Pulling back the curtain on sports salaries: Part 4

Hi friends,

Introducing another installment of our transparency series, designed to offer insights into the realities of entry-level sports salaries and early-career positions. This time, we shine a spotlight on Sam's experience with the Boston Red Sox!

Role

By the end of the summer, I began applying for full-time opportunities, since my role with Salem was seasonal. After undergoing multiple rounds of interviews with ESPN and the Boston Red Sox, I accepted a position as the social media assistant for the Red Sox! This role was basically what I was doing with Salem but with fewer responsibilities. Now, my focus would be solely on social media, saying goodbye to the days of wearing multiple hats and tarp-pulling.

Salary

Considering I was earning $750 a month at Salem, any amount exceeding that would be a significant pay raise. Therefore, when the Boston Red Sox presented me with an offer of $42,000 annually, I was ecstatic, thinking it was quite a generous sum, LOL. Little did I realize how far this money would go in the expensive city of Boston. To further tighten my budget, I faced a swift turnaround in having to relocate and start my new job. When it came to choosing a living arrangement, I decided to live alone instead of taking a chance on a random roommate situation. Living solo in Boston, however, came at a considerable cost. I was shelling out over $2,000 each month for a studio apartment that was less than 500 square feet. I'll leave the calculations to you. Hint: I ended up in debt.

Work-Life Balance

As highlighted in earlier blog posts, achieving work-life balance was non-existent during the Red Sox season. On game days at home, our typical workday kicked off around 8 am and extended well into midnight or even later. This routine persisted throughout the entire homestand. You can imagine the exhaustion and frustration of paying such high rent while barely spending any time at home. In fairness, I eventually chose to share an apartment with two roommates. However, even in this arrangement, the rent remained above $1500 a month, leaving a minimal budget for any activities outside of work, provided my schedule allowed for it.

Mental State

I have to admit that my mental state experienced a consistent decline during my time in Boston. Let me be clear—I am immensely grateful for the experience and acknowledge the incredible opportunity it was. I don't take any of it for granted. However, I failed to prioritize my well-being or mental health while working for the team. My life became a repetitive cycle of work, eating, mindlessly watching TV, and then repeating the process. Even on days off, if I managed to get any, I found myself laying in bed, binge-watching Netflix. Despite my unhappiness, there was a sense of shame associated with considering leaving the Red Sox, given its perceived "cool" factor. After months of indecisiveness and weighing many different factors, I eventually made the difficult decision to leave. We share these experiences not to be discouraging but to be transparent and offer insights into our journey. The sports industry can often feel isolating, which is exactly why we founded empowHERed!

And as always, remember, you’re awesome and you belong here.