This past Tuesday, Uncommon Sports Group hosted a live event on LinkedIn for the first time. This event, titled "Networking with Uncommon Leaders," aimed to provide individuals within the college and pro sport industry an easily accessible opportunity to network with a present sport industry professional.
The event was hosted by a USG staff member and featured a USG member and Director of Operations with the University of Pittsburgh's baseball team, Austin Thompson. Austin has been in his role at Pittsburgh for three seasons and provided the viewer's insight into his day-to-day, how he balances work and life, advice on getting into the sport industry, and how he has been living out his faith in his role.
During the event, the host asked Austin how he got his 'foot in the door' in the sport industry, which is often challenging for young professionals. Austin responded that he made a conscious effort to get as much experience as he could in the realm of sports that he was interested in, even if the position was entry-level or didn't line up exactly with his long-term career goals. Austin said, "It can be humbling to beg for that first experience, but it can be good to show that you aren't too big for any role an organization is willing to give."
One highlight of the conversation was Austin's testimony about the Bible study he started with some of the players on the Pitt baseball team. In his first two seasons at Pitt, the team did not have any active team chapel or Bible study, so this past season, Austin took matters into his own hands and began a team Bible study. Austin mentioned that he desired the study to be player-led simply because the players would trust one another more than a staff member. Some of the fruit that Austin saw with the team Bible study was guys growing in their faith, being more open and vulnerable with their struggles, and having the desire to know and love God more.
It was truly a blessing to spend some time learning from Austin and how he has strived to be an uncommon leader within his role at Pitt. If you missed the live event and would like to watch the conversation, click here to view it on LinkedIn!
Stay tuned for more live events on LinkedIn, such as this one!
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