Potential Careers in Softball After College
So college softball is over, we have to go get a “real job” as our parents say. What could you do as a career to keep involved in the game? We break down five possible options.
Coach – The most common form of staying associated with the game of softball after playing at a higher level would be coaching. This could be at any level from youth to collegiate depending on your softball experiences and time commitment availability. Keep in mind; coaches are usually never JUST coaches. It’s very common to see schools and organizations seek coaches that are already in their school system or have a job that allows them to coach on their own time. If coaching sparks an interest after completing your softball career, there are a ton of options even from school league to travel ball to consider.
After creating a legacy and taking home 4️⃣ Olympic medals in her career, Laura Berg is coaching the next generation of women who will help bring softball back to the Olympics in 2020! ⚾️
📖 https://t.co/eDvgbZd6QH pic.twitter.com/SrLv9BVT2S
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) March 28, 2018
Softball Facility Instructor – Similar to coaching, a facility instructor focuses on a specific aspect of the game and help the athletes improve mostly in the off-season. However, unlike coaching, you have a little more flexibility in making appointments for your lessons as an instructor rather than follow a set practice or game schedule. Some indoor facilities have sport specific equipment allowing it to be focused on one sport instead of something like a turf field that can be used for multiple sports. Again, a lot of people tend to do this in their extra time unless they are running the actual facility themselves.
Sports Reporter – Getting comfortable with a camera is a new requirement when you’re playing a sport these days. With technology leading the way, a lot of the time sports are requesting post-game interviews, getting in-game action shots and comments, game recaps, or are reported live. After being exposed to so many different media outlets, you are trained as an athlete to stick to certain game talk and how to divert the attention of drama to your team. These skills are very similar to those of a reporter because you’ll be familiar with the types of questions they might as to get the information they need. The more an athlete becomes comfortable in front of the camera, the easier it is to think on their feet when interviewing as a reporter.
📺 ESPN’s all-star DI softball talent line-up is led by top contributors to the sport: https://t.co/5D1KVTOxxK #NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/JIBPdv7E6u
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) March 8, 2018
Scout – Being associated with softball for a long time, it tends to come naturally when evaluating softball abilities. A lot of schools look for scouts to help them recruit that have played and are psychically and mentally aware of what a coach is looking to bring to their squad. Scouts are very important to the recruiting process, but a lot of the time their efforts go unrecognized because they are so behind the scenes. However, a scout’s opinion is very respected especially if there has been a legacy of great players that have come out of those selections.
Professional/Olympic Career – Taking it to the highest level is something every young athlete dreams about when starting to play a sport. Unfortunately, not everyone can ultimately reach that goal or have priorities change over the years. As you grow and start families, sometimes sports take a back burner because “you’ve had your time” and have been involved with them for so long, which is entirely okay. Some athletes move on from playing Division 1 softball to being contributing members of society as doctors, nurses, and fine businesswomen. If you are one of the few players that decide to continue to make time and sacrifice for the love of the game, there are professional softball teams that do exist. All of these teams are elite and filled with former collegiate softball players from recent and earlier years. The summer 2017 schedule consisted of 49 games each for the Chicago Bandits, USSSA Pride, Aussie Spirit, Beijing Eagles, Cleveland Comets, the National Pro Fastpitch League is nothing to be taken lightly for competition. As for the Olympics, there will be nothing more exciting than to see Team USA come back for the games in 2020 at an even higher level than before.
ICYMI: Pride Alumni in the 2018 USSSA Hall of Fame Class
📰: https://t.co/DaRSgAKfVF#PlayUSSSA pic.twitter.com/Cbc8MzlNGZ
— USSSA Pride (@USSSAPride) November 27, 2017
