More Than Play - Bureau Of Labor Statistics
More than play:Three careers in sports2 Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2012
Sports are more than fun and games;they also provide work for manypeople. Sports workers earn wages inleagues across the nation.At the professional level, some of theseworkers earn lucrative salaries and contractsworth millions of dollars. But most sportsworkers make considerably less. Whetherthey make a lot or a little, these workers oftendo their jobs for the love of sport, not for thepaycheck.Organized sports include a variety ofindividual and team events, which require theefforts of many workers in different occupations. For example, managers and administrative staff run the business side of sports, suchas marketing and human resources. Groundskeepers and janitors maintain the playingfields and facilities. And food vendors andcooks feed the many spectators.Many people are particularly attractedto the sports occupations that are closest tothe action. This article highlights three suchoccupations: coaches, athletic trainers, andsports officials. The first section provides anoverview of each occupation, including whatworkers do, how much they earn, and whatqualifications they need for an entry-level job.The second section explains how to preparefor these jobs—and what to expect if you getone. Sources for more information are listed atthe end of the article.Careers in sportsSports workers often enter these careersbecause they have an interest in a particular sport. They may learn a sport at a youngage and compete in recreational, amateur, orschool leagues. Many continue participatinginto adulthood, either as amateurs or professionals. (See the box on page 7.) But somesports workers are enthusiasts who might nothave actually played a sport.Jobs for professional athletes are limited,and many people choose to put their sportsknowledge to work in different ways. Some,such as coaches and athletic trainers, workclosely with athletes; others, including sportsofficials, work with participants less directly.CoachesA coach helps athletes to develop the physical, technical, and strategic skills they need toplay a sport. Coaches run practice and trainingsessions, develop strategies, analyze athletes’performances, and guide and encourage athletes. “Coaches put athletes in an environmentto be successful both on and off the court,”says Anne Kordes, head volleyball coach of acollege team in Louisville, Kentucky.Some athletes and teams employ multiple coaches, including head, assistant, andstrength and conditioning coaches. Headcoaches oversee assistant coaches, plan strategy and drills, and guide players throughoutthe event. Assistant coaches specialize inspecific parts of the game, such as offense orpassing in a football game. Strength and conditioning coaches work with athletes to keepthem at peak physical condition. This workmight include spending time at the gym liftingweights or doing cardiovascular and stretchingexercises.Coaches work together to make the mostof a team’s or player’s potential. Kordes, forexample, reviews game video and then meetswith assistants to prepare for matches. “WeDennis VilorioDennis Viloriois an economistin the Office ofOccupationalStatistics andEmploymentProjections, BLS.He is available at(202) 691-5711 orvilorio.dennis@bls.gov.Summer 2012 Occupational Outlook Quarterly3
Coaches teach thestrategies of a sportto prepare athletes forcompetition.come up with a strategy to neutralize theopponents’ strengths and maximize our own,”she says. “My assistants then work with theplayers to implement the strategy.”Coaches use their knowledge of a sportto develop a training program, often adaptingtheir strategies to fit different athletes’ learning styles. For example, some athletes mightlearn better by doing, while others learn bestby watching video. “I need to first figure outthe best way to teach athletes the skills theyneed to get better,” says Kordes, “so thatI’m in a better position to help and motivatethem.”Practices give coaches time to teach techniques and skills they want athletes to master.Teaching skills progressively, coaches startwith basic drills that gradually become moredifficult and lead to mastery of the skill. “Wepractice a lot of drills to improve techniqueand conditioning,” says Eric Gehrke, headcoach of a high school rowing program inAlexandria, Virginia.Coaches follow established safety procedures to protect the athletes. For example,Gehrke administers a swim test for everyprospective team member. He also packs lifejackets and checks weather conditions beforeallowing athletes to go out on the water.To help keep athletes healthy, coachesalso coordinate with athletic trainers andstrength and conditioning coaches. Together,the coaches and athletic trainers monitor the4 Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2012physical health of the athletes and modifytraining exercises and practice drills toaccommodate those who have problems. “Wewant our athletes to play hard on both defenseand offense,” says Kordes. “But we need tobe aware of their physical limitations to avoidinjuring them.”Dealing with athletes, the athletes’parents, and fans can often be a source offrustration for coaches. For example, a parentmight push coaches to give more playing timeto his or her child or voice unhappiness witha team’s performance. “You must be patient,”says Gehrke, “because sometimes you have todeal with the parents almost as much as thekids.”But for coaches, working with the athletes is often the most rewarding part of thejob. “It’s not all about trophies and honors,”Kordes says. “What makes me proud is mentoring and caring for my kids.”Employment and wages. The U.S. Bureauof Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data oncoaches and scouts together. In May 2011,there were 193,810 wage and salary coachesand scouts, according to BLS. They earned amedian annual wage of 28,470. The lowestearning 10 percent made 17,110 or less, andthe highest earning 10 percent made 65,060or more.Most coaches work in schools, includingelementary, secondary, and postsecondary.Coaches at the elementary, middle, and high
school levels usually work part time and maycoach more than one sport. Some coacheswork as teachers, which may require teaching certification. Coaches at the college andprofessional levels usually work full time as acoach in one sport.Qualifications. As a group, coaches generally do not need formal education to enterthe occupation. But they may need certification, depending on the sport and the state inwhich they seek employment.Experience as an athlete may be enoughfor coaches seeking employment in elementary, middle, and high schools. It’s still noguarantee of employment, however. “The better your athletic credentials, the easier it is tofind a high school coaching job,” says Gehrke.Coaches at the college and professional levelsusually need at least a bachelor’s degree aswell as experience in the sport.Experience as an athlete also givescoaches extensive knowledge of the sport inwhich they coach. This experience helps themdevelop strategies and drills with which totrain and develop the athletes. Coaches alsolearn through observing how others coach.“The more you learn from what other coachesdo,” says Gehrke, “the better you’ll be.”Coaches need interpersonal, decisionmaking, and leadership skills to teach theirathletes and help them improve. And headcoaches also need management and communication skills to lead their staff. “You managea lot of people, from your assistants to yourathletes,” says Kordes. “If you want to besuccessful, you have to communicate clearlyto get everyone pulling together in the samedirection.”Athletic trainersAthletic trainers keep athletes healthy before,during, and after competition. “We are alwayson the lookout for potential injuries,” saysCharlie Thompson, head of athletic trainingat a university in Princeton, New Jersey. “Wewant to deal with problems right away.”Athletic trainers are available duringathletes’ training, practices, and play. Theirpriority is to prevent injuries. To accomplishthis, they examine athletes, collect medicalhistories, and check for preexisting conditions.If an athlete is predisposed to certain injuries,the athletic trainer can try to limit the problemby taking precautions. For a sprinter with tighthamstrings, for example, an athletic trainermight suggest special exercises and stretchesto help loosen those muscles before running.Athletic trainers know which injuriesare common in specific sports, so they oftenwork with coaches to modify training regimens based on an athlete’s condition. “We canprevent injuries by removing or minimizingAthletic trainers areavailable during sportingevents and practicesto evaluate and treatinjuries.Summer 2012 Occupational Outlook Quarterly5
Athletic trainers helpathletes recover frominjuries.specific drills or exercises on days the athletesneed a break,” says Thompson. After a hardpractice, for example, an athletic trainer wouldrecommend that athletes avoid lower bodyexercises that might tire out and injure theirlegs.But the precautions athletic trainers takecan’t always prevent an athlete’s injury. Whenan injury occurs, athletic trainers evaluateits type and severity by considering how theinjury happened and by asking the athletehow he or she felt at the time of injury andhow painful it feels during evaluation. Theytest the athlete’s range of motion and checkmuscles and tendons for swelling and tenderness.Depending on the results of the evaluation, the athletic trainer chooses differentways to treat the injury. General treatmentincludes the uses of first aid, ice to minimizeswelling, antiseptics to disinfect cuts, andbraces to protect an injured limb.Specific treatments depend on the athletic trainer’s evaluation of an athlete’s injury.For example, if the athlete can put weight onan injured leg and still walk, then icing andwrapping the injured area might be enoughuntil the athlete sees a physician. If the athletecan put weight on the leg but can’t walk, thenthe athletic trainer can provide crutches. Butif the athlete can’t put weight on the leg andfeels a lot of pain, then the injury might bemore serious—such as a fracture—and the6 Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2012athletic trainer would get the athlete to anurgent-care center or emergency room.For more serious injuries, athletic trainersrely on an athlete’s physician to test, diagnose,and treat injuries. Athletic trainers cannotprescribe medication, take x rays, or orderlaboratory tests, for example. At the physician’s discretion, however, athletic trainersmay continue to treat minor injuries.Athletic trainers also help athletes recoverfrom injuries. Rehabilitating major injuries usually requires the help of a physicaltherapist, but athletic trainers may continuetreatment when the athlete’s condition hasimproved. And athletic trainers may needhelp from physical therapists because of timeconstraints. “It’s difficult to rehabilitate everyinjury, because we simply don’t have thetime,” says Tricia Irvin, a high school athletic trainer employed by a medical center inGranger, Indiana.Athletic trainers design a program tohelp each athlete to recover from injury andto regain strength, balance, speed, flexibility,or range of motion. Rehabilitation exercisestypically become progressively difficult asthe athlete recuperates, such as increasing theincline on a treadmill or the weight on barbells. Once injured athletes have recoveredcompletely, athletic trainers allow them tocompete again. “We want the athlete to returnto playing the sport at full functional ability,”says Thompson.
When not helping athletes, athletic trainers may manage medical inventory, checkthe integrity of safety equipment, and trackinjuries and treatments.Athletic trainers get to know their athleteswell and help them develop as both athletesand people. Athletes may turn to them for helpwith problems at school or at home. “We arealmost like parents,” says Thompson. “Welisten to their problems and try to guide themin the right direction.” Irvin agrees. “You needto be patient,” she says.Because of budget constraints, not everyteam employs its own athletic trainer. Sometimes, a single athletic trainer cares for twocompeting teams or athletes. That’s not aproblem, say athletic trainers, because theirconcern is to ensure the safety and healthof all athletes. “We are not rivals, like theschools,” says Irvin. “We are our own team.”Employment and wages. In May 2011,there were 18,240 wage and salary athletictrainers, according to BLS. They earned amedian annual wage of 42,400. The lowestearning 10 percent made 26,170 or less, andAthletes play for fun—and, sometimes, payAthletes are crucial to the sports that employcoaches, athletic trainers, sports officials, andrelated workers. After all, without athletes,there would be no athletic competitions.However, few competitors make a livingas professional athletes. While many athletesare unpaid, their dedication to their sport isoften similar to that of professionals. Theseamateur athletes compete in recreationalsports or school leagues for personal enjoyment—and the chance to eventually competeprofessionally. “Even when I’m not makinga penny, I just love competing,” says DavidTran, an amateur boxer from Germantown,Maryland.Athletes spend a lot of time training forcompetition. “I wake up most mornings at5:30 a.m., work out for an hour, and thenpractice for 3 hours,” says Stevi Robinson, aprofessional volleyball player from HermosaBeach, California. It usually takes many yearsof preparation to gain the ability and skillsrequired to compete at the highest levels.Athletes must prepare for the physicaldemands of their sport, and they practice inorder to improve their own abilities. Theyalso focus on functional movements, such assprinting or jumping, to hone the technicaland strategic demands of their sport duringcompetition. For example, Tran spends hourspracticing footwork, punching, and defensivetechniques so they become second nature.“Boxing matches are a blur,” says Tran. “Youhave to rely on your instincts and preparation.”For athletes, both professional and amateur, it’s the thrill of competition that makestheir preparation worthwhile. “We practiceand live for the game,” Robinson says. “Thegame is everything.”Summer 2012 Occupational Outlook Quarterly7
the highest earning 10 percent made 65,970or more.Most athletic trainers work full time atpostsecondary schools and medical facilities,such as hospitals and medical offices. A fewathletic trainers work part time and are paidhourly. Some may work under contract.Qualifications. To enter the occupation,athletic trainers usually need at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited athletic training program. These programs teach studentswhat they need to know to become an athletictrainer, from injury evaluation to rehabilitation. For a position at the college or professional level, athletic trainers usually needwork experience and a master’s degree.Most states require that athletic trainerspass a national certification exam and registerfor a state license.Additional requirements include continuing education and yearly cardiopulmonaryresuscitation (CPR) certification. Every 3years, athletic trainers must complete 70hours of continuing education to keep up withadvances in the field. Classes, seminars, andlectures help fulfill this requirement.Athletic trainers need to be detail orientedto keep track of athletes’ injuries. They alsoneed good communication and interpersonalskills so they can explain injuries and treatments to athletes and their families.Experience helpssports officials makethe correct call.8 Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2012Sports officialsUmpires, referees, and other sports officialsoversee an event’s rules, athletes, and coachesto ensure safe, fair, and neutral play. To keepcompetitions fair, sports officials enforce therules, inspect equipment, start and stop play,track the contest’s time, and settle disputes.They may also penalize reckless play or ejectunruly players or coaches to keep competitionunder control. “Our responsibility is to enforceimpartially and err on the side of safety,” saysBarry Mano, a former sports official and nowpresident of the National Association of SportsOfficials in Union Grove, Wisconsin.While working, sports officials placethemselves in the best position to watchathletes. If they spot a violation of the rulesor need to make a decision that affects play,sports officials rely on their experience andjudgment to make the right call. Some sportsofficials also have the option to review video.Sports officials use tools to signal to athletes, coaches, and spectators. These includewaving colored flags to indicate an infraction,blowing a whistle to stop and start play, orfiring blanks from a gun to start a race. Sportsofficials also frequently use hand signals. Forexample, a basketball official may raise threefingers while the ball is airborne to signal toscorers that a successful basket will be worththree points.
Depending on the sport, there may beone or more officials during play. Individualsports, such as boxing, may need only a singleofficial. Team sports often have multipleofficials, each of whom has different duties.For example, in soccer, a main official blowsthe whistle to start play and stop for infractions, two officials on the sidelines determineoffside violations, and another official in thepress box keeps track of time.Most sports officials need to wear a uniform. They may also need to wear sport-specific equipment, such as shin guards, watches,skates, or helmets. Sometimes, the equipmentand uniform is different for officials in thesame sport but in different roles. For example, in baseball and softball, the home plateumpire wears a uniform, face mask, chest pad,and shin guards—but the first base umpirewears only the uniform.Sports officials attend seminars before,during, and after a sport’s playing season torefresh themselves on the rules, learn changesto the rules, and network with other officialsand league staff. Mano says that these seminars allow sports officials to become better attheir work and help them move up the careerladder.Meetings before and after each gamehelp officials review their calls, evaluate theirperformances, and learn from mistakes. “Ittakes practice and hard work to become a better official,” says Rob Livengood, a basketballofficial in Mount Airy, North Carolina.The priority for sports officials is to makethe right call, let the game flow, and interveneonly when necessary. “I want to be invisible,”says Livengood. “The focus should be on thegame, the players, and the fans.”But officials sometimes make mistakes.When they do—or when they make a correct but controversial call—fans, athletes, andcoaches may become critical. Experience,confidence, and humility help sports officialscope with the pressure. “If you listen to thefans, you’ll think you’re the worst official onthe planet and need glasses,” says Livengood.“Unless you grow a thick skin, you’ll go homeand cry.”Sports officials signalinfractions by usingtools, such as flags.For sports officials, being questionedabout the calls they make is part of the job.And when fans air their displeasure at theright call, officials must be confident thattheir judgment was fair. “You have to love theofficiating process more than the sport,” saysMano. “You have to love it when they booyou.”Employment and wages. In May 2011,there were 15,630 wage and salary umpires,referees, and other sports officials sportsofficials, according to BLS. They earned amedian annual wage of 23,190. The lowestearning 10 percent made 16,910 or less, andthe highest earning 10 percent made 50,190or more.Most sports officials work for leagues inspectator sports, schools, and recreationalassociations. Anecdotal evidence suggeststhat most sports officials work part time undercontract. Because many sports have playingseasons, some officials may work in multiplesports.Qualifications. No formal education isrequired to become a sports official. However,Summer 2012 Occupational Outlook Quarterly9
prospective sports officials must pass anofficiating test to become licensed with theirparticular association. An association committee evaluates sports officials in scrimmagesand assigns them to games based on thoseperformances.Officials may need to be physicallyfit, depending on the sport. For example, alacrosse official runs up and down the fieldnumerous times per game, but a tennis officialstays in one place for the duration of thematch. Communication skills are also important, says Livengood: “You need to work as ateam with the other officials and communicateclearly in a potentially hostile environment.”Advancing to more competitive leaguesrequires experience. For example, an officialmust work many years at the high school levelbefore being considered for jobs at the college level, where there are fewer games andtougher competition for available positions.Through experience, officials developwhat Mano calls “game intelligence,” the ability to manage the competition and its players.Experience also helps officials gain the judgment they need to make the right call—andthe confidence to defend it.Many sports workersgain experience asathletes or enthusiasts.10 Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2012Kick off a career in sportsSports careers teach skills, such as disciplineand accountability, that extend beyond theplaying field. Many sports workers learn towork in teams and communicate well withothers. Sports careers also promote physicaland mental fitness. “It keeps me in shape,”says Livengood, “and helps me think strategically, too.”The best way to get started in a sportscareer is by gaining experience at lowerlevels of a sport and working your way up.For example, sports workers in recreationalleagues can develop their skills under lessstress and with more job opportunities. Theycan also learn from experienced workers byvolunteering as assistants.Sports-related jobs are usually availableat local schools and with amateur leagues andrecreational and athletic associations. Positions for volunteers and for part-time workare often advertised in newspapers and onschool, organization, and association websites.Although these positions often pay little ornothing, they offer the opportunity to learnthe basics of sports work.
Workers can also gain experience bynetworking through the many leagues available at the amateur and high school levels.The sports community is small, so knowingthe right people—such as those who run theleagues—eases the jobseeking process. Family and friends who participate in a sport arealso valuable resources. “Good networkingproduces good results,” says Gehrke.Of course, the demands of a sports careermean it’s not always fun in games. Manysports practices and competitions are held outdoors, including in extreme temperatures andbad weather. Sports workers might need to beoutside for hours in those conditions.Sports workers might also have irregular schedules, sometimes working 7 days aweek—including evenings, weekends, andholidays—to accommodate sporting events.And although some sports are played seasonally, preparation continues year round.Travel may be frequent, especially at morecompetitive levels. That can strain personalrelationships. “I spend a lot of time away,”says Mano. “It can be tough on family life.”Despite the difficulties, those working insports often say that the good outweighs thebad. “It’s not easy work,” says Thompson,“but if you have the passion to keep you going,it might be right for you.”For more informationThe Occupational Outlook Handbook(OOH) has detailed information about manysports-related occupations, including theones described in this article. These profileshave information about each occupation’s jobduties, employment, wages, usual qualifications, and more. The OOH is available onlineat www.bls.gov/ooh.There are many athletic and coachingassociations, each specializing in a particularregion, sport, or demographic. The nationalassociations for each sport are often thebest sources of information for athletes andcoaches, providing career resources, rules ofthe sport, and local contacts. For example,jobseekers interested in volleyball coachingshould visit the American Volleyball Coaching Association at www.avca.org.For information about becoming a volunteer coach in youth sports, an option forcoaches to gain experience and move into paying positions, contact:National Alliance for Youth Sports2050 Vista ParkwayWest Palm Beach, FL 33411Toll free: 1 (800) 688-5437nays@nays.orgwww.nays.org/coachesFor more information about becoming anathletic trainer, including career and educational resources, contact:National Athletic Trainers’ Association2952 Stemmons Freeway #200Dallas, TX 75247(214) 637-6282www.nata.orgAnd for more information about becoming a sports official, including guides for manypopular sports and a list of athletic associations by state, contact:National Association of Sports Officials2017 Lathrop Ave.Racine, WI 53405(262) 632-5448www.naso.orgSummer 2012 Occupational Outlook Quarterly11
Summer 2012 Occupational Outlook Quarterly 3 Dennis Vilorio Dennis Vilorio is an economist in the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, BLS. He is available at (202) 691-5711 or vilorio.dennis@ bls.gov. S ports are more than fun and games; they also p
Play is learning. Remember that imaginative play or pretend play is thinking play. Pretend play is thinking play because children need to think of what to play, use an object or objects as play props (using the object as a symbol in play is higher level thinking), incorporate a character in the play (like a teddy or doll),
Play types: Play types can be described as the different behaviours we can see when children are playing and there have been numerous attempts to categorise different types of play. Play theorist Bob Hughes describes each play type (social play, rough and tumble play, deep play, role play etc.) as 'both distinctly and
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promote play, exploration and hands-on learning are at the core of effective pre-primary programmes. The next section of this brief explains what is meant by play and play-based learning and gives examples of the many ways in which children learn through play. Play takes many forms Everyone knows ‘play’ when they see it – on
For passing plays can use air yards to calculate airEPA and yacEPA (yards after catch EPA): airEPA play i EP in air play i EP start play i yacEPA play i EP play i 1 EP in air play i But how much credit does each player deserve? e.g. On a pass play, how much credit does a QB get vs the receiver? One player is not solely responsible for a .
New York, : Dramatists Play Service, c1991 Call#: SINGLE PLAY - B Ball, Alan, 1957- Five one-act plays New York : Dramatists Play Service, c1994 Call#: SINGLE PLAY - B Ball, Alan, 1957- Five women wearing the same dress New York : Dramatists Play Service, c1993 Call#: SINGLE PLAY - B Barker, Howard The bite of the night : an education
table of contents translator's note vll foreword ix i nature and significance of play as a culturai phenomenon 1 ii the play-concept as expressed in language 28 iii play and contest as civilizing functions 46 iv play and law 76 v play and war 89 vi playing and knowing 105 vii play and poetry 119 viii the elements of mythopolesls 136 ix play-forms philosophy 146
categories of role-play. The next step from games would be to develop presentations and metaphorical role-play, examples of which are given in Table 3. The categories of role-play shown in Table 1 which science teachers may previously have referred to as 'role-play' are: metaphorical role-play, analogy role-play and simulation.
