Few careers provide a blend of excitement, personal satisfaction, and lucrative opportunities quite like sports management. This is a wonderfully diverse career path that is bursting with potential. Keep reading to learn what sports management is, why it's such a great field to pursue, and how a targeted degree can prepare you for success after you graduate.
What Is Sports Management?
At its core, sports management involves the business aspects of the athletic and recreational industries. It encompasses everything from scheduling to accounting, as well as ongoing analytics and evaluations. In general, these activities are required for organizations that primarily deal with sports-oriented products or services. Often, these include professional and collegiate sports teams, but the field could also encompass high school or even youth sports.
Why Study Sports Management?
Sports management is a dynamic field that holds a great deal of potential. This career track is an excellent fit for anyone who is passionate about sports and eager to help shape the future of the athletic industry. First, however, it's important to obtain targeted training, as today's top employers often prefer to hire candidates with relevant degrees.
Not sure what you can do with a sports management degree — or whether this is a smart academic track to pursue? If you're already passionate about sports, it shouldn't take much to convince you of the value of this course of study. The following are a few of the main benefits of studying sports management:
Continued Growth in the Industry
This is an exciting time in the athletic industry, which, even after decades of success, is growing at an impressive rate. This is evident based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data involving several related career tracks. The outlook in coaching and scouting, for example, is an impressive 26 percent between 2020 and 2030. Compare this to a national average of 8 percent across all fields, and it's easy to see why so much optimism exists in this field.
With other positions, the BLS doesn't provide targeted outlook information for sports — but it's possible to extrapolate based on the field in general. Statisticians, for example, can expect an astounding projected career growth of 33 percent. Meanwhile, meeting, convention, and event planners enjoy an outlook of 18 percent. All these positions are often available within the athletic industry.
The potential for the industry is also promising when the field is examined as a whole. Data from Kearney reveals that the industry is valued at $620 billion on a global scale, with the rate of growth exceeding the international GDP.
Follow Your Sports Passion
Few passions are quite as intense as a love of sports. Many sports enthusiasts commit large amounts of time and money to their favorite teams, even without the promise of a paycheck. Imagine if you could earn a living while doing what you love.
There is an undeniable satisfaction that comes with supporting an industry you've adored since you were young. This could be your chance to ensure long-term professional fulfillment, regardless of where you find work or how quickly you climb the career ladder.
A Large Variety of Job Options
Variety is built into the very fabric of the sports management profession. This field is far vaster than most people realize. Top job opportunities include:
The transferable skills gained through a sports management degree allow graduates to move between niches as desired. Applied learning prepares students to take on a variety of real-world challenges while climbing the career ladder in the world of sports and athletics.
Opportunities to Travel
If you love to travel, sports management could be the perfect opportunity to hit the road while working. The extent to which you'll move about depends largely on your employer and position, but it's relatively easy to find jobs that integrate some element of travel.
Scouting, for example, requires professionals to visit specific schools or programs where top prospects play. Meanwhile, advance scouts check out opponents to get insider info on the competition and plan team strategies accordingly. Sports coordinators may travel with the teams they serve, managing everything from logistics to equipment maintenance along the way.
Never Bored
Boredom is never an issue in the exciting field of sports management, which is always evolving. There are compelling challenges you will be called on to address as a sports management professional. No two days look quite alike, as there are always new developments to handle and new relationships to build.
Working With Pro Athletes
If you've always wanted to interact with professional athletes, you might have that chance once you obtain your sports management degree. The degree and manner in which you work with athletes will depend on the scope of your job. You might handle contract negotiations or take care of team logistics. Either way, you'll love interacting with the athletic professionals you've been inspired by for years.
Take the Next Step: Studying Sports Management at Geneva College
If the details above are any indication, a sports management degree is a smart idea for anyone who wants to score a job in this opportunity-filled profession. Geneva provides valuable preparation with its dual sport management/business major, which covers everything from event coordination to facility management.
For more information on how Geneva College can help you pursue your career goals, contact us at 855-979-5563 or web@geneva.edu.
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
Oct 27, 2021What is calling and what does it look like to live out your callings? Read here to see what Krista Autrey has to say about the nature of callings!
Engineering is a versatile major that propels students into a variety of different careers. Read more to find out the career paths available for engineers!
Undergraduate students that pursue a degree in psychology will be exceptionally prepared for a career in the modern workforce. A psychology degree can give students a strong foundation for nearly any career path. Read more here!
A communication degree can prepare you for a career in any field. Communication majors graduate with knowledge and skills that make them valuable assets for any company. Read more here!
Read from Geneva College's Nursing Department Chair about seeing people's needs at a deeper level, and going beyond the requirements of the job.
Read to learn about how to prepare for a career fair and the unique benefits of attending a career fair.
Many people talk about the process of securing an internship, but after the internship is secured, people tend to stop talking. What happens after the paperwork is signed and you become an official employee of the company? How do you become an asset to the company? How do you stand out as an intern?
Working as a nurse is a great way to combine your faith with practical skills to help those in need. However, this kind of job can come with a lot of pressure and stress, especially if you're a new nurse. It’s important to find effective ways to stay calm and keep anxiety under control if you want to be able to serve others well. Doing this helps you stay focused on caring for patients and handling other nursing duties. How do nurses stay calm under pressure? The following tips can help you feel more relaxed at work.
As you consider your future career, you may be thinking that you want to find an option that not only pays well but is also fun. What jobs pay well but are fun? The answer depends on your major, but these are some excellent choices.
Job openings in the tech market have skyrocketed. There are nearly 3 million open cybersecurity positions around the globe, and the field is still rapidly growing. Check out a few of the most popular types of positions for graduates with a cybersecurity degree!
Learn more about Geneva College.
Have questions? Call us at 724-847-6505.
© Geneva College | All rights reserved
