Behind every athlete stands a skilled management professional that made it possible for that athlete to be successful. If you want to make a difference in a professional, collegiate, or recreational athlete’s career, you could make an excellent candidate for a sports management degree.
What is a Degree in Sports Management?
A sports management degree prepares students with the skills and knowledge centered on marketing, managing, finance, and law in the sporting industry. Coursework prepares students for careers with amateur, collegiate, and professional athletes and organizations.
Sport management majors take business, marketing, and ethics classes to help them learn to communicate, organize, and be efficient in time management. In addition, they learn how to multitask, use their creativity, as well as think analytically.
A sports management degree offers many paths from being a sports agent and negotiating athletes’ contracts to promoting athletes or the team as a marketing professional.
Here are a few more jobs in sports management that the degree can prepare you to fulfill.
Types of Available Jobs in Sports Management
Studying for a degree in sports management is the first step all potential candidates should take to gain knowledge of the industry. Having a degree is also a qualification for most management roles. Luckily, sports management jobs are positions that will always be around because technology can not replace the need for managers.
There are a few sports management career options for candidates to consider:
Sports Event Manager
If you are interested in planning and coordinating successful sporting events, then a career in sports event management may the right path for you. Event managers work behind the scenes to provide exciting experiences for athletes and fans. Their task is to develop, plan, schedule, and secure a venue while working with local communities. They often manage on-site which means they work long hours and nights and weekends.
Educational requirements include at least a bachelor’s degree, but an internship can offer hands-on experience as well as networking opportunities to help you stand out and land a job after college.
The national average salary of a sports event manager is $43,664 as of January 2022 with the top earners pulling in $57,500.
Sport Agent
A degree in sports management can help you land a position as a sports agent. A sports agent negotiates athletes contracts and handles other business opportunities for the player. As an agent you can also work for more than one athlete at a time, which means you could spend a lot of time traveling to meet with clients and coaches.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median wage (as of May 2020) for a sports agent is $75,420. However, the top 10% earns approximately $190,500. The projected job outlook for sports occupations is projected to grow 22% from 2020-2030.
Athletics Director
If you thrive in a leadership position and enjoy sports, athletic director may be the career option for you. Athletic directors oversee all aspects of an athletic program including the hiring, facility management, sports budget, and so on. They typically work with coaches and athletes to help them reach their full potential as well as perform other leadership duties.
Education and certifications vary among schools, but at the high school level, many schools require a bachelor’s degree, teaching certificate and coaching experience. Some colleges and universities require a master’s degree and at least three years of coaching experience.
The annual salary for an athletics director based on education, experience, and skill as of December 2021 is $61,893, with an experienced director (10-20 years) averaging compensation of $75,425. The job outlook seems promising with a projected growth of eight percent until 2026.
Sports Scout
Earning a degree in sports management can also qualify you to become a scout. A sporting scout is responsible for finding athletic talent for the team. Scouts work weekends and travel often to follow players during high school and college and report their findings back to management on possible leads for the team.
As of May 2020, a sports management degree can earn you a job making an average of $36,330 as a sports scout or $81,940 if you are in the top 10%. Employment in this position is projected to grow 26% until 2030 with about 45,100 job opening each year.
If you’re thinking about pursuing a sports management degree but aren’t sure what job to chase, rest assured you have options. Choosing between these varying opportunities depends upon your interest and career goals for the future. If you’re dedicated to the sporting industry, the skills you learn while earning a sports management degree will provide a valuable foundation for your career as well as have a positive impact on many athletes’ lives.
Explore our available sports management graduate degrees and enroll today!
