Advice for Breaking into Sports from a 30-Year Industry Veteran

For Bill Wainwright, Senior Director of Suite Sales & Services for the Tennessee Titans, a career in sports didn’t begin in suite sales. It began in community relations, and he worked his way up. Now he’s helping the next generation do the same.

 

A lot of people think they want to work in sports. But most of them are not willing to make the sacrifices required to make that aspiration a reality.

“Start anywhere you can,” says Wainwright. “Get your foot in the door and work your way up. It’s a forgotten piece in today’s instant gratification society, where everybody wants to come out and start at the top. But sports being the high-demand job field that it is, you have to be willing to work your way up and prove yourself.”

To help the next generation of sports business executives get a foot in the door, Wainwright spearheaded a partnership with the Belmont University Masters of Sports Administration program, which provides students an opportunity to build a résumé through hands-on experience with the Titans at Nissan Stadium.

“The Houston Oilers back in 1989-1990 hired me,” Wainwright says. “They took a chance on me, and I want to be able to pay it forward and give that same chance to others.”

Are you new to the sports and entertainment industry? Are you a veteran looking to brush up on the fundamentals?

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