From Ball Boy to Boss: Building a Career in Sports, One Relationship at a Time

Scott Carmichael has rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment over the past fifty years.

What he has learned along the way is deceptively simple: Relationships matter. Building them. Nurturing them. Protecting them. In sports or any other industry, lasting success is rarely about titles or résumés--it's about people. Whether you're working with Wayne Gretzky or Jeanie Buss, John Candy or Chick Hearn or any of the hard-working, anonymous individuals who make an operation run each day, nurturing those connections is paramount.

It's certainly the common thread in every chapter of Carmichael's career, which started as a Los Angeles Lakers ball boy and led him to found one of the sports industry's largest search firms. Carmichael has relished working inside professional sports, a world fueled by passion, pressure, competition, and relationships. His journey has taken him from the team side to the league office, and ultimately into entrepreneurship, where he's spent nearly two decades building a business rooted in trust, credibility, and connection.

The sports industry is not easy to break into, and it is certainly not for everyone. It demands long hours, thick skin, relentless effort, and unwavering perseverance. But if you're fortunate enough to get your foot in the door, the formula is timeless: Work harder than anyone else, listen more than you speak, deliver flawless work, and never stop learning. Above all, don't quit.

But From Ball Boy to Boss is not simply about working in sports--it's about how a career is built. This book is a call to chase your passion. Too many talented professionals wake up each day doing work that pays the bills but fails to light a fire. For half a century, Carmichael has chased that dream, feeling blessed but also aware that energy like that doesn't come from luck alone. It comes from choosing a path that aligns with who you are and committing fully to it. Nothing is more rewarding than building a life and career you're proud of.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Amplify Publishing
Published: 11/10/2026
ISBN: 9798891386761
Pages: 184
Weight: 0.72lbs
Size: 8.66h x 5.74w x 0.66d