Career in Sports Forum provides road map on how to stay in athletics – NCAA.org

David Mayser, a former men’s soccer player from Hawaii Hilo, vividly recalls the moment that made him realize the unique value of the 2024 NCAA Career in Sports Forum.

Listening to NCAA President Charlie Baker, a former governor and successful CEO, share his winding journey to a career in sports was a revelation.

“He explained that he didn’t really land in his dream job right away. It took him awhile to find out what he actually wanted to do,” Mayser said.

Mayser’s light-bulb moment encapsulated the essence of the forum — understanding that each career path is unique, and that self-discovery and growth are continuous journeys.

The four-day event, which ended Sunday in Indianapolis, brought together over 180 student-athletes. With a “Survival Guide” theme, the forum aimed to help attendees successfully navigate their career journeys. This included providing them with invaluable opportunities to network with peers and decision-makers at various levels of college athletics, including campus, conference and national levels. The program educates participants on the intersection of personal strengths and career opportunities, provides tangible experiences to propel their aspirations in sports careers, explores professional and career development strategies and offer insights into careers available in sports.

“I’ve just gotten so many different insights, perspectives, different takeaways,” Western Michigan football’s Jehlani Galloway said of his experience at the forum. “It’s a really well-rounded experience if you want a career in sports.”

The forum provided a diverse array of speakers: Yolett McPhee-McCuin (“Coach Yo”), Ole Miss women’s basketball coach; Lacee Carmon-Johnson, manager of basketball advancement for the Toronto Raptors; and Domani Leech, president of the Denver Broncos, plus others.

Bucknell men’s basketball’s Elvin Edmonds IV and Galloway both were inspired by McPhee-McCuin, who emphasized the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. It’s a theme that resonated throughout the forum.

“When Coach Yo said, ‘If not you, then who? If not now, then when?,’ that really sat with me because I think as student-athletes, we kind of just go with the flow sometimes,” Edmonds said. “Even in competition, sometimes you have to want to win more than other people. And that’s how you win. You just beat them by playing harder than them. I think that’s the same thing with life.”

Added Galloway of his takeaways from her sessions: “In this life, you only have so much time, and it’s important to set goals for yourself and make sure that you’re constantly learning, constantly reinventing yourself to be a better version of yourself each and every day.”

The forum’s sessions broadened participants’ understanding of the diverse roles available in the sports sector, helping them to envision their futures more clearly. Learners participated in industry-specific breakouts, including coaching, internal relations, external athletics and professional sports.

For many, the forum served as a catalyst for career clarity and ambition. Paulina Hernandez, a Notre Dame (Maryland) volleyball student-athlete, was one of them.  

“Coming from a very small campus, I think there’s a lot of people that aren’t so familiar with the different careers in sports,” she said. “Being here and being able to represent my school and having all these learning opportunities, I am grateful enough to go back and share that with the rest of the student-athletes that there are endless opportunities in this industry.”

“I’ve learned a lot about a career in sports that I didn’t know,” said Delanie Gearing, a swimmer at Azusa Pacific. “Coming from a Division II institution, we don’t have as many positions or opportunities as that of other divisions or even pro sports or just different areas of sports. There’s so much more to sports than I even knew existed.”

The forum’s focus on professional development equipped participants with the tools to navigate their careers effectively. Attendees engaged in networking sessions and other personal and professional skill development opportunities throughout the four days. The forum also emphasized the significance of self-awareness and the willingness to adapt and grow, essential traits for success in the sports industry.

“Something that surprised me that I heard at the forum was that growth is inevitable and change is optional. I didn’t really think of it that way,” said Natalie Clark, a women’s basketball player at Randolph. “I want to continue to grow, but how can I change for the betterment of who I want to be in this world and what career I want to have in this world?”

The forum also recognized the two NCAA 2024 AASP Career Development Award honorees in Isabelle Bahr, a women’s tennis student-athlete at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Isabel Schaefbauer, a women’s volleyball player at Youngstown State. Both were able to attend the forum as part of receiving the award, an opportunity for students at all AASP-eligible schools that aims to support the professional development of student-athletes who are planning to pursue a career in athletics.

For Schaefbauer, who had college plans to be a doctor before changing course, she left the forum encouraged that no two career paths are exactly alike.

“Going through my undergrad and now the first year of my master’s program, I realized that I am not ready to let go of sports,” she said. “So I think one of the biggest things that I took away from President Baker’s opening speech especially was it’s a journey, and it’s not going to exactly go how you thought. Sometimes it does, but it’s OK if it doesn’t and you just need to lean into the different opportunities that present themselves to you along the way.”