So you wanna travel the world to attend the best sports events worldwide? Wanna mingle with the "creme de la creme" of athletes and international personalities?
HERE'S A HOW-TO GUIDE TO BECOME A SPORTS SOCIALITÉ:
1. CREATE A SUITABLE BACKGROUND FOR YOURSELF. If you already come from a sports family, consider yourself lucky in this regard. If not, you can start off by getting involved in your local sports community, organization or team.
2. GET THE RIGHT EDUCATION. Preparation for becoming a sports socialite begins in school. Get involved in extracurricular activities, joining your school's sports team of your choice, cheerleading squad, or even start a fundraising team to hold a local sports tournament.
Attend prestigious universities; either one of the Ivy League ones (warning: you must pay up to $50,000 a year, so make sure you save enough money for that), or a renowned European one (Sorbonne in Paris, or Oxford and Cambridge in the UK). However, any private college will do the trick, there are many nice colleges that aren't Ivy League and still prestigious. And if you go to a public school, choose one that specializes in sports careers and get a Sports Marketing, Sports Management, or Sports Journalism degree. Only 29% of American adults have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent, so possessing one from any institution is a great thing. If you can get into graduate school and get a Masters or higher, even better! You'll get TONS of respect from people.
Learn a few foreign languages. It will help you stand out when your travel around the world to sports events. You must prepare beforehand and, at least, learn the basics before traveling to a big event such as the Olympics or the World Cup. DO NOT land in Tokyo 2020 without at least knowing how to say "arigato". The more languages you know, the better. However, you don't have to be completely fluent, just enough so you can have a normal conversation with someone. Even just knowing how to do hellos and goodbyes properly are ok.
3. GET A JOB IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY. Establish a sports business and make it grow, or pursue a job in any of the world-known sports organizations such as UEFA or FIFA. Strive to be the best in your field; try to meet some famous people working in your field and learn their secrets. Start small; you won't be extremely successful by the beginning of your career. Get a few different jobs in the field, gather experience, then start a brand of your own. This may take a while, but it's well worth the effort and you'll earn major respect.
4. LEARN HOW TO PROMOTE YOURSELF. Make a website for yourself or your company, make some business cards, convince some related brands to empower you, promote yourself or your company in some newspapers or magazines, and so on. Especially at the beginning of your career, it is very important to meet the right people. Establishing a good social network can get you many good deals. Go to sports events, meet some moguls in the industry, and make them help you.
5. FIND A FAMOUS ATHLETE TO MARRY. Yes, you can become a Sport Socialite by marrying the right person, without having to work for all that fortune yourself. However, don't give up true love just to find someone rich and famous, that's pathetic and will label you as a gold digger.
6. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. As a Sport Socialite, there are a few things you MUST know. For example, the most basic thing to start with is knowing the names and faces of the most prominent sport personalities of the moment.
7. BECOME INTERESTED IN SPORTS STUFF. Know all the big names in everything sports related: players, brands, events, organizations, media, etc. In the Sport Socialites’ world, when someone mentions a name, everybody is expected to know it. Also be able to pronounce all those foreign names properly.
8. BE CULTURED. Read a lot of sports books and biographies of important personalities, visit sports museums and galleries, go to the stadium often, and meet celebrity supporters of your team. Also keep in mind that it is unacceptable for a sports socialite not to know anything related to common knowledge; remember that if a 7th grader knows it, you're supposed to know it too.
9. BE CONFIDENT. As glamorous as it may seem, the sports world is very gossipy and mean; and you'll need loads of confidence to make it through it all. If you don't consider yourself worthy enough to be among the Sport Socialites, they won't either. Not to mention you often need witty comebacks when someone says something mean to you; and a person without confidence can't quickly say something witty back to them.
10. TRAVEL A LOT. There are some travel destinations you CANNOT miss as a Sports Socialite - Russia during the World Cup, Tokyo during the Olympics, Madrid and Barcelona during "El Clásico" are a MUST.
11. BE GENEROUS. The number one thing that you must do if you want to be a Sport Socialite is this - give. Get involved in non-profit organizations or even start your own foundation to help children through a soccer tournament.
12. SOCIALIZE. After all, that's what being a socialite is all about. Make friends wherever you go. Remember, it's all about building a well-rounded social network.
Have charisma. Don't be a bore. It's pretty easy - just act like you're having a great time. Smile a lot, have interesting conversations with other people at events, be lively and energetic. Be photographed next to VIP's.
13. DON'T BE A SOCIAL CLIMBER. These specimens are immediately detected and removed from the social scene; their desperation to become a socialite can be sensed in an instant. Being tagged as a social climber is the worst thing that can happen to an aspiring Sport Socialite.
14. LEARN TO DEAL WITH MALICIOUS GOSSIP. Some people are very mean and catty, but don’t let yourself be affected by what they say. The best way to bring gossipers to silence is to laugh it off and admit that you’re not perfect. By acting like that, you’ll gain many admirers and you’ll still be able to walk with your head held high, no matter what is said about you.
15. DON'T LOSE YOURSELF. In a world as superficial and materialistic as that of Sport Socialites, it's very easy to forget who you really are and where you come from. Whenever you feel like it, take a break and unwind, to avoid turning into a very shallow person. Always keep in mind your personal values.
*Adapted from wikiHow to Become a Socialite