In this episode of the K.P. Wee podcast, it's all about navigating the football industry's backroom staffing. In a conversation recorded in March 2021, Neil Stratton, founder of the Inside the League (ITL), offers valuable perspectives and advice for prospects, parents, coaches, administrators and agents. His blog, podcast, website and the many features his Inside the League website offers are critical tools for anyone who aspires to build a career in the college or pro football industry. Neil pioneered the concept of an online trade journal and has also served as an advisor to schools from the Big 10, ACC, WAC, Conference USA and Pac 10.
It wouldn't be covering the whole story, however, if Neil didn't share his early pre-Internet days and the various starts and stops he weathered along the road to success for his multi-faceted Inside the League franchise. K.P. and Neil also tackle the evolution of scouting and the changes in philosophy that have arisen since the Moneyball concept emerged, along with a new breed of owners who tend to run their NFL teams like they run their businesses. There is, Neil says, much more of an emphasis today on basing decisions on math and downsizing the role of scouting departments. It's hard to say whether that trend holds in a post-pandemic world.
The episode wraps up with advice for aspiring football professionals of all types and it comes down to one thing: Put yourself out there. The industry is sought-after and (at least has the appearance of being) glamorous, so don't expect anyone to send you an invitation. Find a way to contribute – volunteering or doing menial work – and find a mentor to start building your network from there!
Neil's excellent book, Scout Speak: Thinking and Talking about Being an NFL Evaluator, is available here. It offers insider perspectives and advice from legends in the field that you won't want to miss.
If you're a fan of this podcast's intro music, please follow Roger Chong: Twitter @chongroger and Instagram @chongroger
KEY TOPICS:
- (01:34): How Inside the League came about, its roots and modest start in the transition between print- and Internet-based publishing
- (03:22): It was agents, financial advisers and wealth managers at All-Star games who initially encouraged Neil to start a publication focused on them, which he did in 2002. It was a slow start.
- (04:13) The summer of 2007, Neil went to work for the Hula Bowl. It was going to be a turning point but the game was cancelled and the wheels fell off. Neil was disgusted, until (with a nudge from his wife) Neil adopted a new subscription model and relaunched Inside the League.
- (06:31): It was a leap of faith for his new subscribers, who had no Twitter or other social media platforms giving them a peak behind the wall. But people came and Neil never looked back, having now added a podcast, a blog, newsletter, partnering and a number of other unique tools.
- (08:26): How an exam program for aspiring agents came into being and what ITL's testing/prep does to prepare people for the career.
- (11:20): Neil's expertise with scouting and the pervasive impacts of pandemic in terms of connecting people within and aspiring to the industry. ITL responded with professional development tools online featuring top figures who have shared their knowledge and experience.
- (13:37): All about Neil's book Scout Speak (now also available on audio) and who the book is targeted to serve. It provides insider information as well as stories culled from recordings made at events over the years, including interviews with more than 30 former and current general managers, scouts and other players in the industry.
- (16:20): Scouting isn't the "fantasy football" dream that many people might think. Neil gets into the nitty-gritty of what life looks like for those who pursue a scouting career.
- (17:18): Neil explains how ITL 1.0 was strictly about agents. ITL 2.0, which has expanded its focus on scouting. ITL 3.0 tackles the college personnel community and integrating it with the agent and scouting industries.
- (18:00): Passion and sacrifice are inevitable in this industry. The pay is small, the hours are long. You're up against deadlines, often lonely and unwelcome at the school you're visiting.
- (20:42): The dynamic between coaches and owners has evolved to where it's hard to tell the players from the scouts, who are very often young ex-players who are in shape but don't perhaps have as many contacts or as much experience.
- (23:10): The ways in which scouting has changed over Neil's 20 years in the industry and where it's heading in a post-pandemic world where priorities and contacts may bear more or less importance.
- (24:10) K.P. summarizes recent history in terms of distinguishing information gatherers versus talent evaluators.
- (24:27): How analytics have changed scouting standards and approaches – as well as the differing ways people interpret what quantitative data means.
- (27:25): Neil offers words of advice (and concrete tactics) for young professionals who aspire to get access, network and find their way onto the first rung in this highly competitive industry.
- (31:00): Neil's advice to aspiring football professionals: Volunteer at stadiums, find a camp that a player is putting on, do whatever you can to build relationships. (Posting comments on Twitter is not enough …)
- (32:30): The XFL's and CFL's future and what synergies may be out there – as well as opportunities for people looking for a place to put their skills to work and make important connections and access opportunities.
KEY QUOTES:
- (03:52) "(ITL got started) right when sports business news was something people were talking about, something new, and the idea of sports business management degrees was new … Money was being plowed into the industry."
- (04:02): "I thought it would be a wild success and everyone would want to know more about the industry but it wasn't that at all."
- (06:10): "The idea in '08 of using a credit card on the internet was still kind of a new idea, something people were nervous about and reluctant about so I had those things I was working against."
- (07:50): "From the initial idea, just trying to track and inform agents, we've expanded to work with agents, scouts, marketing people, financial advisers, wealth managers, people across this industry.
- (10:40): "I believe in the win-win. I believe I can help you get better and pass the (agents') exam and live your dream. All you gotta do is help me by supporting what we do. Our niche is to help people progress through the industry."
- (13:14): "We've been excited about how we've made it easy for people to become part of the industry they aspire to and get the questions only certain people can answer. Making the learning curve shorter is our whole goal."
- (15:30): "The idea at first was to write a book for people interested in scouting but as it has evolved a lot of my friends in the industry have picked it up and purchased it."
- (16:19): "Your rank-and-file fan thinks scouting is like fantasy football times a million. Well, it's not quite that. It's more drudgery, driving late nights and getting up early, sitting in a scouting room all day and talking to people who may not want to give you what you seek."
- (16:56): "Scouts don't have as much power as maybe people think they do. They aren't out calling the shots."
- (18:21): "You're certainly not getting rich. It's an industry where you've certainly got to pay your dues and work your way up. The salaries are better than they used to be. There are some approaching $100,000 but that's certainly not the standard. You're usually going to start out at $40,000 or $50,000."
- (19:40): "There is a camaraderie and fraternity to it that appeals to a lot of people, but that's such a small part of it … that you better be coming into it with a passion for the game because it's not as glamorous as you think."
- (22:25): "In the old days you had spirited arguments amongst scouts because these guys had coached, they had played in many cases; they knew what teams were looking for. They were used to teams doing a certain thing. They were cut from a different cloth.
- (24:48): "The difficulty with analytics is you ask two different people and they have a different answer on what analytics really is."
- (26:12): "I think there's a certain mix of traditional scouting and analytics that's most effective. The problem is no one really know exactly what that mix is."
- (30:40): "If you want to work in football you've got to be very intentional about looking for opportunities to go meet people, to go work for people, to prove yourself to people and if you aren't doing that … your chances aren't very good."
- (31:14): "Football is one of the most network-based industries out there and if you don't go out and meet people – and more importantly have a mentor or champion who will go to bat for you and help you find opportunities – it's almost impossible to break in."
- (33:52): "There are hundreds of people who want to do this kind of work and you've got to be the one to go in and do the things that other people don't want to do. That's how you stand out and apart from everybody else."
Follow Neil Stratton/ITL:
Website: http://www.insidetheleague.com
Blog: www.succeedinfootball.com
Podcast: The Draft Brawl Podcast
@Twitter
@LinkedIn
About K.P. Wee:
K.P. Wee is the author of multiple books and a regular contributor to sports radio programs and websites. In addition to hosting The K.P. Wee Podcast, he also enjoys writing sports and psychological fiction with a twist of romance. He spent a decade working as a program developer and instructor for a private school before joining the Vancouver Canadians baseball club's media relations department.
You can find out more about books by K.P. Wee here.
Follow K.P. Wee:
K.P. @Twitter
Additional episodes of The K.P. Wee Podcast: https://kpwee.libsyn.com
