What is a sports model?

As the President and Founder of Sports Unlimited, I am often asked, "What is a sports model?"

To answer that question, I think it is important to understand the unique differences between a sports model and the more traditional fashion model. Firstly, a fashion model is a person who is hired primarily because they have an interesting and unique look. Typically, their image is associated with sophistication and elegance. Their environment is one of fashion, beauty products, and fragrances.

Body compositions between fashion models and sports models also differ greatly. For example, women fashion are usually very tall and thin. Their skin is immaculate and their features chiseled. Sports models on the other hand are marketable primarily because they possess a strong sports skill or unique ability. Their look is important, but secondary to the credibility and authenticity of their skills. In contrast to the fashion model, the body structure of a sports model is toned and defined muscle. Their body is finely-tuned to meet the rigorous demands of their sport or activity. A basketball player will obviously be big and tall, while a gymnast will generally be small and powerful. Most important, it's the skill ability of a sports model that lends credibility to the product or image being sold.

A few years ago we had a client that was developing a very large national ad campaign. Their company invested a considerable amount of resources to introduce a new line of fly fishing apparel. The company hired a traditional model that, although attractive, had never fished or even held a fly rod before. The project was shot and the images were placed in the ad campaign. Keep in mind, this was a newly developed product line and the client was looking for a credible entry into the marketplace. Within a few weeks of the ads running, I received a call from the Director of Marketing. He said, "Dave, I think we made a mistake". He went on to elaborate that the company had received over three hundred letters from some very upset consumers. He said the majority of the letters read something like "If you seriously expect me to be a consumer of your product, the least you can do is use a real fly fisherman in your advertising", or "I take a lot of pride in this highly skilled sport. It is a very serious activity for me, and I am very insulted by your ads". Needless to say, the client quickly revamped their campaign by re-shooting the images with one of our talent who was a real fly fisherman with real skills. The moral of the story is that today's consumer is very savvy and sensitive to authenticity.

Another important attribute that sports models possess, in contrast to traditional fashion models, is that they are physically capable of performing the rigorous duties of sports modeling. Whether it is running stadium stair steps 20 times, kayaking through class IV rapids, slamming down 30 two-handed dunks with a basketball, climbing a 5.10 rock face, or sliding headfirst into home plate, sports models are trained and conditioned to perform this demanding work. And, equally importantly, they have the ability to keep performing at a high level during long shoots or in poor weather conditions.

Recently, our agency booked some of our soccer talent on a shoot for a soccer apparel manufacturer. They literally did nothing but overhead scissor kicks for almost three hours! Although the talent were given a pad to land on they still came out sporting a few bruises for their efforts. Technically challenging? Yes. Physically intense? Yes. Could a fashion model perform these duties? Highly unlikely!

So, does having a strong athletic ability and a marketable look make for a successful career as a sports model? Not necessarily. It is very important to understand that this is a professional business. As with all forms of modeling, whether fashion or sports, professionalism is demanded and expected. This means that you must be dependable; show up on time, be rested, and prepared to perform. Your attitude and the way you conduct yourself will determine your success. You must also be able to take direction. Any skills or abilities you may have are worthless if you can't direct those energies in a production environment. You must keep in mind that you are a vehicle being utilized by a director or photographer to sell a product or a brand image.

Can a sports model make any money? Absolutely. The fees paid for the services of a sports model can be just as lucrative as in the fashion world, and they should be. What sports models do is physically and mentally demanding. Even though they are selected for different reasons, they are hired because their services present special value to the products or image being sold. It is not unusual for sports models to make thousands of dollars for a day's work. But remember, although very enjoyable and fun, it is work. You are expected to perform and you are compensated for those efforts. I will communicate to any talent who has an interest in working with our agency that yes; you can make some great money in this business, but it requires genuine professionalism and commitment. If they are dedicated to doing something they're good at, comfortable performing under pressure in a production setting, and making some great money in the process, that's the ticket to success!!

Sports modeling is a very unique and rewarding profession. Our area of the industry has enjoyed explosive growth in recent years with more and more brands associating their products and services with the imagery of sports, fitness, and an active, healthy lifestyle. Since we founded Sports Unlimited in 1991, our mission has been to provide the nation’s top resource of sports and lifestyle talent for use in advertising, entertainment, and promotion. For me, the most rewarding aspect of what we do is having the opportunity to work with so many great people who are by nature highly motivated, extreme achievers, and the epitome of an active healthy lifestyle. And that image certainly sells well in the big game of advertising.

Dave Weiss
President & Founder

 


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