Turn Your Love of Sports into Your Side Hustle

For those who work in the sports industry, their jobs started with a love of sports.

Being a professional fan is a large part of working in a field that revolves around players, statistics, and teams on a daily basis.

Even if you aren’t working within the sports industry full-time, you can turn your love of sports into your side hustle. Whether it’s starting a sports blog or taking photos of some local sporting events, you can earn some money by doing something you love to do anyway: watch sports.

Start a Podcast/Blog

Starting a podcast or a blog is not always the easiest thing to monetize, but it’s a great way to get the ball rolling on creating a side hustle from your love of the game.

You talk about your team enough, or that crazy game that just happened; why not use your opinions in a way that shares your passion and opens dialogue about something you love doing?

If you feel like going on a rant about a certain player, or a terrible play call, or a change in the sport, take that and place it in a blog post or spell out your argument in a podcast.

Become a Coach/Referee

Local sports teams all need coaches and referees and tend to pay for your services. These positions are a lot more competitive the higher you go up the professional sports ladder, but for local positions it’s not nearly as difficult as you’d imagine.

Teams and leagues like taking people who have played before, but even if you haven’t and you’re knowledgeable about the sport, you’re a great candidate to earn some extra cash by coaching or refereeing for teams in your area.

It may require extra time, but if you’re a sports fan anyway, it’ll hardly feel like work.

Become a Sports Photographer

Being the go-to action photographer for a team or league can offer monetary compensation from coaches, players, parents, publications, or the league itself.

If you have a relatively nice camera and some extra time on your hands, freelancing for events may offer you some extra money on the side.

Just remember: if you begin doing sports photography regularly, you’ll need to keep track of expenses and payments. There are apps to make saving some of that data easier, but you’ll want to make sure your photography becomes a sort of small business venture for you.

Join Fantasy Leagues

If you’re a sports fan, you’re probably already taking part in some fantasy sports.

Fantasy sports involves a lot of strategy, but even the most knowledgeable can find themselves on the short end of the stick – it just isn’t an exact science.

However, it can be a great way to earn some extra cash.

There’s almost always some sort of buy-in when you’re gambling with fantasy sports, but in turn, there’s a big win if you place high within your league. It can be a fun way to earn some extra cash; just be aware that there’s always a greater chance of losing, no matter how much you know about the sport.

Open a Sports Bar

Okay, this is crossing a little out of the realm of “side hustle” and into full-time entrepreneurial venture, but opening a sports bar is a great way to blend your love of sports into a job. You can host sports nights, buy Pay-Per-View events, and earn money while the game is always on.

Buying a property, getting a liquor license, and funding a business is a lot of work, but it’s a great idea for a sports fan looking for something in that genre to make money with.

Just consider how many sports bars there are and make yours different. Maybe your bar is a wine bar instead, which is nice because wine has a ton of health benefits, and you’re creating an environment that doesn’t exist at every Dave and Busters.

The point is, make yourself unique so that your love of sports and business doesn’t crumble under other sports bars in your area.

Sell Memorabilia

There’s a lot of sports memorabilia out there, and the right sports fan can make a good amount of money by selling it to other fans.

It can potentially take a lot of leg work, but there are many pieces of memorabilia out there being sold in thrift shops, garage sales, or online that are extremely under-priced. By buying those items and selling them for the correct price, you can really make a profit.

Some of these things may require some money up front, so too keep your business funds separate from your personal funds remember to get a  credit card dedicated to your business venture and tracking expenses. You don't want your side hustle getting confused with your other finances - the IRS doesn't like commingling funds.

Otherwise, it can be fun scouring local shops or internet sites for memorabilia from your favorite teams. Just be sure to watch out for fakes!

Being a sports fan is all about finding joy within the sports industry and taking part as a way to have fun that doesn’t feel like work. If you choose, you can find ways to make those hours that you would dedicate to sports fandom anyway, and turn them into a side hustle that you can monetize.

Besides, if you decide to work as a referee, maybe someone will get a call right for once.