(January 20, 2011) At a point in his job search where many hopefuls give-in, Aaron Cox gave more. Now, his persistence has been rewarded. An STAA client, Cox has been named Play-by-Play and Media Relations Director for the Idaho Falls Chukars.
The Chukars are the rookie affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Cox spent last summer broadcasting wood bat college baseball in Chillicothe, MO.
“When you’re in affiliated ball, it’s a step up,” Cox says. “What I’m looking forward to most is the big road trips. We had big trips in Chillicothe but we didn’t stay on the road. With Idaho Falls we’ll be staying on the road for extended periods of time.”
Cox will also get some valuable sales experience with the Chukars.
Getting the Chukars job didn’t come easily for Cox. In fact, there was a time last fall where he considered giving up his sportscasting dream. Fortunately, those thoughts were short lived.
“Some of it comes down to the fact that I know this is what I want to do,” Cox says. “I have zero doubt. All the other options [of leaving the industry] felt like I would be quitting. If I bailed on this now, I would have been really upset at not giving this a chance.”
“I give Aaron and guys like him a ton of credit,” says STAA CEO Jon Chelesnik. “Most everyone who has ever been in the job market has reached a point of frustration where they wonder if taking the next step is ever going to happen. The fact is the guys who make it to the very top aren’t necessarily more talented than everyone else; they just persevered through the tough times.”
Cox learned through the STAA website that Idaho Falls had posted its job opening at the Winter Meetings. He wasn’t able to be in Orlando, but when the meetings finished, Cox called the Chukars. “They told me they were getting ready to start reviewing applicants but said if I could get my stuff to them in the next day or so I would be fine, so I sent the link to my STAA Talent Page.”
“That’s when the online version of my demo and resume is so much more helpful,” he adds.
Cox has also leaned heavily upon STAA, especially when things got most frustrating.
“Besides the Talent Page which is an obvious benefit [of being an STAA client], having somebody like Jon Chelesnik in my corner is huge. I’ve called him with the silliest of questions but he never makes it feel like a stupid question. I don’t know what I’m doing with some of this stuff. It’s extremely encouraging when I have someone I can call and whose opinion I trust. It’s like having a pseudo agent without having to pay a commission. [Sportscasting] is such a unique profession. You can’t just get advice from family and friends.