Potential Careers in Sports Management
Esther Cole
University of Incarnate Word

This is my very first course in sports management and I have learned that there are many paths I could take once I graduate. Right now it is too early to feel passionate about any one career path. I will discuss various careers in sports management and I how feel about them now as I am just starting out. I hope to look back at this paper when I am finished and see if my views and opinions have changed.
The Number of students who decide to get a MBA in sports management has grown significantly since the recession. A Ba in sports management was not producing jobs that many hopeful students thought it would. The sports industry was not immune to the recession like many people thought. Some people thought that the sports business would never feel the effects of the recession but they were wrong. Both the NBA and the NFL cut jobs during the recession and this caused a ripple effect with new graduates. They were forced to take low paying jobs working in the industry but as ticket sellers or working in the concessions. Still others who felt there was no other option took unpaid internships in the hope of landing a job afterward (Belson, 2009).
Sports management degrees date back to the 1970’s with a rocky start. The degree was not seen as legitimate, “many academics mocked them for teaching how to mix Gatorade” (Wecker, 2011). The program has come a long way and has advanced into a masters level and even a PHD. Even with a masters in sports management becoming a popular presence many prospective students as well as those in academia have misconstrued what exactly this degree entails. Prospective students thought that this degree was nothing more than students watching sports figures practice and play their sport. This was frustrating to the professors who were trying to teach the business side of the business. One professor said “My biggest challenge in accepting students today is separating the sports fan from the sports business student’ (Wecker, 2011). MBA sports management programs are by no means uniform in nature; there are schools that are considered at the top of their game. These schools are able to aid their student population in getting the best jobs after graduation. These schools are heavily invested in networking and their reputation for excellence gives them a competitive advantage for their student’s success (Wecker, 2011).
Through research I found a variety of career options that could be appealing to work in. “Athletic Director, Marketing Manager or Director, and Information Officer” (Staff, What Can I do With a Degree in Sports Management?, 2015).
Athletic Director
The most difficult position to attain I found is the athletic director. You cannot just work hard in your position in sports and one day someone says he or she is a hard worker let’s just make them the athletic director. You have to stand out in the crowd and the crowd is pretty big. You have to think outside the box. “Clearly establishing a personal brand-whether by serving on NCAA committees, being visible in conference meetings, or publicly sharing your views via social media in ways that are helpful” (Cross). So essentially you have to stand out in the crowd the way no one else does.
If being an athletic director is what you are aiming for you also need to understand how the occupation is evolving. Many athletic directors came right out of coaching a sport and into the position. This tradition became less common and the focus became people who could raise money. The focus then turned to businessmen who could successfully run a business, with or without any experience in the sports industry. This concept is fairly new and only a small number of athletic directors fall into this category. So the key is to pay attention to the current tendencies the sports world is doing in hiring athletic directors (Cross).
Other information that is vital in your quest to become an academic advisor is knowing what level of athletic conferences you seek to be a part of. There are big differences in conferences and divisions. Large schools tend to have higher salaries, more support staff and bigger perks, but you also have a larger responsibility and more publicity and most likely the hours will be long and arduous. Smaller schools usually have smaller salaries and less support staff but could offer a better family atmosphere less hours and minimal media exposure. These things need to be examined closely before you set out on you journey to be an athletic director (Cross)
Other things to consider are the type of institutions you want to be at. Because of “sunshine laws, that makes anything you write or do related to your job public information” (Cross) the decision to go to public institutions should be weighed heavily because you privacy will essentially disappear. Deciding to commit only to private institutions will take some of the burden of attention off of you. There are some very famous private institutions like Notre Dame and the spotlight will certainly be on you but you will be able to maintain some sense of privacy in your writing (Cross).
Another thing to consider is you own moral code. If you are just in it for the money I guess it does not matter. But doing your due diligence to every institution you are interested in or want to be a part of will help you decide what position you are willing to accept in good conscious. Sometimes you must dig deep to avoid a smoke and mirrors situation that puts you in a position of conflict of your moral code.
Having a goal of becoming an athletic director takes a lot of work. Realistically you need to do a self-assessment and determine if you really have what it takes to become an athletic director. What do you know, what skill sets do you possess for the job and do you have enough experience? Look at the position description and see how you measure to other successful athletic directors (Cross).
After researching this position I am almost certain this will not be a position I would pursue. The pressure and stress appear enormous and the lack of privacy is a bit unnerving. Even at private institutions I think the pressure and stress level would be too high. The competition between different sports vying for money would be unnerving and there would be a lot of disappointment because you can’t please everyone. One or more of the sports teams would always be a thorn in your side. I strive for a lower key, behind the scene role where I could make a difference.
Sports Information Director
The definition of a sports information director is “a public relations specialist for a college or university’s athletic department, they promote student-athletes to the public, helping to attract notice for their play and other qualities” (Gresham, 2015).
This position for me combines a public affairs officer and a journalist. A sports information officer has to deal with the media all the time. Not only do they deal with the media but they have to prepare students and staff on how to deal with them. This job puts you always in the spotlight (Gresham, 2015).
This job requires you to be an excellent writer and is responsible for publishing many different things for the institution and the media. This job to me parallels a sports journalist because of the massive amount of information you have to know about the players, coaches, team and the history of the team and putting it on paper (Gresham, 2015).
Sports Information Director is another job that I do not wish to possess. There is too much spotlight and exposure. Privacy in this position is also a factor because of the regular media attention. I am able write fairly well but it is not something I enjoy doing on a regular basis. It is not the behind the scenes avenue I wish to take.
Sports Marketing
Sports’ marketing is another potential field for a MBA in sports management. Sports’ marketing encompasses all commercial ventures to promote your team or institution. They solicit sponsors that can bring enormous revenue for their organization. Sports marketing a jet setting job that keeps you on your toes all the time. You must be a very motivated and high energy person to do this job (Staff, Career and Professional Development, Sports Marketing, 2015)
There is significant rivalry in sports marketing because every sport marketing agent is vying for the big prize, that corporate sponsor that is going to bring them the most money. Unlike the previous professions, marketing has a lower turnover and can yield bigger rewards. It also appears to have long hours and constant communication with potential clients. The rewards can be very generous depending what kind of rewards you seek. You could get. to hang out with professional athletes or get to see high profile games without paying, or even sit in the owner’s box and be treated like royalty.
Sports marketing is such a demanding and high energy job that it is not desirable position that I would enjoy. It is high key and very demanding. It would essentially be your life all the time. You could never get away from it for fear you would miss out on a deal that someone else would snatch away from you. The perks that are associated with the job are not enough to entice me into the profession. The constant traveling that is sometimes involved in this career is also something I would not enjoy.
The key to getting any of these coveted positions is research. You must go where the jobs are and gain experience in the field in sports management that you desire. You may think you want a certain career in sports management but until you experience it and find your passion and motivation you will not know for sure. There are a rare few that have the skill sets and knowledge it takes to become successful right out of college but for most it takes years of hard work, dedication and long hours to achieve their goal.
Teaching
A career that was not included in my research was academia. A MBA is a MBA whether it is in sports management or human resources. If your interest is teaching then as a graduate of a MBA program you could teach at the college level. It would be the undergraduate level but it still would be teaching. Teaching is a profession that you can teach many classes or just one. It is low key, your privacy is protected and media attention is almost nonexistent. You pay would depend on where you teach and how many hours. Your reward would be watching your students learn and grow and helping them to prepare them for the career they are seeking. There is no travel involved and quality of like would be ideal. I love attending school; the atmosphere is invigorating so I think I would feel at home in this profession.
Teaching is the most desirable job I would want after earning my MBA in sports management. I think it would be much easier attaining a teaching position than any of the other jobs I have researched. It would be much less stressful and I would have more control over my environment. I could foster their ideas and motivate them and teach them on how to achieve their goals.
Sports Analytics
The Future of Sports Management it is suggested is going to rely on statistical analysis and logical reasoning. Many NBA teams currently use these subjects and are committed to utilizing them in the long run. Because these subjects or so advanced they are not offered to the BA in sports management student, this suggests to get those coveted high paying jobs that an MBA is going to be a requirement in the future (Clapp, 2013).
After the movie Money Ball was released the concept of sports analytics was energized. Sports analytics is defined as “the management of structural historical data, and the use of information systems to inform decision makers and enable them to help their organizations in gaining a competitive advantage on the field of play” (Alamar & Mehrotra, Beyond 'Moneyball': The Rapidly Revolving World of Sports Analytics, Part 1, 2011). Simply explained it takes data that is already collected and integrates it into a special written program that can be manipulated depending on the need of the user.
Today these types of systems are used to help teams when they are trying to decide who they should draft. Every imaginable detail is entered into a system about a player and Owners and Coaches can make educated guesses on how that player will fit into their organization and the likelihood of them being successful. Even with this technology available the sport’s industry is not taking advantage of it. Most teams do not know how to get started and do not have staff that understands it. This opens the door for a techno savvy MBA Sports Management Major that paid attention in Statistics at the BA and MBA level. Knowledge in statistical analysis is not enough to assist teams in decision making, they must be able to explain it in a way that the management understands it, or dial down the geekiness (Alamar & Mehrotra, Sports Analytics, Part2, 2011).
While I was not a big fan of statistics this job sounds very intriguing. This is an emerging market in the sports industry and if I was able to refine my analytical skills and be able to communicate it effectively I think I would do well. Taking additional courses in statistics or even attending the Any logic Conference would give me a better picture of what skill sets I would need to be successful in this potentially prosperous industry.
Sports Agent Becoming a sports agent requires some type of certification. You cannot become a certified sports agent and represent any athlete in any sport. Each major sports organization has its own rules and regulations. One professional sport requires a written certification exam (Staff, How can I Become a Sports Agent, 2015). There are not any educational requirements I could find that are required to do this job. It is suggested that a law degree would be helpful in this field because of contract negotiations but it is not necessary in this field. Once an NFL rookie player hired a lawyer to negotiate his contract and took the contract given to him and changed it completely to what he thought was in the best interest of his client. The team rejected it without even reading it because it had its own traditional agreement. In the end the lawyer was helpless and the player signed the traditional document (Bechta, 2009). Getting a master’s degree in sports management can help a great deal. You have to be able to understand the business of sports. Not only on how to negotiate but agents sometimes become financial managers, business managers and sometime life managers. It is a tough job to break into but if you can get a good number of clients you could do pretty well. There is an air of uncertainty when you are a sports agent. You could have represented the number one draft pick in the National Football League and after just one contract negotiation the athlete could have a career ending injury and you probably lost a client. To survive financially you have to make a name for yourself and players talk and once you are recognized as one of the best the clients will come to you (Steinberg, 2012). Being a sports agent sounds like it would be very stressful job. I liken it to a sales job or Army Recruiter. You could be the best agent in the business but unless you are recognized you will not fare well. Sports agents also get caught in other aspects of an athlete’s life, their personal and financial business. I would be fearful that I would have to get involved especially in their personal life. Folks that make a lot of money, even it was by your hand, sometimes are very needy. They want to be catered to and coddled, and even though I would have a contract with them the nurse in me would jump knee deep into their lives and try to fix all that ails them. So becoming a sports agent is not something I would ever desire to do. The most successful way to start a career as a sports agent is to understand the business of sports. Getting a degree in sports management is certainly a good start.
The chances of landing a job after a MBA also depends on the school you attend. One of the schools that is held high on the totem pole is “Ohio University’s Center of Sports Administration” (Belzer, 2014). This program has the most graduates that are employed in all areas of the sports industry all over the United States. They have a very strong post graduate system in place that supports its current students, and it is considered one of the best. The current MBA students that attend this school get an assortment of opportunities such as practicums and aggressive job placement.
Another MBA producing program “The Mark McCormick Department of Sport Management at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is recognized as a world-wide leader in its field” (Belzer, 2014). It has earned this distinction because of the superiority of its courses and its investigative prowess (Belzer, 2014). These are just two of the top rated schools in the industry, while there are only a few more schools mentioned, the field of sports management is ever evolving and learning what it takes to have a program that propels students into careers after graduation.
Another program that always gets high marks in the sports management world is University of Oregon’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. It ‘allows students to receive a sports centric Masters in Business administration from one of the top business schools in the country. With deep ties to Nike and Oregon alumni Phil Knight, Warsaw gives student’s unprecedented access to the business of sporting goods and apparel, as well as a deep dive into the international sports marketing scene” (Belzer, 2014). This is an example of yet another career path in sports management that one could take, sporting goods and apparel. There is not a great deal of research about this position relating to the degree but is it certainly a viable option. I believe this is an up and coming career opportunity that sports management graduates will be a dominant force to be reckoned with. As sports management programs grow across the United States there will be more institutions that focus on sporting goods and apparel as a concentration in both the under graduate and graduate level.
A very important component to being successful in the sports management industry is securing an internship. It is almost unheard of to land a job in the sports industry without having some type of experience beforehand. “According to Carolyne Savivi, SVP of Recruiting at Turnkey Sports and Entertainment, for anyone trying to break into the sports industry at the entry level, internship experience is critical” (Belzer, 2014). So it is important that schools have the resources to help student find internships so that they can be successful in the long run.
Students through frustration or lack of opportunity have created their own system to help other students get internships. They have done this by conducting conferences and job fairs, all student run to help students get opportunities that they otherwise would not know about. Other ways students try to find internship opportunities is through the internet this process could take a long time and there are so many sites that it is difficult to discern the right fit for you (Belzer, 2014).
Conferences are also a good way for students to find opportunities for internships and potential jobs in the industry. There are a handful of major conferences one should consider, “The National Sports Forum: the largest annual cross gathering of the top team sports marketing, sales, promotions and event entertainment executives in North America”. “Sports Industry Networking and Career Conference (SINC), Ivy Sports Symposium, University of Michigan Sports Business Conference, and MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference” (Belzer, 2014).
Another option for prospective sports industry post graduate students is a fairly new program in New York. It is comparative to The University of Texas at San Antonio’s summer law school preparation class that helps those interested in law school get a leg up on how to be successful. This program is called “Manhattan Sports Business Academy (MSBA)” (Belzer, 2014). This summer program accepts students but it also accepts those who are already working in the sports industry that want to ramp up their career options. This program is goes full circle on engaging it students in a realistic atmosphere in the sporting industry. The selection process is pretty aggressive but if you can earn a coveted spot you will certainly have a leg up on your peers. This course does everything, you do not sit in a classroom you experience the sports world first hand and you are all but guaranteed an internship (Belzer, 2014).
In doing research I have not found any programs in sports management even close to the MSBA. This program only accepts 25 people a year, costs $10,000.00 and lasts eight weeks. For that kind of money I would think after leaving the program that you are almost guaranteed to be successful in the sport industry.
Conclusion
There are many different paths you can take after completing your master’s degree in sports management. You have to decide what your true passion is, and your motivation. Sometimes you do not know right away or you think you know but you are wrong. It is only with trial and error that you will be able to determine what your true career will be. Spend time on researching each position you wish to pursue and seek out others in the profession to hear their experiences and attitudes about their job. Look for sports management related blogs that can give you a good sense of what a job entails. Pay attention and give your best effort in your classes, valuable information is given and you will learn skills to help you be successful in you field.
Internships appear to be crucial in getting coveted positions in the sports industry. They by no means leapfrog you into executive positions but they certainly can give you the jump start you need to someday get to that executive job. Getting a spot in the coveted in Manhattan Sports Business Academy would be very beneficial, provided you had the means and time to do so. Not everyone can get an internship or get accepted to the Manhattan Sports Business Academy so many will have to work hard and think outside of the box. Create your own unique way that institutions find valuable, start your own blog and write insightful and relevant article to get you noticed.
Finally what can The University of Incarnate Word do to help students secure internships and or meaningful employment? The Manhattan model should be examined to determine if a similar program can be offered at Incarnate Word. The school should send delegates to New York to evaluate their program and determine if it is a viable option. I would like to see it started here but as the capstone class. The capstone class appears to be another exercise in writing ability, whereas this course has actual value to the student. They would be able to realistically use everything that was taught to them throughout their college career and secure internships.
Incarnate Word has a lot of potential to be one of the best sports management programs in the country. More investment into the program could help propel it into elite status and students would have a competitive advantage just by attending this University. More research needs to be done, I hope it happens.

References

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