How to Become a Football Analyst

Many people who are passionate about football dream of one day becoming a professional football analyst. But getting this job isn’t always easy. That’s why it’s important to do your research before pursuing a career.

What Is A Football Analyst?

A football analyst talks or writes about football for a living. They often cover football games for television, radio, newspapers, and other media types and typically work alongside play-by-play broadcasters if they’re responsible for calling live games.

What Does a Football Analyst Do?

A football analyst’s primary purpose is to enrich football games for the audiences that watch them. They do that by providing insightful, educational, and entertaining content before, during, and after live football games.

The specific responsibilities of a football analyst vary based on the exact nature of their job. For example, if someone is hired to call live football games, they will typically be expected to:

• Move from football stadium to football stadium as needed
• Perform both statistical research and interviews before games to gather information
• Highlight the best information they find during broadcasts
• Describe the football plays and strategies that various teams and players are using
• Interact with the play-by-play reporter in a fun and entertaining manner

But if someone performs written football analysis, they probably won’t have to do most of these things. Instead, they’ll be responsible for duties like:

• Coming up with unique article ideas based on current and historical football trends 
• Interviewing relevant people for the articles
• Performing research to make the articles more meaningful
• Putting all of that information into a compelling narrative
• Selling those stories to publishers (if they work independently)

Your duties as a football analyst can vary quite a bit based on the specific type of position you decide to pursue.

Types of Football Analysts

There are several types of football analyst jobs available, which gives you some flexibility as you think about becoming a football analyst.

For example, here are some of the main types of football analyst jobs that you could potentially get hired for:

• College football analyst
• NFL analyst
• Gambling football analyst
• Football analysis writer
• Radio football analyst
• Fantasy football analyst

Essentially, analysts are needed in every part of the football industry – from the pros to sports gambling. So you should be able to focus on the specific part of the football industry that appeals to you the most.

Types of Football Analysts Jobs

There are also many opportunities within each different part of the football industry. For example, you can be more than just an NFL analyst. You can be a:

• Monday Night Football analyst
• Sunday Night Football analyst
• Thursday Night Football analyst

Similarly, several networks are looking to hire analysts. Here are some examples of opportunities in the industry. 

• CBS football analyst
• FOX football analyst
• NBC football analyst
• ESPN football analyst

There are also a ton of online and offline football publications with job opportunities in this field of work. 

How Much Do Football Analysts Make?

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a football analyst is $56,460 per year – or about $27 per hour. But the amount that you earn could be higher or lower than that, depending on the importance of the position you get.

For example, Tony Romo is one of the most well-known football analysts in the business. He just signed a stunning $180 million 10-year contract with CBS.

Of course, we can’t all be Tony Romo. But it does show you that the upper echelon in this field gets paid very well.

How to Become a Football Analyst

Becoming a football analyst is a multi-step process. We’ll tell you what you need to know about each of those steps in this section.

#1 – Get Your Bachelor’s Degree

The first step towards getting hired as a football analyst is earning your bachelor’s degree, and you should try to earn a degree that’s relevant to this line of work. Some of the best bachelor’s degrees for an aspiring football analyst are in journalism, broadcasting, and communication.

While in college, try to get some hands-on experience in the field. For example, you may be able to work with the school newspaper or tag along with the football team to learn more about the game.

#2 – Gain Some Football Experience

Before someone hires you as a football analyst, they need to know that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to do the job well. Gaining relevant experience is the best way to give potential employers this reassurance.

As mentioned previously, you can start this process while in college. But you shouldn’t stop there. You can also look for internships and entry-level jobs in the football industry that help you fill out your resume before looking to become a professional football analyst.

And if you can’t find any opportunities in your area, don’t give up. Nowadays, it’s really easy to prove your dedication to your craft on your own, and you can do that by launching a podcast or an online football publication and building a following.

#3 – Create Your Resume and Portfolio

You’re ready to start building out your job application materials at this stage. You’ll need a resume for this job hunt, just like you would for any other professional position. But most employers will also want to see a portfolio.

Your portfolio is like your professional highlight reel, and it shows your best football analyst work. That’s why it’s essential to have some experience before you start looking for full-time football analyst positions.

Starting a Career As An Analyst

If you’re seriously passionate about football, you can become a professional analyst. You’ll just need to complete the actions laid out in the article to get there.

Two significant parts of this process are networking with like-minded individuals and easily finding all of the football analyst job opportunities as they come out. That’s why you should consider joining JobsInSports.com.

We make it easy to start networking with industry professionals and will alert you as soon as new football analyst jobs are released so you can apply for them right away.

So why wait? Get started today!