6 Exciting Sport Management Career Opportunities
Have the best moments in your life involved sports – either playing or watching? Why not transform your passion for athletics into an exciting career in sport management? A diverse field with excellent potential for future growth, sport management entails everything from contract negotiation to event planning. A sport management degree can set you on the path to scoring one of these positions:
Sports Agent
Sports agents are responsible for spotting new talent and negotiating contracts for up-and-coming athletes. In addition to securing contracts, agents handle endorsement negotiations. This is one of the most sought-after sport management jobs, and while it can be incredibly rewarding, it comes with numerous sacrifices, including long hours on the road and regular work during weekends and holidays.
Event Coordination and Marketing
Not all sport management careers involve working directly with athletes. Event coordination and marketing entails planning and promoting a whole host of athletic events, including charity runs, little league tournaments, and international competitions. Depending on the scope of the event, you may be required to secure lodging for participants, prepare press kits or develop contingency plans for potential emergencies.
Public Relations
If you love sports but desire a traditional 9-to-5 position, your dream job may be in public relations. As a PR employee, you will help athletic organizations enhance their public image. Those who hope to work in sports-based PR often enter communication or business degree programs, but a degree in sport management is also a viable path to success for aspiring PR professionals.
Sports Networking
A solid social media presence is of increased importance for major athletic organizations and individual athletes alike. As a sports networking professional, your career in sport management will largely entail social media promotion, with the primary goal being the increased engagement of the fan community.
Compliance Specialist
Compliance specialists complete regular audits to ensure that athletic organizations abide by all local, state and national laws, as well as specific agency regulations. Additionally, compliance specialists may be called upon to provide expert testimony or to develop agency-wide training programs.
Youth Sports Director
Sport management is typically associated with professional leagues and collegiate programs, but as a youth sports director, you can have a lasting impact on a whole new generation of athletes. Athletic directors work at high schools, for youth sports programs, and for nonprofit organizations such as the YMCA. The sports industry is thriving, and while most sports-minded individuals can't cut it as professional athletes, many can find personal satisfaction in sport management. A degree in sport management will give you the in-depth industry understanding needed for success in a variety of exciting positions. Midway University's sport management program is available as part of our traditional
undergraduate programs, as an accelerated
online program and as an area of concentration in our
MBA graduate program.
