers. However, they are making strides in improving their relationship with drivers by increasing driver pay rates and reducing driver commission rates.
The cost to startup as an Uber driver is higher compared to the side jobs above. You need an automobile. Preferably a newer car in excellent condition. There are maintenance, insurance and gas expenses as well. Nonetheless, you can start driving and generating cash as an Uber driver extremely quickly and the schedule is totally up to you.
Crypto Trading
Cryptocurrency trading is a very popular and great side hustle for people who are interested in investing and want to make some extra money.
It is also exciting because the market is still new and many opportunities exist for you to make money in the future if you invest now. Just like any other investment, do not take crypto trading lightly. Do your research before you start trading. Cleary understand how it works and the risks involved. This side job is quite flexible but definitely one of the riskiest with higher upfront investment costs.
As you can see, there are plenty of options outside of sports and athletics to consider as a side hustle. We have only listed a few common and relatively quick side job opportunities. Your imagination is your only limit!
Conclusion and Takeaways
In conclusion, athletes have a lot of opportunities to make money within or outside of their current sport profession. They can use their skills to be successful in other fields and earn a lot more than they would as an athlete. Athletes should consider their skillset, connections and experience and what they are passionate about before choosing their new sports related side job.
We suggest 7 great ideas to pursue related to sports related jobs: coaching a sports team, refereeing or officiating games, blogging, offering personal trainer services, working retail at a sports store selling equipment or clothes , selling your own branded merchandise or simply getting paid to play for teams short players or desperately looking for free agent players are all great options.
We also suggest 6 great non sport related side job ideas for athletes ranging from affiliate marketing or blogging online, E-commerce businesses, offering online life coaching, producing online training courses, Uber driving or a totally different career path such as such as crypto trading.
The options are boundless and the opportunity is there for you take on a new side hustle. Whether it still be sport related or not, athletes have a lot of opportunities to make extra money in many different ways.
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