Knowing all about football? It seems an impossible task. Even if you listen to analysts and commentators all day long, even if you read all the blog posts, news articles and editorials about the sport, you might see your fantasy football team end up trailing behind others at the end of the season. But if you pick players as easy as you play online slots, if your predictions about the outcome of the games routinely prove to be right, if friends come to you for advice, well, you might have what it takes to become an expert on football. Or perhaps an analyst, which can even become a career for you in the long run.
To become the next big football analyst, you’ll have to know the game by heart. This means study, study, and a bit more of study. Fo be a football analyst, your knowledge about the game has to be borderline universal. The best way to study the game is to be inside it: playing it and living it is the key to understanding it. There is nothing that can replace hands-on knowledge from the field.
Besides knowing the game, you will also have to be able to write or speak about it, to more than just your friends. You can either pursue a career – or perhaps an internship at first – at a traditional media outlet. Or, even better, you can start your own blog on the game. This might not mean too much exposure at first, but in time it can gather a significant audience and help you build authority in your field. In time you will form connections, get inside information about the teams and games, which you can use to improve your work in the field.
Why would you want to become a football analyst, you might ask?
Well, first of all, it will give you a chance to live for the sport you are most passionate about. But there’s also a small thing called “money” that might make the decision easier. While most sports analysts start out as humble reporters of the games, and their salaries are according to their work. According to the Houston Chronicle, the smallest wage earned by a debutant sports reporter in 2011 was $18,000 a year, with an average of over $20,000. This might not sound as too much at first, but there is a lot of room for growth. While not many make it to the top dog position, it’s worth working toward it. Bob Costas, the most famous sports analyst ever, earned over $5 million each year. And that’s a career goal worth fighting for.