Good salaries, high opportunities, and a hefty job demand— are some of the easiest ways to describe sports management. After all, who wouldn’t want to be part of the exciting world of sports? However, there is so much more to it than just being a fan.
But does it have a future? And if so, what sort of opportunities are there? Let’s find out.
What Is Sports Management?
Sports management is the business side of sports. However, it is involved on the field just as much as it is off of it. Sports management experts/degree holders manage key aspects of sports organizations, teams, and individual players.
That’s why sports management is increasingly becoming a sought-out career. It allows professionals and undergraduates to pursue a career equally. Moreover, sports managers are responsible for the financial success of their organization by creating revenue streams such as;
- Ticket sales;
- Sponsorships;
- Broadcast rights fees;
- Concessions sales, and more.
They also oversee personnel management, including hiring coaches and staff members. Sports managers must possess a wide range of skills to be successful in this field, such as marketing knowledge, financial acumen, and an understanding of the legal aspects of sports organizations.
So, if you were to sum up the areas of sports management, it would fall into various aspects of common business management and sports such as:
- Managing
- Marketing
- Broadcasting
- Sports organizations
- Events management
Apart from these, there are other fields and opportunities in sports management such as turf management, athletes management, facilities management, and operations management. Hence, a sports manager has a critical role in managing sports facilities, and events and helps in generating the revenue for the company or league they work with. This is why the sports management occupation is most in demand nowadays.
Three Reasons to Enter the Sports Management Industry
If you have explored or even are already in it, you’ll understand that sports management requires skills such as careful planning, effective execution, organization, and strategy as well as some technical skills such as fitness, nutrition, turf, and more. Despite that, there are exciting avenues that make this industry attractive to enter. Here are three compelling reasons to pursue sports management as a profession.
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Sports On The Rise
In the past few years, different kinds of sports have been on the rise globally and this is great news for those interested in sports management because now there are more opportunities than ever. Think about it, sports leagues around the globe are growing, not just in the United States, and with them comes a lot of potential work opportunities– and not just in the United States but all over the world.
And, since there are more people getting into sports management, here are a few more reasons to get into this field:
- The simple fact is that the popularity of sports is on the rise such as badminton, hockey, tennis, ice hockey, etc.
- With global sports leagues, teams, and players from countries such as the UK, Korea, Canada, Australia, South Africa, European countries, etc. becoming increasingly prominent, it requires a well-managed system to ensure that the sport is managed properly– and thus, people to control everyday operations.
- Football, baseball, cricket, and other international sports have great potential for viewership and sponsorship opportunities– hence, a lot of opportunities for jobs.
This makes the field of sports management one with immense potential. So, it’s something that’ll be useful in helping you find a job anywhere across the world.
Growing Opportunities and Trends
Not only is sports management one of the fastest-growing industries the world over but it is also the most in-demand in terms of fans, followers, and sports consumers. This makes it even more lucrative for those who are thinking of pursuing a career in sports management.
Rise of Non-traditional Sports
As the masses become bored with the traditional sports of football, baseball, tennis, etc. the new generation of sports consumers are turning towards new types of entertainment such as adventure sports, e-sports, or similar adaptations. This means athletes and the nature of sports management careers are also changing.
Digitization of Sports Events
As the population becomes digitally aware, sporting events and even some sports are played online with audiences loving the experience and use of AR/VR to view them. How does this impact sports management? This means that sports marketers, broadcasters, journalists, and those in the media will have to adapt their roles to the new marketing platforms.
Rise of e-Sports
E-sports is not athletic sports per se but it is a growing field that computer hackers and coders are building fans and followers online as well as offline in huge numbers. It has become a separate subset of the sports industry which has a lot of potential to grow even more in the future. Those in this field who manage events, marketing, broadcasting, and players will have plenty of opportunities to grow due to the huge unexplored gap.
Athletic Performance and Healthcare
Improved healthcare technologies as well as improved nutrition studies have directly impacted sports athletes today. This is because healthcare providers can effectively use new technologies to monitor athlete performance and recommend better nutrition, exercise, and high-performing routines for them to follow.
Moreover, if you have a degree like BBA or any other in business management, you can easily earn a master’s degree in sports management online. This means it’ll take you only a couple of years to be a professional sports manager.
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Job Outlook And Salaries
Sports management is an attractive career option for many people, and one of the main reasons is the job outlook. With the increasing popularity of sports and associated activities, there has been a massive surge in demand for sport management professionals.
Let’s sum this up to two reasons to chase a future in sports management:
- According to BLS, experts predict the sports industry to increase by 13% in the 2021-2031 timeframe. This means plenty of opportunities are available to those pursuing sports management as a career.
- Moreover, the salaries of these sports careers are expected to grow even higher in the coming years. A sports manager can expect to get a better salary if they get a sports management degree, develop their skills, and advance in their careers with expertise and knowledge in this field. Just to give you an idea of how this is going to work, for example, a sports management professional can earn an average median salary of $91,000 per annum.
That is not all, more organizations are realizing the importance of having professionals with expert knowledge of sports management to organize sports-related activities, events, and athletes. For this reason, their salaries tend to be high and continue to increase in the future.
How To Get into Sports Management?
By now you may be excited and drawn to this field but how to get into sports management? Let’s explore the three ways that you can do so.
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Degree From An Accredited University
The best way to get into this field is to get a degree from an accredited sports management school or university. A sports management degree from an accredited university will not only equip you with the right skills and knowledge but also allow you to explore new avenues while you are at it. For example, apart from training and coaching athletes you may specialize in:
- Sports media and marketing
- Sports finance management
- HR and people development
- Sports legality
- Sports business operations
- Sports technologies
Sports management schools or colleges will help you gain specialized skills and access to resources that give you an added advantage when you enter the field. Career counseling, employment resources, and resources at these universities will help you launch your career as soon as you graduate.
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Internships and Skills Development
The first thing that you want to do after you graduate, or even during your final years is to secure an internship at a sports management organization. Like any other career, sports management internships also provide you with the training you need and the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the fields you want to choose when you graduate. For further readings on internships in sports management here are two resources:
- Global Sport Management SPS at New York University
- Internship opportunities by USA Sport Group
Moreover, you should get an internship to get the experienced required so when you graduate, you have already honed your skills and have something to show on your resume to your future employers.
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Pursue a Career in Your Favorite Sports
Finally, if you have perseverance and grit, you will find there are ample opportunities to pursue a career in sports management. Unlike other industries, the sports industry is diversified and varied. So, you can be in any particular niche, like football, and become its sports event manager, coach, journalist, athlete healthcare, or turf manager.
Alternatively, if you want to pursue a career in children’s sports leagues then you can enter sports education, coaching, children’s psychology, etc. These are just two examples to demonstrate the point. There are tons of more sports fields, and growing, out there that you will definitely one that is according to your preference, temperament, skills, and caliber. As the roles of sports management professionals evolve, there are more opportunities to find that are just right for you.
Conclusion
Pursuing a career in sports management can be incredibly rewarding and beneficial for those with the right skills and dedication. So, it’s not just a trendy new job; it’s here to stay. Besides that, it offers stability, high and growing salaries, and a chance to work in an environment you enjoy, making it a great career to pursue.
Keeping the above trends and opportunities in mind, one can see that it is a lucrative field that have tremendous growth in the future. This is the right time to enter it!