Major League Soccer team seeks 'chief tattoo officer'
Soccer players love to get tattoos, as five minutes viewing any match will tell you. Fans love to get them too, as the internet has shown us.
So, uh, I guess this is the trend's logical conclusion?
A Major League Soccer team is looking to a hire a "chief tattoo officer." There's an ad online and everything.
In what appears to be a first for the sports world, the Philadelphia Union seek to hire someone they say "will be responsible for providing services to players and front office staff. Occasionally, fan events will also be held with the CTO for the most loyal fans who want a tattoo to represent their passion for their favorite soccer club, the Union."
The job listing stipulates that there are, however, some requirements all candidates must meet. The club says these include:
Must operate at a permanent shop of residency in the PA/NJ/DE market
If an individual artist, must have endorsement of shop owner to serve this role
If a full shop, must disclose participating artists (if not all artists will be part of program)
Due to player schedules, work may occasionally occur off-site at Philadelphia Union facilities
Minimum 5 years experience (post-apprenticeship)
Diverse skillset as needed by clientele including American Traditional, Realism, Japanese and more
Must enjoy tattooing snake designs (after all, we have a snake in our crest)
To reiterate, the team is apparently not joking.
"This is an exciting initiative for all of us here at Philadelphia Union as we look to provide a revolutionary service for our players and front office, particularly those new to the area," Doug Vosik, its vice president of marketing, said in a post to the team website. "Our hiring process begins immediately; we are looking for a partner with a wide variety of talents and skills, and someone who can offer a broad range including American traditional, as well as Japanese, realism, new school and more."
Looks like its time to polish up those resumes, tattoo artists of the Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Delaware region.
Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
