Online Sports Management Degrees

Sports management is a great career choice for the business minded sports lover. For just about any job related to professional, collegiate and amateur sports,
a degree in sports management will be beneficial. From learning about the inside deals that are made to run sports teams to seeing first-hand negotiations that take place when a team is trying to sign a player a degree in sports management will open the doors to any career path within the sports world. Sports are more than a pastime or a form of entertainment—sports are big business and those skilled at managing players, stadiums, teams and everything related to these related pieces will be able to have a good career in sports management while at the same time enjoying their day to day work environment. For people looking for a fast paced, competitive and exciting workplace, sports management will provide it.

Any specialization within sports management will comprise courses in finance, negotiation, advertising and marketing, management and communication. Depending on the focus of your degree, you will then need to take classes like contract law, statistics, business ethics, real estate, computers, dispute resolution, public relations and sports medicine. Some career paths in sports management may also require students to take kinesiology and fitness classes, coaching or sports studies. For people looking into becoming agents for athletes, a law degree may also be helpful.

Between amateur, college and professional sports, there are a whole host of possible jobs that a sports management degree holder can move into. It is important to first narrow down what direction you want to move in—is being a coach or trainer in your future? Would you prefer to manage a team or argue on behalf of players as an agent? Maybe you’re interested in owning a team or running a stadium? Sports managers also organize sporting events and manage the advertising and marketing of specific teams, leagues or tournaments. Salaries vary across the field, but the average entry level position is around $35,000. Obviously, depending on the specialization within the field, one’s earning potential could be dramatically higher with sports information directors averaging $61,000 and sports marketers making an average salary of $80,000. 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.