Interested in pursuing a job in sports? Wondering what you can do with a sports management degree? Even if you’re not an athlete, there are plenty of career opportunities for anyone interested in this line of work.
Getting a sports management degree is a smart way to make yourself an attractive candidate when applying for sports jobs. It shows potential employers your dedication, passion, and experience.
What can you do with a sports management degree? The following are just a few popular options worth considering:
Top Sports Management Jobs Available with A Degree or Certification
Sports Agent
Working in the sports industry often allows you to work directly with star athletes. If this sounds appealing to you, consider pursuing a career as a sports agent.
A sports agent essentially provides athletes with representation. They negotiate contracts (both with teams and any endorsers) to ensure their clients are adequately paid.
Should you pursue a career as a sports agent, understand that it requires strong communication skills. You need to be able to communicate your client’s needs effectively during negotiations. Additionally, you may be required to travel fairly often as an agent. Of course, many find a career that involves regular travel to be exciting and dynamic.
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Coach
It’s not uncommon for those who pursue sports management degrees and certifications to have some athletic experience themselves. Were you once a successful athlete in some capacity? If so, you may want to take on a coaching job. You can start working under a coach at a university, eventually moving up to head coach. You may even be able to one day become a coach for a major professional team.
Having a background in sports management is helpful if you want to be an effective coach. That’s because coaches must often coordinate with team managers, athletic trainers, facility managers, and more. Coordinating with all these parties is much easier when you understand what their jobs involve. Being able to understand their perspectives allows you to work together seamlessly and efficiently.
Scout
Do you want to help talented young athletes achieve their dreams? Becoming a talent scout provides you with the opportunity to do so.
Scouts work for both professional and college teams. Again, you may want to begin at the college level before moving on to the pros. You’re more likely to get a job in the professional leagues if you can demonstrate you have relevant experience working for a university. However this isn’t always necessary, but it’s a career path worth considering.
Like agents, talent scouts must often travel to games to watch and meet with young, talented athletes. Their job is to identify athletes who may make strong recruits for college or pro teams. That means being a talent scout gives you a chance to launch someone on their career path. It’s entirely possible someone you identify as a strong prospective recruit could one day go on to become a major star. You would enjoy the sense of reward that comes from knowing they owe their career (at least to some degree) to your belief in their talents.
Scouts must also coordinate with coaches, team managers, and numerous others when identifying and reviewing prospects. Once again, with a sports management degree or certification, you’ll be better equipped to do so. Knowing how the industry works at a deep level is key to working with others in the industry.
Facilities Manager
You can’t have sports games without sports facilities. Ensuring those facilities are adequately maintained and safe is essential. Teams can’t play without constant field upkeep. The conditions may not be sufficient for their needs. Additionally, fans won’t want to attend games if the venue is dirty or dangerous.
Plenty of behind-the-scenes work goes into keeping the gears of the sports industry running smoothly. As a facilities manager, you would play a crucial role in making sure a venue is suitable for both players and fans.
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Event Coordinator
The role of an event coordinator is somewhat related to that of a facilities manager. Just as a facilities manager ensures a venue is in the proper condition when teams arrive, event coordinators ensure teams have everything they need to reach their games.
Doing so may involve several responsibilities. An event coordinator (sometimes called an event planner) might arrange lodging and transportation for a team. They often inspect facilities before games to confirm they’re in good condition. To some degree, the job may even involve sports marketing, as an event coordinator often reaches out to the media to promote games and share team news.
This is another position worth considering if you like the idea of playing a vital behind-the-scenes role. It’s also one that typically involves travel opportunities, which you may find appealing.
Statistician
Statistics and data have become increasingly important to sports organizations in recent years. This trend shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. Thus, if you want a job that offers security and you’re good with numbers, you might want to consider becoming a sports statistician.
The duties you would have as a statistician may vary depending on the specific nature of the role. For instance, teams often use statisticians to analyze player performance. Analyzing statistics can help sports teams better understand key trends. Doing so makes it easier to determine the following:
- how effective training programs are,
- to what degree do individual players contribute to team success,
- which plays yield the best results, and more
Being a team statistician could give you a chance to help a team improve its on-the-field performance in significant ways.
That said, this is not the only type of work you might do as a statistician. Sports organizations also need to analyze data to achieve everything from attracting more fans to determining which marketing channels yield the strongest return on investment. These are other duties you may take on.
The main point to keep in mind is that the technology necessary for analyzing statistics and data continues to improve. Teams have leveraged such innovations accordingly in recent years. Already, many within the sports industry have seen the value of doing so. Thus, statisticians will likely continue to grow increasingly important in the near future. That’s a smart reason to pursue this career option. The odds are good your services will always be needed.
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Marketing Coordinator
Marketing is essential in the sports industry. Teams, venues, and even sports TV networks need to get the word out about games and related events. Doing this requires developing and implementing sports marketing plans that yield results.
It’s worth noting that marketing tends to be a dynamic and fast-changing field. Regardless of industry, marketers often need to stay abreast of new developments and industry shifts to thoroughly understand which marketing channels and campaigns are most valuable.
Of course, some people are drawn to such roles. Maybe you don’t want a position that involves performing the same tasks in the same way for years on end. Perhaps you’re attracted to a career that requires constant adaptation.
If so, there’s a good chance you would very much enjoy working as a sports marketing coordinator. You can start working as a marketing coordinator for a specific organization and potentially even start your own sports marketing consulting business.
Obviously, a degree of experience in marketing is helpful if you’re drawn to this career path. That said, with a sports management degree or certification, it’s possible to get a job within a marketing department, even if you don’t have very much relevant experience otherwise. Over the years, you’ll learn new skills until you’re ready to take over the department.
Athletic Director
University athletic directors are responsible for growing and sustaining university athletics programs, which involves many duties. Athletic directors may make critical hiring decisions, coordinate with facilities managers, work with marketers, and much more.
Many details go into ensuring a college sports program runs smoothly. The athletic director is responsible for coordinating with various parties to address all necessary details. Therefore, they are essential.
You may not be able to get a job as an athletic director right away. This is typically the type of role you attain after working your way up the ladder. That said, with a sports management degree, you can get a job working under the athletic director, which will provide you with the experience you need to one day take on the role yourself.
Public Relations Manager
Again, if you’re interested in working in the sports industry, you might be interested in working with athletes directly. Becoming a PR manager is another way you can do so. As a PR manager, you’ll represent your clients (typically athletes) to the media and the public, making sure their relationship with fans is positive. This is another job you may be particularly well-suited for if you have strong communication skills.
Just keep in mind that these are merely a few examples of sports management jobs worth considering. Again, the industry is going through a period of growth. New positions will likely continue to emerge in the coming years. Regardless of what they are, having a sports management degree or certification will prepare you for them.
Other Related Sports Management Articles:
5 Benefits of Getting a Certificate in Sports Management
What Certificates are Available in Sports Management
The Ultimate List of Sports Management Jobs and Careers
The Best Sports Management Jobs for College Graduates
Ultimate Guide to Creating a Powerful Sports Management Resume
