The Spotlight in the Storm

By: Kolby Castillo

During times like this, it feels as if we are a boat lost in a raging storm. We go where the ocean takes us and not where we choose. There is no indication when the storm will end and all we can do is hold on until it does. 

To see sports evaporate from our lives, I imagine that what we feel is what Tony Stark felt as he saw Spider Man evaporate in front of him during the Avengers Infinite Game. 

We may not be in the same boat in this storm but my promise to all of you is to be the Light Tower shining the spotlight to help guide us until the storm is gone.

The start of Sports As a Job 

My name is Kolby Castillo the founder of Sports As a Job. We are now ateam of more than five people and despite my inability to pay people we are united by a mission. That mission is to pop the bubble of limitations around each of our lives. Through stories of others we are able to make people aware of possibilities and opportunities they may have never known about.  Your story, your peer's story, and my story has the power to impact  one to a billion people's lives. We are putting the spotlight on people aspiring and currently in sports. 

Journey to present day

October 2019, I started with documenting my journey of working full-time as an Assistant Event Management and Intramural Coordinator. I would post pictures and videos on Instagram providing people insight into my day to day. It led to the start of a blog which I posted about five times (No longer available). Let's just say my writing skills aren't my greatest strength so I thought about different ways I to do so. 

November 2019, was the start of the Sports As a Job podcast. A person who listens to podcasts daily, I never thought I would start a podcast of my own. There I was though recording episodes using my Iphone. For once, I decided to just act on an idea instead of overthinking everything. Three episodes in I probably had 5 listeners. I joke around that it was my girlfriend, mom, dad, friend, and maybe a random person (No joke though). Out of no where on December 6th, I get an Instagram DM from a person all the way in Dublin, Ireland. Having got spam messages from people before, I expected to go in and just delete it. Yet, I opened it and this is what the message said...

The podcast started as a way to document my journey working in sports. This message changed everything for me. From that day on it is my belief that each of us have the ability to positively impact others. This person listened to my story from all the way across the world and it got me thinking. Stories and our experiences are the ultimate teaching lessons. The podcast now became a show to showcase stories of everyone else in sports. I wanted people to tell their story and share their journey to have the same impact on others the way my story had on this one person. 30 episodes later our mission still remains the same. 

We are all on our own individual journey but you are not alone!

Since the start in November 2019 we were able to build quite a community. It is a community of leaders and not followers. We value each other and help when needed. The community will grow over time but there were so many things I observed that people were saying they needed. People in the sports industry needed a community to network and collaborate. We started the weekly #sportsasajob chat to bring together aspiring and current sport industry professionals. The chat is meant for everyone in the sports industry no matter your job title, team, level, or where you are. I started to see so many aspiring sport professionals struggle to stand out and leverage their experiences to get their first opportunity. It was obvious somehow somebody needed to help so I started the Student Spotlight podcast. We wanted to give seniors a platform to share their story beyond the resume with hopes of using that to help them get their first opportunity. Then the pandemic hit and I remember when the media announced the XFL laid off all of their workers. It hit me deep in the heart. They weren't the only people in sports to be laid off but that was the signal that told me someone had to do something. That led to the re-branding and birth of the...

 

From Student Spotlight it became the Sports Free Agent podcast. Our focus now is to help anyone looking for their first or next opportunity in the sports industry. We launched a Sports Free Agent database on our website showcasing people seeking opportunity. Our twist on it is giving each person a 5 to 15 minute podcast episode. We believe in the power of telling your story and that it goes beyond a piece of paper. Your story does not fit in 3 to 5 bullet points on a resume. This podcast episode can replace the traditional resume or serve as a supplement to it. It provides more transparency between both sides in the process. This just started a week ago and we've seen many people use the opportunity. I believe with everything that is going on, it presents the opportunity to challenge the normal. When the car came around I am sure people riding horses for years questioned why they needed something different. I realize that what we are doing is far from everyone else, yet to provoke change there needs to be action. It seems that important things have been forgotten over time, we are all human. We are all special. We all have a story to tell and every story is worth a listen.