When one starts to mention careers in sports management, the idea of an NFL coach quickly springs to a lot of minds.
Of course, this was the basis of the field a couple of decades ago. Now, things have changed.
A lot of universities are starting to offer graduates a path into sports management careers, and suffice to say, it doesn’t involve being the coach of an NFL team.
Instead, this is a career type that now spans far and wide. As most of us have come to know, sport is an industry which is worth billions. This is made up through a whole concoction of different areas, including hospitality, broadcasting and more. It means that there are a lot of vacancies – some of which pay very high salaries indeed. Or, as is the case with Get Entrepreneurial, they present some fantastic opportunities to stretch into your own business – and offering your services to these sporting organizations as a consultant.
Following on from the above, let’s quash all of the stereotypes that are associated with sports management careers, and show what the modern-day graduate really can move into.
Sports marketing
This is one of those areas of the industry where the ceiling really can be as high as you specify. At the top end, you’ll be dealing with athletes themselves, attempting to broker the best sponsorship deals for companies that will involve the individual in question being at the centre of various products.
If we move down a notch somewhat, sports marketing opens up some more. Looking after a social media account might seem quite small, particularly when compared to the above, but with many sports teams and companies having followers in their millions this is something that carries a lot of responsibility.
Ultimately, careers within marketing in sport have exploded over the last few years, and it’s only going to get bigger.
Corporate partnerships
Another hugely lucrative career to move into involves corporate partnerships. While the big TV broadcasting deals might often steal the headlines, one only has to delve into the finances of sports clubs to see exactly how much they are coining in through partnerships. For example, if we head to the UK, Manchester United charge £125,000 for a corporate suite for a season. Considering the fact that this is just a fraction of their corporate activity, one can start to appreciate the huge numbers relatively quickly.
Financial and contract analysis
Next on the list is a type of profession that is available in most industries, but a lot of people see financial and contract analysts in the sports industry as quite lucky. After all, these are the individuals looking after some huge player contracts, and negotiating huge deals in the process.
To say that they have a lot of responsibility would be an understatement, particularly with the outside influence of fans of the team regularly having their say on how a club might be spending its money.
Facility operations
Next on the list are those involved in facility operations. Again, when it comes to sport this is quite a niche role – one that isn’t really the same as any other industry.
If you become a facility operations manager, you are responsible for the venue in question. The fact that one day might relate to ticket sales, while another might relate to the aesthetics of the arena, means that it’s a varied role to say the least.