Sports Management is an industry that is growing fast and offers many top level high paying careers. Careers in Sports Management are very competitive which require top notch business and communication skills. Sports Management degree holders have more opportunities in a sports related industry because of the wide variety of training and knowledge.
Type of Degrees
Sports Management offers many degree programs that can help students and potential prospects obtain positions with companies when the degree program is completed. A Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management offers students a well rounded top of the line program. This program teaches students a comprehensive curriculum that provides them with the skills necessary to understand different aspects of sports management courses, business courses and communication courses. The Bachelor of Science program also prepares students to enter various management positions, administrative work along with sales and marketing careers in sport industries. The Bachelor of Science degree is considered the best well rounded degrees in sports management. Many top level sports agents and general sports managers have received degrees using this program and the training they received has helped them become a leader in the field.
Another type of sports degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Sports and Recreation Management. This degree program increases your overall management and leadership skills. The program also focuses on learning about the business side of sports, fitness, and organization. This degree helps students increase their business and technical skills. Communication levels with people will also improve. Many people that get degrees in this field can become owners or managers of various health clubs or sports programs. See below for a broader overview of the different types of degrees you can obtain related to the Sports Management industry.
Career paths after college and types of jobs
When getting a degree in the field, people can go into many different career paths. Some people can go into business for themselves and become sports agents or health club owners. Sports agents help manage clients and negotiate contracts with teams that are interested in their clients. The task of an agent also includes promoting their athletes to the general public, to make them well known. A sports agent must have good negotiation and sales skills since they will be dealing with many high profiled businessmen. Sports agents get a percentage of what their clients make, so the better your client is at a sport the more income they and the agent will make.
Health club or gym owners organize and are involved with all aspects of their fitness clubs. Owners will buy recreational and gym equipment to put in their place of business. The owners also must hire various employees that understand the concept of fitness. Other duties include organizing the payroll system, maintaining the gym equipment, marketing their club or gym and providing customer service to all gym members.
Other career paths and jobs that can happen in the area is the sales and marketing industry. People can go to work for a college or professional teams, franchises or organizations. Sports management marketing representatives have duties such as helping their teams manage events, organize player autograph sessions, plan ticket sales and promote the team to the community. Sports teams’ sales representatives’ main job is to negotiate contracts with potential and current team sponsors. The sales reps will provide customer service to clients wanting to advertise for your team.
Other career paths that are involved in the area is working as an athletic director or sports information director. These positions are in the educational field in which you will be working for a high school, college or university. The athletic directors are responsible for all phases of your school’s athletic department. Some of the duties of an athletic director are hiring coaches, maintaining athletic fields, making sure all athletes have the required grade point average to participate, training your coaches on current and new coaching principals and rules. The sports information director is required to provide the media and school with statistical information, as well as press releases. See below for some examples of different careers you can go into with a Sports Management degree.
Salaries
Salaries vary in the field. Positions such as sports agents, marketers, sales representatives and gym owners are generally commission based jobs. The people that work in these fields will make a certain amount of money per deal. Gym owners make as much profit as their gym makes. It has been reported that sports sales reps and marketers make between 80-100 thousand dollars per year. Sports agents salaries vary depending on how good their clients are, and how much they spend promoting them. Sports information directors and athletic directors start out at between 56-65 thousand dollars per year. Athletic directors and sports information directors will make more depending on what level they are on. Usually the bigger the school the more income they will receive.
Schools with Sports Management Programs
Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York has a top level sport management program. Syracuse’s program was helped by David Falk. Falk was a sports agent who represents NBA legend Michael Jordan. Falk help create the Air Jordan logo and brand name in the 1980′s which helped create a positive image for Michael Jordon. Falk graduate from Syracuse and has donated more than 5 million dollars towards the school’s sport management program. Students involved in the Syracuse sports management program study marketing, management, communications, societal influences and impacts, ethics and law.
The sports management program at the University of Oregon is recognized as the top programs in the country. It was named the best program in the country by ESPN the Magazine and Sports Illustrated. Oregon was the first sports management and business program. Phil Knight graduated from the school and became a co founder for Nike. There are many schools across with top level sports management programs. These schools offer a well rounded degree program that will help students pursue their dreams while working in the sport management industry.
University of Texas
The University of Texas in Austin, has received high ratings from various news publications. US News and World Report rank the University of Texas as 45th ranked college in the nation. Texas’s sport management program has its curriculum reviewed annually by the North American Society of Sport Management. The sports management program at the University of Texas is recognized as a top institution that is nationally recognized. The University of Texas sports management program has two areas of study, the Sport Development Lab and the Sport and Life Quality Lab. Both areas of study provide great opportunities for students to develop and improve techniques for sports management and sports marketing. Texas has both a graduate and undergraduate program.
University of Massachusetts
The University of Massachusetts, located in Amherst, is a highly rated sport management program. The school is also known as The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management. This program started in 1971. The Undergraduate program is very competitive and has very challenging, exciting classes. The undergraduate program also has mentors and internship opportunities for the undergraduate students. UMass also has a Masters Degree program a long with an MBA program.
Florida State University
Florida State University in Tallahassee, offers a top ranked sports management program. The school offers a Bachelors degree program, a Masters Degree Program and a Doctoral program. The Bachelor of Science program is designed to help students have a solid understanding of the sports management industry. The courses focus on all phases of the sports industry. Students also become knowledgeable in various businesses and accounting class. Making the Bachelor of Science program well balanced. The program also offers great internship programs. The Masters Degree program is combined with more advanced sports management courses to help students for great careers in the industry. Florida States Doctoral program is considered by many top level educators as being one of the best programs in the nation.
The University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut in Storrs has a well rounded sport management program that is considered by many to be the best in the nation. The Sport Management program offers two undergraduate degree programs and two graduate degree programs. The Universities coaches help prepare students to coach teams at all levels which include amateur, collegiate, and professional. The undergraduate program at UConn is designed to prepare students to enter careers in the all areas of the sports industry. When students conclude their undergraduate program they often continue their education at the school through UConn’s graduate studies program in sports management. Successful applicants have gone on to be coaches, sports agents and athletic administrators.
Temple University
Temple University has three different degree programs in the sport Management field. Temple offers a Bachelor of Science degree, Masters of Science and Doctorial. Temple’s program prepares students to become successful in the sport management industry. Alumni from the school have jobs such as directing community relations for the Philadelphia 76ers NBA team, event coordinator at Madison Square Garden and in charge player operations for the Olympic Training Center.
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida has the DeVos Sport Business Management program. This program in well known throughout the nation and provides students with top level professors that are experts in the sport management field. The UCF sports management program attracts some of the most committed students from across the world. UCF’s accomplished curriculum provides a family and team based business approach to understanding the business side of sports. The DeVos program, at UCF, offers students the opportunity to earn their Masters degree in Sports Business Management and a Masters degree in Business Administration. The course focuses on business leadership, business management and business ethics. The program has been named one of the top five programs in America by the Wall Street Journal, Sports Business Journal and ESPN the Magazine.
Ohio University Sports Administration Program
Ohio University has a sport management program named the Ohio University Sports Administration Program. This program is a well rounded program that has the largest undergraduate program enrollment of 16,644 undergraduates. Ohio University accepts 25 students each year for their graduate programs, making it highly competitive. According to Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal, the average Graduate Management Admissions Test score for students in the Sports Administration and Facility Management program is 548. The school not only prepares students for sports management, but also careers such as coaching, athletic training, exercise physiology and physical education. Ohio University offers a dual degree graduate program that includes a degree in Masters of Business Administration and a degree in Masters of Sports Administration.
One of the fastest ways to get into the sports management industry is to get your two year associate’s degree, in sports management. This degree program will allow you to pursue entry level jobs in the sports management field. This degree program will get your “foot in the door.” With this degree, you can work with various sports sports teams, college teams, semi pro teams, professional teams or high school teams. With a two year associates degree you will, most likely, be working for somebody in a leadership position under their supervision and following their instructions. While working in this field you will be able to work your way up in the industry by learning the necessary skills to become more professional at your work position. This will qualify you for more advanced positions. Many people who earn an associate degree in sports management will often strive to get a bachelors degree while working for their team or company. They will continue to pursue their education by taking classes in the evening or online.
Sport Management Degree: Associate Degree Course
The sports management profession offers many top level associate degree programs. Most associate degree programs can be pursued at a local community or junior college. Other major college’s and university’s offer associate degree programs in sports management with the long term goal of students attempting to earn a higher degree in the field. For most students an associate degree in sports management is just a stepping stone towards getting a bachelors of science degree in sports management. The courses that students will take are basic beginner level sports classes such as, sports marketing principles, accounting, business law and sports management principals.
Sport Management Degree: Bachelor of Science degree
The sports management degree named the Bachelor of Science degree is a four year college degree that helps students trying to pursue a four year degree in sports management. The Bachelor of Science program is much more difficult than the two year associate degree program. The program requires more advanced sports and business classes. Internships are a big part of the sports management degree program. Students will be placed in places such as recreation facilities, school athletic programs, professional sports teams, sporting goods stores, fitness gyms and sports stadiums. The internships vary in requirements per school, but generally each school requires at least a half of the school semester working full time hours or one semester working part time hours. While on internship, the students must meet the jobs expectations by the employer. The employer will evaluate your performance and make sure that the school is aware of your progress. The bachelor’s degree program prepares students to be in leadership sports management positions. Following the completion of this sports management degree, the student can expect to interview for good high paying positions.
Sports Management Degree: Masters Degree Program
The sports management degree program that is at another high level is a master’s degree. A master’s degree in sports management can lead to a top level career and have you become a highly paid executive. To get into graduate school students must have a Bachelor of Science degree in sports management. Getting into a top ranked graduate program will help you with your quest to become one of the best leaders in sports. The master’s degree program is hard work and can be very stressful. The program requires students to work directly in the industry which means they will work with professional or college teams on a more hands on approach. The students will have more responsibilities than they had when they were on their internships for the Bachelor of Science degree.
Sports Management Degree: Masters Degree Program
There are many major colleges and universities that offer top level sports management master’s degree programs. Arizona State University is an example of a top level master’s degree program. Arizona State offers a comprehensive program in which students work for various professional sports teams in the Arizona area. The students will be given tasks and goals throughout the semester, in which they work hard to achieve. Classroom work is also performed which makes Arizona State a solid balance of classroom and hands on work.
Sports Management Degree: PhD
The PhD degree program is the highest possible degree that can be obtained in the sports management field. Students who want to further their education in the sports world pursue the PhD program. Many top level sports entrepreneurs have received their PhD in sports management. When this degree is earned the possibilities of your career are endless and you will receive the most pay possible. The programs vary per school, but the amount of knowledge learned about all aspects of sports will prepare students for anything in this field. There are many top rated sports management programs across the nation that offers these programs.
Sports agents represent professional athletes and other sports related figures. The agents negotiate contract and endorsement negotiations with various companies. The sports management salary for this position varies. According to the National Survey Data, sports agents make between 35, 752 up to 411,364 dollars per year. Other top level sports agents make more than this amount and some beginner agents make less than this amount. Sports agents will generally make a base salary and then make more bonuses based on their client’s success. Sports agents are paid a percentage of their client’s contracts, usually between 10-15%; sometimes lower or higher. Despite the high salaries for sports agents, the hours of a sports agent can be grueling. Agents spend countless hours negotiating contracts, traveling and promoting their clients. Sports agents are also always looking for other clients to sign, especially clients that have a great deal of potential. The more clients the more income. This sports management salary can be the highest among all sports management positions.
While working as a sports scout the sports management salary for this profession depends on the amount of time you spend on the job. Scouts usually work as independent contractors, which mean they work for themselves. Teams will contact the scout and pay them based on what type of work they want done. It has been reported that scouts make between 28 and 82 thousand dollars per year. Entry level scouts could make less and advanced level scouts can make more. According to salary.com the median salary for a sports scout is $35,774. NFL scouts make much more than this salary and reports have shown that NFL scouts are paid the most out of any other sport. NFL scouts make $50,000 a year to start and the top scouts earn between $90,000 and $150,000 per year. Similar reports have been shown for Major League Baseball and NBA scouts. However, reports have shown that the MLB and NBA scouts make slightly less than the NFL scouts. Scouts can also earn more income by getting bonuses from the teams that they are scouting for.
Gym or health club owners sports management salary ranges based on the success of their clubs. According to
Simply Hired, the average gym owner earns more than $58,000 per year. Some advanced level gym owners make well over 100,000 dollars per year. Other beginning level gym owners make around 30-40 thousand dollars per year. Gym owners are their own bosses, but are in charge of all aspects of their facility. The owners must hire staff members, perform accounting work, keep track of the budget, maintain fitness equipment and have great sales and marketing experience. Gym owners also need to make sure that they are profiting each month by keeping and signing up new gym members. The more members the more the sports management salary goes up.
Athletic Directors work for their county school district or major college and university. Athletic directors sports management salary varies based on experience and school size. Reports have indicated that most high school athletic directors earn between 55-92 thousand dollars per year. Check with the school district that you want to work for and it should be reported. College athletic directors make much more than high school athletic directors. The average salary for athletic directors for Division one schools is $324,779 according to Bloomberg.com. University of Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley is the highest paid athletic director among all division one schools in college. Foley makes 965,000 guaranteed and can increase his salary to more than $1 million dollars after benefits and bonuses. The University of Kansas’s Lew Perkins is the second highest paid athletic director. Perkins makes $900,000 a year. The University of Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez ranks third. He makes $750,000 per year.
Sports information directors’ sports management salary varies based on the size of the school or college. A sports information director is a public relations specialist that manages the day to day operations in regards to the media. The job duties include coordinating all phases of media coverage, promoting games, and sending out information such as scores, schedules of games and other press releases. Sports information directors work long hours, but the pay is worth the work. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the average salary of a sports information director at a college or university is $89,800 per year. The bigger the university, the larger the salary. Reports have shown that sports information directors that work for top level sports programs make over 100,000 per year.