Using YouTube as a Video Resume

   During my free time outside of school and work, I am involved in the sport of paintball. Just recently, I overheard a local shop owner speak to a player interested in getting exposed to potential teams. At first, I thought to myself, "he would need to play local events and play around when teams practice." To my surprise, that wasn't the case.

   The shop owner mentioned something that I've never thought of during my time of getting exposure: video resumes via YouTube. A recent trend in the paintball community is that players are using YouTube as a paintball resume for prospective teams. Players would post their best footage, mix it up together, add some music and other effects to create something teams can view before making contact.

   After I heard that, I remembered that come high school and college players do that to attract scouts. When connecting that to paintball, I see that it can be very cost effective to create a video resume. Paintball is a very expensive sport. For a player to pay entrance fees and boxes of paint it can add up when playing frequently. So, during the few times a player goes out and plays, they can record themselves to give teams a first person view of the player's performance. With just a little bit of time behind the computer a player can create a video that can be seen by a greater amount of people off the field.

   YouTube is a form of social media that can a great marketing tool if utilized correctly. YouTube can make "nobodies" into stars. For the purposes of this blog, YouTube can be a great marketing tool for potential sports recruits. Not only can one person reach the masses with just one video, IT'S FREE!