What to do with a Sports Management Degree

What to do with a Sports Management Degree was originally published on College Recruiter.

Laura O. Tolentino

Laura O. Tolentino

If you’ve earned a degree in sports management and find yourself asking “what can I do with a sports management degree?” you will be craving some good information on the popular and unique job opportunities that are available to sports management degree holders. Since this degree is related to the business side of the sports world you have a number of options, from financial positions, marketing and promotion positions, and even manager and agent positions.

Well Known Positions

If you’ve shown an interest in sports management you’ve more than likely already looked up the more popular job options in the field. There will be entry level positions available as well as middle management positions based on what kind of degree you hold. The more advanced degree will get you the more senior position.

One of the popular entry level positions is an assistant director of athletics role. Here, you’ll work as the assistant to the athletics director in a school or university. Your responsibilities may include creating schedule programs and displays, writing press releases, and performing duties in order to help the director complete his work.

You may also be able to get a job as a sports finance manager. This type of position may require an advanced degree and financial knowledge. Here, you’ll be responsible for making, implementing, and managing budgets and the spending activities of a sports team. If you have a strong sense of finance you may also be asked to do risk assessments for teams in order to help them budget their annual spending.

Probably the most sought after position is the sports agent. You’ll be negotiating contracts for you clients, which can be an individual player (or players) or a team. In that respect you’ll be making sure that your client gets the best possible deal at the end of the negotiations. Here, you can mold and mentor young athletes in the hopes of turning them into the best possible players. You can then market them to teams and help them to develop a successful athletic career. This position is great for highly motivated individuals who don’t mind starting at the bottom and climbing the ladder to a lucrative and successful position.

Unique Positions

There are also some sports management positions that are less known. These positions may be off the beaten path, and may even sound like they have nothing to do with sports management, but their lack of popularity also makes them more available to recent graduates.

Sports philanthropy is a career where you can link up with athletes and sports teams in order to make a positive change in a community. You can, for example, contact and enlist athletes who grew up in a specific neighborhood to make appearances at local schools to talk to young students about teamwork or the importance of physical education.

You can also find a job managing player appearances. There are jobs available where you can work for companies that require special guest appearances by athletes. Here, you’ll be researching what athletes fit a given event, booking that athlete, and managing their time at the event.

A sports management degree can also lead to a career as a compliance professional. In this position you will be ensuring that rules and regulations for a specific situation are being followed properly. For example, you can work for a sports organization, like the NFL, and be responsible for making sure teams, managers, and athletes follow the necessary rules set forth by the league.

If you are a recent graduate holding a degree in sports management, and are starting your job search, be sure to check out collegerecruiter.com’s previous article on tips for landing a job.

Author: Laura is online marketer. She writes for several sites online.

By College Recruiter
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