A Brief History of the Sports Management Major
The sports management major is designed for those with a passion for sports, but who also possess the mind of a business professional. All positions that are related to amateur or collegiate sports and all the way up to the professional level require you to hold a degree in sports management. Sports management takes you off the field and into the office, discovering more of the inner workings of a sports franchise. The range of this major in terms of career opportunities is surprisingly large – sports management majors are qualified to run an activity facility such as a YMCA, but are also able to take their talents to professional organizations – both on the regional and national level. You could be the witness of multiple player signings and trade negotiations. Once you break into the entry-level, sports management majors quickly develop an interest in specific areas within a sporting franchise, whether it is public relations, marketing, or sales. As a result, there are vast career options for those majoring in sports management. As professional sports continue to grow and become more and more of a lucrative industry, the number of sports management majors continues to grow. It is not a major that has been around forever, but now appears to have a very bright future.
Delving Into the Sports Management Major
With sports management, your course schedule is going to heavily depend upon the specialization you are looking to focus on. With this being the case, students can enroll in classes ranging from finance to communication. If you are looking to be active in contract negotiations, you would need to take classes on like contract law, statistics, business ethics, real estate, computers, dispute resolution, public relations and sports medicine, such as in the degree plan for York College. If you are looking to assist your franchise in growing its audiences and bringing in new fans, you would look to study marketing and advertising. If you are looking to give back to your community and serve as a leader or instructor, you will most likely need to take such classes as kinesiology and fitness, coaching as well as sports studies. Some of the more lucrative careers that branch from sports management entail being the agent for an athlete. This career cannot be sought out after taking a few relative classes, but rather requires a law degree. The projects and assignments you will take on are going to be dependent upon your career aspirations, but some of the typical tasks you will have are going to test your ability to manage, lead, and remain cool under pressure. The sporting industry has a strong successful product, but to capitalize on this and bring in the largest profit margin, you will be expected to be able to manage a budget. It is a very flexible major, allowing students to find something they are passionate about, and pursue it.
Degree Levels:
Associate
Having an associate’s degree in sports management will allow you to learn how to manage different areas of sports. This can include interacting with athletes on a business level. The general tools you will acquire will assist you in managing athletes and other personnel. This degree is more of an introduction to the field, having you take such classes as sports marketing principles, software applications, and accounting. When you graduate, you will have the competencies to handles sports teams and entertainers. You are introduced to the necessary ability of remaining confident, and keeping your cool when contract negotiations get heated.
Bachelor’s
A bachelor’s degree in sports management is going to prepare you sufficiently for working with athletes or an organization that hosts athletic events. Furthermore, all graduates are going to walk away with the knowledge they need to operate efficiently in whichever area they have chosen to specialize in. From branding to promotions, a bachelor’s degree looks to offer students with a well-rounded education they can then take and immediately find solid employment or can then continue on and explore further education within the field they have a passion for. Whether a specialized event is related to sports or not, your management degree prepares to organize events.
Master’s
When you choose a master’s program in sports management, you are on your way to expanding upon the skills you have previously acquired from your undergraduate program. Inevitably, you will be able to combine the basic fundamentals of business with the sporting industry. Graduates feel comfortable incorporating the principles of management with the intentions of organizing a team of individuals to achieve a goal for your employer. Students can take their knowledge and understanding of law and feel secure in handling and legal situations with either a sporting agency or industry. Most importantly a master’s prepares students for adapting to the every changing world of sports.
Doctorate
By the time a student has begun working towards their PhD in sports management, they are looked to be trained in the analytical and research methods that are viewed as a necessity if they are to later pursue a future in sports administration. With this being such an interdisciplinary field, students are going to be diving into subjects that they originally never imagine could be related to sports – i.e. economic and law. Their view point of sports turns from recreational or that of a fan to a business professional, learning what is required of those who are hoping to effetely run an athletic organization.
Supplementing Your Sports Management Major
With students having the ability to take their degree in sports management and pursue a large variety of careers, this major is a broad field. When students gain knowledge about sports and business, they construct a future packed full of possibilities. The long list of related minors would include accounting, advertising, and business communications. Depending upon the career you choose for yourself, you will have various job responsibilities. Further minors you may want to consider include entrepreneurship, finance and human resources management. By adding a minor to your already strong education, you expand on the list of jobs you will be qualified for coming out of school. Such minors as journalism, marketing, and recreation management can send you down different paths, and it is up to you to choose your other own career trail. You need to look at what it is that interests you most and what your skillset would fit well in. this isn’t a glass slipper you are looking to force yourself into. If you have a passion for others and enjoy being active in your community than as a sports management major, it would be wise to focus on recreation management. This minor and major combination could put you in a position to run or play a pivotal role within your local YMCA or recreation facility. Perhaps you are a fan of a multiple sports, and enjoy watching games on television and reading about them in the newspaper and online, perhaps a journalism minor would be a great choice as you would be able to gauge your media skills and discover if a sports media career fits your personality and lifestyle. A concentration can serve the same purpose of giving you some more insight into another form of sports management, allowing you to test waters in other careers.
Learn More About the Sports Management Major
- North American Society for Sports Management
- Journal of Sports Management
- Sports Management Resources from Rochester University
The Sports Management Major in the Job Market
With such a wide range of job possibilities for any sports management major, you are going to walk into the job market prepared and comfortable knowing that you are not going to be handcuffed to searching for employment within in one specific division. Instead, you will be able to apply your services to realm of varying industries. You can start at the top, looking at the careers that have a tradition of offering the highest salaries and continue to go down the line until you find the right pick for yourself and your family. It is important to first narrow down what direction you want to move in—is being a coach or trainer in your future? Maybe you would prefer to manage a team or argue on behalf of players as an agent. Agents typically earn $87,430 annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Future goals could include owning a team or running a stadium. There are some sports managers who are looked to for organizing sporting events and dealing with the advertising and marketing of specific teams, leagues or tournaments. The salary you can expect to earn is going to heavily depend upon the field you attempt to break into. From an entry-level position to more of a managerial role, sports management majors have a tradition of being well compensated for their unique skill set. With sports agents making commission on multimillion dollar deals for professional athletes and professional teams worth hundreds of millions of dollars, there is great earning potential within sports management. While this is the top of the pyramid numbers, lower level employment can still be impressive in terms of benefits. As a sports management major you are going to learn how to market sports effectively and how to plan events, diving into the areas of sports publicity, coaching, and administration. Giving you the chance to invest some of your time and energy into side projects. Common careers for those who graduate with a sports management degree include athletic trainer, sports retail manager, athletic directors, and events coordinator. Anyone with a passion for sports and interest in the nuts and bolts of the business can surely find a career that fits their eyes and could offer them a future they would not only enjoy, but love waking up to get ready for. Depending upon where you live in the world, possessing a skillset that can fit in at a number of establishments is going to help you avoid any areas where economic troubles limit the number of hiring’s.
Careers I Can Get with This Degree:
