The Sports Business Beat with Emily Caron, Sportico Reporter

The Work in Sports Podcast - Insider Advice for Sports Careers

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast. No surprise to say I grew up a fanatical sports fan. I have always loved game action. I remember vividly sneaking out of bed to watch Boston Celtics games when they were on the road, hoping my mother wouldn’t catch me. Homme games were on cable TV and we didn’t have it, only the road games. Sundays were jammed with NFL football, if my parents scheduled something that conflicted with games I wanted to watch, I was a pain in the ass. I vividly remember my mom getting us tickets to the ice capades, but in conflicted with a Cowboys – Redskins game, I was a pain the entire time, and got a massive lecture for being unappreciative of all she does for my brother and I. I deserved it, but I was, and still am addicted. I remember in high school watching late night west coast college basketball games, hoping to uncover some unknown but talented player that I could brag about knowing. Cedric Caballos is a perfect example, I saw him play a game for Cal State Fullerton, and then definitely name dropped him in conversations with fellow high schoolers to act as if I was some amateur scout, with more knowledge then they had. What a dork. My grandmother every year got me a subscription to Sports Illustrated and I read it cover to cover. Then I ripped off the cover and put it on my bedroom wall. All the iconic covers of the 80s and 90s were unceremoniously stapled to my walls, reminding me of those moments spent rifling through their pages. But... I could never get into the business side of sports. I tried. My mom would try to push me toward sports business shows or to read sports business content. Sadly, I admit, it bored me. Deals and TV revenue and sponsorships and marketing campaigns – not as exciting as Michael Jordan, John Elway, Wayne Gretzky, and Barry Bonds. Alas, as I have aged, rapidly some would say, my focus has shifted and now those same deals and decisions that bored me, represent the game happening for all of us. Sports business is the game we can all play, a language we can all speak, and forms the decisions that make everything possible. In June 2020, Sportico was formed with the mission of empowering readers with the context and insights needed to understand an evolving sports ecosystem – where teams are incubators and innovation labs, franchise values are soaring, players’ unions are accelerators and athletes will not stick to sports. Good write up there - - they did it, not me. Today's guest Emily Caron is one of the highly accomplished sports business reporters on the team at Sportico – Emily joined the sportico team at their launch after working for such high-profile brands as espnW and Sports Illustrated and she’s here today to share her journey AND insights into some of the biggest sports business focused stories in 2021! Questions for Emily Caron, Sports Business Reporter for Sportico 1: There are many important sports business topics to cover and I’m excited to jump into them with you, but let’s dig into your sports career journey first. From digging into your background and career, it seems clear you had a vision for your future self as a sports reporter from early on...why? What led you down this path? 2: While at University of Virginia, you completed an internship with espnW – that’s a coveted opportunity, how did you get the chance to intern for the worldwide leader and what was this experience like? 3: Most interns don’t write feature stories or find their way on to the set of Outside the Lines - you did both. I just went back and read your story on Penn State kicker Joey Juluis who struggled with binge eating and depression, and it’s wonderful. I was hooked at once. What drew you to the story and how did you pitch it and make it your own? I’ve been in hundreds of creative meetings and youn...