15 Random Ways to Make Money in Sports Without Being an Athlete

We can't all make the squad. Luckily, there are tons of odd ways to work in sports, from scooping poop to baptizing players.

Steelers Drumline
USA Today Sports

Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers Steeline drumline pose before a NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders at Heinz Field.

Steelers Drumline

Here's the bad news: According to the NCAA, only 1.7 percent of college football players go on to the pros. For basketball, that figure falls to 1.2 percent for men and 0.9 percent for women. The good news: If you can't be an athlete, you can still be an athletic supporter. These wise words from Grease serve those well who have more hoop dreams than talent (which is literally 99 percent of us). 

The players are obviously the most visible component, but it takes much more than them to pull off the spectacle of professional sporting events. From being a part of pregame entertainment on a drumline, to washing and repairing uniforms, you can be an MVP with no hops and no college degree. Here are a few odd jobs that won't make you a millionaire, but will still put you close to the action. 

Everbank Field Swimming Pool Lifeguard

Everbank Field pool

The Gist: Break in footballs for the QB. (Insert Deflategate joke here.)

Salary: Varies widely, though the range is $75,147-$96,892

The Los Angeles Rams bestow the title of master of game ball; other teams use the less pretentious title of equipment manager. Regardless of what you call them, someone goes through the process of taking footballs, which are all different due to being handmade with real leather, and preparing them for play. Can you scrub a football? Then you might be able to do this gig.

Horse Mascot Handler

Denver Broncos Mascot Thunder

Atlanta Hawks Organist

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

The gist: In-game rockstar

Salary: Hard to find

Most stadiums just play music from a computer set list. But not the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have Sir Foster, an organist who plays the hottest songs from the radio, as well as original compositions. You wanna hear Migos? How about "Let It Go" from Frozen? Tweet him and he'll play it by ear. The crazy part is, Sir Foster heard about the job via Craigslist and has been jamming ever since; he's even been invited to several All-Star Games.

Team Chaplain

Cleveland Browns Atlanta Falcons team prayer

Professional Fan

Philadelphia Eagles New York Giants Fans 2016

The Gist: Dive for balls that lost to hazardous waters

Salary: $50,000-$100,000

Turns out golf-ball diving is a $200 million business. This explains why some courses hire divers to salvage and refurbish sunken balls for resale. Oh yeah, just watch out for water snakes, alligators, snapping turtles, and muskrats.

Hockey Ice Maintenance

zamboni

The Gist: Keep the grass pretty

Salary: Average of $65,000/year

A turf manager keeps the "sporting pitch" ready for use, be it artificial turf, grass fields, clay courts, etc. Many schools and universities offer four-year programs or certificates in turf management, but most positions are simply known as groundskeepers.

Fenway Park Scoreboard Operator

Fenway Park scoreboard

The Gist: In-game gopher

Salary: Minimum wage

Towel boys run a variety of errands, including picking up beverage cups and warm-ups suits, and washing towels. They probably got LeBron that cup of coffee he was sipping on the sideline the last time the Cavs played the Clippers.

UFC Cutman

UFC cutman Jacob Duran

The Gist: Ride horses on non-game days and prepare for jockeys

Salary: Median is $50, 691

The animals are the real athletes in horse racing, and someone has to get them ready to run. This job requires being attuned to a horse's well-being, simulating the various parts of race day, and communicating with jockeys and trainers. It only calls for a high school diploma, but it takes years to master.

Purrrcussion drumline

Carolina Panthers drumline

The Gist: Help catchers warm up

Salary: Just under six figures

If you don't mind catching about 200 pitches per day, then you can do this job, where you show up to the ballpark hours before games begin for batting practice.

Latest in Sports