Personal Narrative: A Career In Sports Management

It all started when i was in fourth grade. It all changed what inspired me came by whole big dream that i wanted to be successful at. I was at school just a normal day, and it was times to go to PE, and my coach got out a circular ball that i had never seen in my life. It was kinda colorful, it had some weird word written on it, but i couldn't see from where i was standing. My coach handed us each one of these balls, and coach called them volleyballs. My coach told us what to do and what not to do, so i was at this net, and just gave the ball a high five because that's what he said to do. Coach came over to me, and kinda directed me through and told me it was called a serve. That day i went home thinking about it, and i decided i want to do

When David Charles Johnson was a child, he wanted to become a professional football player. He always wanted to become a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. As his parents raised him in Madison, Wisconsin, they encouraged him to try new things and would push him to do his best. David had a lean build with dark-brown hair and blue eyes. He participated in multiple sports, but he enjoyed baseball and football the most. In both sports, he enjoyed the throwing aspects of each game. He enjoyed pitching in baseball and being a quarterback in football. When high school arrived and David was a sophomore, he decided that he only wanted to play baseball and football. He and his parents decided it would be better for him to focus on his academics

Leadership is a key role in all team sports, if you don’t have the leadership odds are is that your not going to have good team chemistry and not an very good season as well. My junior year was a big time learning curve for myself, which is why I am writing this essay to you, to tell you why I believe that I am part of the cream of the crop for our football program.

I have chosen to study athletic training because it allows me to still participate and be involved in sports as well as be able to help athletes recover from injuries while gaining valuable clinical experience for physical therapy. Growing up I have always had a love for sports but I have not been graced with the abilities to become a professional athlete. With my love for sports as a youth I watched a lot on television with my father and I would see athletes get injured and medical personnel rush out to their aid. When I found out they were athletic trainers and physical therapists, I knew that is what I wanted to do when I grew up. All throughout high school I was involved in sports and unfortunately had an injury or two. Although our school did not have an athletic trainer, I went to many different specialists and

The path that lead me to choose Sport Management as a major began at a young age where I demonstrated my admiration for sports. I have been participating in sports my entire life and still do to this day. Unfortunately, my time as an athlete will eventually come to an end and I will need to find an occupation that I have passion for. I asked myself the question, “Why not continue my passion in sports”? Being able to work with sports, but not directly in the spotlight, as an athlete is something I would love to be apart of.

What is the only thing harder than disciplining a dozen ten year olds? Disciplining them on ice! All throughout my life I’ve played sports, and no matter what sport it was, there was always one person who seemed to have it out for me…the referee. The referee is one of the most hated people in the world of sports, but is also one of the most crucial. I grew up with the mindset that the referee was the enemy. Whenever they made a call against me or my team, they were always wrong, no matter how obvious the penalty was. But one day, my whole perspective on referees changed---the day I became a referee.

Along with NHS, being actively involved in varsity sports throughout high school has made me gain a “work hard” attitude. This attitude of constantly working above and beyond will carry over to my future education and career to help me succeed. As a two-year captain of both volleyball and cheerleading, I have learned to be a team leader while also being a team player. High school sports have instilled lifelong lessons in me such as working hard, being responsible, and being a leader, that I know will aid me in by success in academics and a

It was just another school night in the seventh grade. Our recreational tackle football team had a practice at 730pm until 9. It was a very swampy night and from that I felt myself very sluggish. At the time, I was a backup running back. I was always left on the sidelines facing the chills of the cold wind during games. I typically didn’t get to see much playing time on the field, but that night I got my opportunity. I was receiving kicks during a punting audition and all I was doing was catching the ball and throwing it back, nothing unique. One throw after another, my coach began to praise my arm strength. Seeing me pass the ball was a true eye-opener. That night, I went from a backup running back, to the starting quarterback of my rec

Athletics has played an instrumental role promoting success in all branches of life impacting my performance in school, work and other life facets. Involvement in athletics taught me the value of commitment allowing me to play in Division 1 Women’s Soccer while attending the University of Washington. As a former student athlete, I have been winning and losing my entire life developing my own resilience and tremendous work ethic to work with others toward a common goal. My drive spills over into my professional interactions and career aspirations allowing me to connect

When I received the promotion to Director of Academics and the Assistant Athletic Director for Academics at Portland State I was required to keep the job responsibilities that were associated with my Academic Advisor position. This meant that not only was I responsible for job duties as an advisor but I was also given the responsibilities of the Academic department and supervising. I went from a case load of 150 students to over 300 and supervising a staff of just over 10. I had to learn to manage my time efficiently and effectively while being able to handle and manage crises that arose during the day or any impending deadlines. It was also not rare to receive requests from the University General Counsel, Athletic Director, NCAA, Compliance

1.5 seconds. I had developed an automatic timer in my head, and when it hit 1.5 seconds, I was in trouble. It was physically and mentally agonizing playing quarterback behind an offensive line that was known as being the smallest (and worst) our state division has ever seen. On average, my offensive line would give me 1.5 seconds to throw the ball before getting sacked by opposing defensive linemen. During many plays, I failed to find an open receiver in my allotted time, so I ran for my life - trying to extend the play, avoid getting sacked, and most importantly, avoid getting hurt. I grew up playing wide receiver, but switched positions when our quarterback decided to transfer schools because he couldn’t handle the brutality he faced during

Baseball has always been one of my greatest interests. I've played baseball since I was 5 years old and have always been a leader on the field. I began a program called IAD-TLA, Institute of Athletic Development - Training Leaders through Athletics, my freshman year to further my leadership skills. This program really helped me focus on my goals and led me to extreme hard work and dedication to any goals I had, even excluding athletics. I continued working hard for the next 2 years, and became a Varsity captain by my junior year. I continued this into the summer where I led my team to an undefeated season. Two of my strongest qualities are my leadership abilities and my work ethic and both have brought me so far in athletics and life.

My clinical rotation for the fall semester of my junior year is with the King’s College Men’s soccer team. As an athletic training student, I hold a lot of responsibilities regarding the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, management, and treatment of these student athletes. Most of my daily activities can be separated into three groups, the pre-practice, pre-game, during the activity, and post- practice and post-game.

My plans when I get older where like every other child's. I want to be in the NFL. To get where I am you have to start at a young age. I showed up at practice everyday and on time. I also studied the play sheets and went through all my routes. I studied day and night to be where I am. It wasn't easy. There was no time to play games get in trouble do drugs or hang out with friend on an everyday bases. You have to tighten up be a man. It's not like I woke up one day and I was starting running back I had to do what's right stay in school not miss a day because that one day could have been the most important day ever and I wouldn't have even known. You know why?? Because I was and didn't show up to school. Don't be that person I used to be.

Throughout my lifetime, activities, events, and services that I am involved in have shaped me as a person. The one thing that I personally think has had the most impact on my character is being a soccer coach for Lil’ Kickers, it has given me qualities of leadership that will carry on throughout my entire life.