“How media training pays for athletes”Vol.8 Issue 26 page 20 by Kelly Brinker-Schaeffer

This article’s main focus was to point out that effective communication skills should be learned early and can boost the overall earning power off the field. Well-spoken, accessible athletes project a positive image through the press that’s very attractive to sponsors. The sponsorships will then allow the athletes to have a career past their professional one. Also, athletes who attend regular interviews polish their skills and help themselves in second careers of broadcasting and business. The article mentions Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Eddie Murray who avoided the media as players and neither of them have high profile careers as some of their peers. One the other hand Ben Rothlisberger, worked on his communication skills while he was still a student in Miami, he was able to effectively communicate to NFL teams before the 2004 draft and has become a successful corporate spokesman.
I feel that communication skills are very important no matter what profession you are in or what your ultimate goal in life is to achieve. The better you can express yourself the more exposure you will have and the more people you will have believing in you and what you can do.