Turning Sports Content into a Career with Evan Hand

300 job applications… zero offers.

That was Evan Hand's reality after graduating from Ithaca College in 2020.

The timing couldn't have been much worse. The pandemic had shut everything down. He finished his senior year online, virtual graduation, and the job market was nonexistent, especially in sports and live entertainment. 

Adding to the frustration was that Evan had done things by the book up to this point; on paper he shouldn’t have had much of an issue landing a role.

He had been teaching himself Photoshop since he was 14 years old. At Ithaca, he studied Integrated Marketing Communications and worked in marketing for the school's recreation department. Sports had always been a huge part of his life, and he had spent his collegiate years developing a skillset that had him more than prepared for an entry level role in the industry.

Instead, he found himself sitting at home applying for anything and everything.

As the summer dragged on, the pressure started building. His parents wanted him to find something stable, understandably so. But Evan was dead set on finding something he was passionate about and he was unwilling to trade his happiness for money (one summer working for the local highway department taught him that).

So while he eventually took a job as a personal trainer to pay the bills, his priority was to keep looking for opportunities that aligned with his interests in sports, media, and content.

Funnily enough, that first opportunity didn’t come in sports like he had originally planned… it came in comedy. A family connection introduced him to a comedian from his hometown who was now in Los Angeles and launching a podcast. Evan offered to help produce the show remotely.

Not sports or even full time, but for the first time since graduation he had something that was exciting. Through the podcast he was able to meet entrepreneurs, creators, and business leaders,great connections,while also developing his own skillset in content, audience development, and digital media. 

It also opened the door for additional opportunities.

Six months in, the podcast hosted the owner of a sports betting media company. Evan immediately saw the opportunity to get back into the world of sports. After the podcast was recorded, Evan reached out and offered to help him with his own podcast and media flywheel.

That simple message turned into another role producing content and managing social media.

It started out as a part time consultant and creative producer opportunity, but by the end of the year Evan left the first podcast to come on full time as the Vice President of Digital Communications & Executive producer. He was producing 3 weekly live podcasts, managing a 45k+ subscriber email list, and working with advertisers. His hands were on nearly every aspect of the business.

His responsibilities also included the social channels, which is where things got crazy. Evan’s' first video that he filmed for the podcast went nuclear, surpassing a million views. They doubled down and quickly had grown over 20k followers on social media before their account was banned (a story for another time).

With the confidence that level of success brings, Evan started asking himself a different question: If I can build audiences for everyone else, why am I not building one for myself? So he made the leap in two ways. First, he launched his own digital marketing agency, Sturdy Digital, and second, he started creating his own sports content under his own name.

The results on his personal channels weren’t as immediate as the success he had found with his corporate clients. For more than a year, he posted consistently while trying to figure out what made his voice different from the thousands of other sports creators competing for attention every day. He had some successful videos, but most were not sticking out in the competitive landscape.

A sports content creator produces digital content designed to inform, entertain, and engage sports fans. Their work can include videos, podcasts, social media posts, newsletters, graphics, articles, livestreams, or any combination of formats. Some creators focus on breaking news and analysis, while others specialize in storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, interviews, historical features, or niche communities within sports.

What makes the role unique is that content creators are often their own media company. Beyond creating content, they are responsible for building an audience, developing a brand, securing partnerships, managing distribution, and generating revenue. As social media platforms have lowered the barriers to entry, sports content creation has become a legitimate career path and business opportunity for those who can consistently create valuable content and earn the attention of fans.

Then the lightbulb went off that you probably know him for now: 

"Follow for more stories ESPN doesn't cover."

The tagline became the foundation of his content strategy and success.

Instead of competing to break news or debate the biggest headlines, Evan focused on telling stories that fans weren't hearing elsewhere. The concept resonated immediately. Within a month he had racked up 300,000 followers across platforms. An overnight success that took years of learning and skill development.

Now, those skills power an entire business.

His audience has opened the door to brand partnerships, sponsored content, consulting opportunities, and content creation work with companies across the sports industry, nearly all of it inbound (talk about a dream). One of those opportunities is Wunderpar, where he has helped grow the company's audience from roughly 30,000 followers to nearly 200,000 while generating more than 100 million views across its social channels. He also co-founded The Content Labs, a platform designed to help creators improve their content systems and workflows.

In many ways, Evan has become his own media company, and he did it in a very unconventional way. But the mindset can be applied to anything: find your passion, leverage your connections, develop the skills, and then pound the pavement until it clicks.

And finally, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Is content creation for everyone? No. But regardless of your career goal in sports, it pays to be visible. 

Your dream career is out there. Evan found his, and you can find yours too. Go get it!

Q. You applied to more than 300 jobs after graduation and struggled to land an opportunity. Looking back, what did that period teach you that still impacts how you approach your career today?

A. I think the one word for it would be resilience. That word can pretty much sum up my entire career.  It was incredibly discouraging to apply to that many jobs, be rejected, never hear back, etc. It would have been easy to just give up and get a part time gig at Dunkin or whatever and go from there. But like I said in the interview, I was never going to sacrifice my happiness for money. No matter what. So just being able to stand firm on my beliefs and go after what I actually wanted. Because I knew that if I really put my mind to it, I could really get whatever I wanted... If I worked hard enough. Same thing goes with my business, my content, and everything else.

Most of my career was trying to get my businesses off the ground, or my content to get over, let's say, 10k views. Again, I could have given up so long ago, called it a wash, and worked for someone else. But as the old cliche goes, your dreams don't work unless you do. 

Q. A lot of people want to become sports content creators, but very few turn it into a business. How have you been able to connect content to entrepreneurship?

A. Building an actual 'brand' and monetizing on social media is hard, but not impossible. You need to approach content like a business, not just a place to get views. Your content, your brand, your pages, your audience, etc. are assets. Use it like that. Leverage that to sell ad spots on your feed. Leverage it to promote your own offerings. Leverage it to NETWORK with other people. 

Most of the money I have made from social media and my content has actually come from the connections I've made by posting random videos without a CTA. I would also recommend having a goal in mind before you begin posting. Initially, my goal was just to build a sports media brand, gain views, earn revenue from the platforms, and see what came next. If I could go back and do it again, I would develop a better plan from the beginning to better monetize and align my content better to give the people something they actually want, while simultaneously staying true to myself AND optimizing for business opportunities. 

Q. You mentioned that “closed mouths don’t get fed.” How do you balance being proactive with being respectful of people’s time, and what advice would you give to someone trying to build relationships in the sports industry?

A. The sports industry is an especially busy industry. There's always a 24 hour news cycle. One day in the industry, for example, everyone is focusing on the World Cup or the NBA/NHL finals and out of nowhere, we get a bombshell college football story that needs content NOW. My best advice regarding your question is: 1. Nurturing and 2. Delayed gratification. 

As I told you, I'm beginning a contract with FOS next week, but my connection with them began maybe 8 months ago. After you reach out, don't be pushy with people. They remember you. But just like all of us, they are busy. And the fact is (as harsh as it may sound), helping you out is the last thing on their list of priorities. So, plant a seed in someone's head, keep doing your thing, keep growing, and if you don't hear from them for a few months, that's totally fine. Send a simple follow up. I'd say 2 MAXIMUM and then move on. It wasn't meant to be. Anything more makes you look desperate. On the other hand, after you have planted the seed, now that person will know you and what you do if and when an opportunity pops up, and you'll be the first person they think of. 

It's a grind to break into the sports industry. And I think that nowadays (me included), everyone wants INSTANT gratification. They want everything NOW. But as you start to get out in the world, you realize it doesn't work that way. So, you must learn to be patient and not to get discouraged. They say that luck is the crossroads of preparation and opportunity. So don't be the person who gets discouraged. When that opportunity arises, you must be prepared. Spend the time between reaching out and the opportunity getting better at your craft.

1. Create opportunities, don’t wait for them
Evan's biggest breaks didn't come from job applications. They came from reaching out to a podcast guest, offering to help, launching side projects, and creating content. The sports industry rewards people who take initiative.

2. Build skills
For years, it felt like things were moving slowly. While others saw a college student, a podcast producer, or a freelancer, Evan was quietly building a skill set in graphic design, storytelling, audience growth, content creation, and marketing. When his content finally broke through, it looked like overnight success. In reality, it was the result of years spent developing skills that would eventually separate him from everyone else.

3. Turn attention into leverage
Creating content wasn't the end goal. It became the vehicle. His audience led to brand partnerships, consulting opportunities, content gigs, and new business ventures. Attention creates opportunities when paired with expertise.

The beauty about the content game is that nobody is stopping you from starting. Spend some time considering your strategy - what you want to share with the world - pull out the phone and let it rip! It will open more doors for you than you could ever imagine.

If you are looking for a more formal role in content creation, here are some of the top open positions:

-Social Content Specialist, Mississippi State | Learfield Sports Properties

-Social Media & Vertical Content Coordinator | INDYCAR

-Manager, Social Content (WNBA) | Cleveland Cavaliers

-Social Producer (Graphics & Content) | Overtime

-Content Producer, Iowa | Learfield Sports Properties

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of So You Want to Work in Sports. I appreciate you being part of this community.

If you have ideas, feedback, or future guest suggestions, feel free to reach out at [email protected].

If you want more hands-on support as you navigate the start of your career within sports, book a 1:1 session with me here. The sooner you start preparing, the more confident you will feel when opportunities come your way.

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