Intimidation and the Pursuit of a Career in Sports with Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington

by: Kate Norum

Some people know what they want to do at a young age and then some people realize what they want to do later on. Chase Hughes is a perfect example of someone who decided to pursue sports as a career as he was finishing up his degree in Political Science at College of Charleston. He actually was fixated on doing something along the lines of politics and helping out with campaigns, but as he went further through college, Hughes wasn’t particularly as excited as he was when he first started, looking at sports with more enthusiasm, despite the intimidating process of getting into this industry.  

K: What drew you into this field, in particular? 

I’ve always been a sports fan, of course, and I actually went to college and studied Political Science at College of Charleston in South Carolina. My whole idea was that I wanted to work on political campaigns. But, I found that when you study something in college, you find out if you want to do it or if you don’t want to do it. I realized I didn’t want to do that (political campaigns).

K: Ok, so you went to school for political science, how did you eventually start working in the sports industry? 

At the very end of my time in college I started thinking, “Do I really want to work in sports?” – I got an internship with the minor league soccer team, Charleston Battery. It was basically a ticket-sales internship,  I was doing anything sports related but I was at the box office selling the tickets to the games. It was something I put on my resume. 

The other thing I did was I actually started a blog. Which is something I highly recommend anyone who wants to get into sports writing to do. The more you write, the better you’re going to get at it, just like anything else. Even though no one read those articles that I wrote, I had something that I could put in an email and send to someone. 

I would consider how I got into this field, pretty lucky. 

I didn’t know anyone, had no connections.

Like most peopleat the age of 22, I thought it was really daunting to get into, because it’s such a competitive industry. I was basically at the point where I thought I was just taking a shot in the dark and then I figured out the email structure, especially in regards to CSN (Comcast SportsNet) Washington, which is now NBC Sports Washington. 

K: Elaborate more on this email structure thing and how did it get you to where you’re at now with NBC Sports Washington?  

I actually started by sending an email to CSN Washington. I saw that their website had just been redesigned and sent an email to the boss, found out through Google searching and LinkedIn. 

Luckily, I found the perfect time as they were looking for interns and they were beefing up their digital staff. So, that’s really how I got my foot in the door. I was lucky enough to work my way up, through a lot of mistakes but learning through them to where I am today (with NBC Sports Washington).

K: Throughout your career, what is something that continues to stay with you?

I would say to be patient and respect the process. Being patient is huge and realizing that things take time, and once you realize that it becomes easier, in a way. Also, treating people the right way and working hard. Which has ultimately led me to opportunities that have all come at unexpected times. 

Chase Hughes currently works at NBC Sports Washington, covering specifically the Washington Wizards, as a writer and a broadcast host. 

Chase Hughes continues to work hard and is continuously doing all that he can to push himself in this field,  beyond his own limits.  

From a college kid, who was dead-set on working in politics to now being in a studio helping to edit, record and write content for NBC Sports Washington is proof that anything is possible with the ability to go out and make it happen. It doesn’t matter if you have connections in the field or not, all it takes is the mindset and not letting anything stand in your way. 
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Go out and make whatever it is, a reality, just like Chase has made a career in sports media, you can too!

You can reach out to Chase on LinkedIn or Follow him on Twitter : @ChaseHughesNBCS

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