Wouldn’t it be great if you could combine your favorite avocation with a real job? Just imagine if there were a way to make money and water ski at the same time or watch baseball games for a living! If you think creatively, you may be able to combine a little of your passion for sports with a small business idea that lets you keep sports part of your day.
Professional Organizer
If you’re organized, and you love sports, you can combine these interests and become a professional organizer who specializes in getting sporting equipment tidied up. Market your business towards busy parents who are tired of tripping over shin guards and face masks. Come up with a unique storage solution for custom baseball gloves, bats, hockey sticks and flippers. Take pictures of what you can do and sell your clutter-free services to others.
Online Reseller
After the kids grow up or develop interests outside of sports, parents may be unsure what to do with all the equipment their family has amassed. Because of how much money they spend initially, they may be loath to just donate everything. Create a sports-specific resale website where parents or teenagers can sell their older equipment to those just entering the sport. Your knowledge of sports will help assure your customers that you know the value of each item.
Online Store
Partner with a third-party by setting up an online store of curated products for the busy Little League mom or soccer dad. Your job is to handle the website and take the orders. The other company or companies handle the actual fulfillment. Find out in advance what the equipment requirements are for local teams and offer them all in a one-stop shopping bundle for busy parents.
Personal Coach
If you have a particular talent leftover from your glory days, offer your coaching services to young boys and girls who need to work on certain skills. Even if you only ever played on your college club team, chances are your knowledge far outstrips the parents of the budding NFL or WNBA player. If there are too many coaches for older teens looking for college scholarships, aim your business towards elementary aged kids whose parents just want them to throw, catch and kick decently.
Personalized Posters
Imagine if there were posters out there customized with all your favorite teams. There are if your teams are all from the same city. What does the kid who likes the Dallas Cowboys and Boston Celtics and the San Francisco Giants do? If you’re handy with graphic design, set up a business creating personalized sports posters that feature the favorite players, teams or motivational quotes of your clients, no matter how strangely matched.
Referee
It’s not the big leagues, but if you love to be a part of games, look for referee jobs at the local YMCA or sports leagues. Most leagues are always in need of someone who knows the rules and is willing to watch a scrum of five-year-olds attempt to kick a ball down the field.
Rideshare Driver
If you enjoy listening to and talking about sports, driving for Uber or Lyft might be a great way to take advantage of your knowledge. Of course, not everyone you encounter will want to talk about the game last night, but plenty of riders will. You can also listen to games as you drive your clients to their destinations.
House / Pet Sitting
Be honest. Could you spend your entire day just watching sports? Find a house or pet sitting gig, and you can do just that. Snap a few pictures of Fido curled up in your lap getting his ears scratched and you can watch the games all day long and get paid for it.
You may have not had the right skills to go pro, but you still remained a sports enthusiast your entire life. Finding a job that allows you to stay connected with the sports world but still earn money on the side is a win-win.
