Growing Your Sports Career in Digital Content

Content creation is a growing profession, as 30% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 40% of 25- to 34-year-olds consider themselves content creators. The social media/digital influencer industry closed 2022 valued at $16.4 billion. On the one hand, creating content on your own is easier than ever. Still, on the other, the explosion of social media’s popularity in the past two decades developed a noisy space that can be difficult to stand out in. While still serving as leaders in sports content creation, legacy entities such as Fox Sports and ESPN are always changing with the market to find new ways to connect with sports fans. Over-the-air studio shows are produced with a mind for generating soundbites tailor-made for spreading throughout social media and keeping fans glued to their websites.

Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast is Fox Sports Digital Sr. VP Michael Bucklin. Bucklin landed a job with ESPN shortly after graduating from the University of Georgia in 2006 and spent 10 years in Bristol, Connecticut, becoming a senior manager (and eventually producer) for social production in 2013 before joining Fox Sports in 2016. He and WorkInSports VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp discuss:

• How ESPN began integrating social media into its strategy in 2006 • Why he moved to Fox Sports • How he measures success with Fox Sports’ digital content • What the career path looks like for sports content jobs today • What he looks for when hiring his staff

Catch Bucklin’s perspective by listening to the full episode, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. In addition, you can view additional content on our YouTube channel!