All You Need To Know About Having a Career in Sports Administration and Management

The best way to avoid getting bored with your career is by choosing something you are passionate about. If it’s not fun, then why bother?

The point here is that when we do what makes us happy in life – which will most likely involve working for pay or pursuing a vocational goal. The benefits become apparent: improved moods; greater productivity at work (and therefore more money). After all, when you do what you love, you will enjoy what you do.

Answer this. Are you one of those who loves to watch your favorite team play while wearing your favorite player’s jersey? Or do you have an interest in reading news and articles related to sports?

If you can relate to any of these, pursuing a career in the sports industry might be what you need. However, don’t feel upset if the idea of playing in the field doesn’t appeal to you. Breaking into the world of sports doesn’t necessarily need you to have athletic talent. If you have a business mindset and love sports, consider pursuing a sports management career.

The field of sports management allows its professionals to combine their passion for sports and business skills to keep things running smoothly in the sports industry. Read on below article to learn all about what it takes to make a career in sports management:

Steps To Start a Career

Are you wondering what steps you need to take to kick-start your career in this field? Well, you have come to the right place. Below are a few steps you need to follow to become a sports manager:

Get The Right Education

While this may sound like an obvious step, you must learn the ropes. After completing your bachelor’s degree, you must also obtain a master’s degree. The field of sports management has fierce competition; hence an advanced level of education can open doors for exciting job opportunities. You can visit here to learn more about the master’s degree program. Completing a relevant education will help you prepare best for any job role you wish. Moreover, while choosing your degree program, select the one that has accreditation from a reputable organization.

Complete Your Internship

Once you have your degree in hand, your next step is to get the necessary on-field experience. You can gain such experience by finding an internship. An internship is a great way to learn the ropes of different job roles within sports management. Make sure to take your internship as seriously as your full-time job so you can get recommendations from sports insiders. Furthermore, if you are unsure which career path to choose in sports management, try doing more than one internship.

Broaden Your Skillset

You must hone different skills to excel in your career. Some of the common skills you need are:

• Communication – You must have excellent written and verbal communication skills to avoid any confusion
• Flexibility – You must be flexible enough to wear any hat at a moment’s notice
• Analytical mindset – You must have the ability to analyze data and make better decisions based on the data
• People skills – You will work together with people from different specializations. Having people skills can help you keep everyone on the same page and meet common goals.

Other essential skills that you can develop and polish may include creativity, time management, organization, and strong ethics.

Career Paths in Sports Management

You might be wondering what career paths are there under the sports management umbrella. Well, below is the breakdown of a few career paths you can consider after completing your education:

Athletic Director

As the name implies, athletic directors generally oversee each aspect of an athletic program. Their typical job duties may include:

• Develop budget plans
• Hire and fire coaches based on their performance
• Track the team’s performance
• Resolve any differences or conflicts between coaches or athletes
• Oversee legal issues and inspect the equipment

The median salary of athletic directors is $61,934 per year as per PayScale.

Sports Marketing Manager

The primary goal of sport’s marketing managers is to promote their players or team. As a sports manager, your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Conduct thorough market research to understand the latest trends
• Create promotional campaigns for upcoming events
• Evaluate the success of marketing campaigns
• Look out for sponsors for the team
• Establish good relations with brand representatives

Sports Statistician

Are you good with numbers and love sports? In that case, this career path is the perfect choice for you. There are two types of sports statisticians – academic and recorders. As an academic statistician, you will keep track of players’ or teams’ data. And evaluate this data to develop thorough insights. However, if you are a statistical recorder, you will be responsible for recording the game’s stats in real-time. According to PayScale, the average salary of a sports statistician is $60,375 per year.

Events Manager/ Coordinator

Professionals in this field specialize in securing venues and hosting exceptional athletic events. As an event planner, you will usually work behind the scenes. Your job duties may include:

• Handle budgeting for event plan
• Hire staff such as volunteers and referees
• Work together with marketing professionals to promote the event
• Carefully plan security measures for both spectators and team players

General Manager

Like any other industry, general managers in sports are also responsible for keeping an eye on daily operations. Your daily job duties will include:

• Handle team’s budget and increase revenue
• Determine which player would be best for the game based on their progress
• Report decisions to upper management
• Understand and ensure compliance with legalities

The average salary for a sports general manager is roughly $48,379.

Facilities Manager

Do you possess strong negotiation skills? Then, consider becoming a sports agent. Sports agents are responsible for negotiating contracts and deals on behalf of their clients. A day in the life of a sports agent may include:

• Review and explain contracts to clients
• Manage clients’ public relations and finance issues
• Handle client’s marketing strategies
• Negotiate with franchises and organizations for bonus or extension

According to PayScale, the median salary of sports agents is $51,998 per year.

Conclusion

Fortunately, you don’t have to be an athlete to step foot in the sports industry. The industry today offers aspiring students a wide range of non-athletic careers. Yet, you can use the skills you develop by pursuing a sports management degree in other industries if you wish to switch your career path. And while you choose this path to stay there permanently.

In a nutshell, a career in sports management offers you fantastic career opportunities, job satisfaction, higher salaries, and a personal level of satisfaction.