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King Richard, the biographical film following the journey of the Williams tennis family, portrays the father, Richard Williams, as Venus’ and Serena’s scout. Richard was also their first coach, agent and manager.
Athletes, even with all their skills, rarely make it to the limelight all on their own. Many individuals work behind the scenes to help your favorite athletes attain their career goals. This work is the core of sport management.
In this article, we explore the ins and outs of sport management, including career opportunities and professional organizations that can support your journey in this field.
What Is Sport Management?
Sport management is the intersection of business and sports. This field involves all functions related to developing and managing athletes, teams and professional leagues in the sports industry.
Depending on the specific job title, sport management professionals’ duties may involve:
- Planning and directing sport-related events
- Liaising among athletes, coaches and the media
- Coaching athletes before competitions
- Negotiating deals on players’ behalf
- Scouting for talent
- Drafting players into professional leagues
- Recruiting and supervising other sport management professionals
Sport management experts are vital to the success of any athletics organization. Aside from promoting athletes’ well-being, they also ensure their employers remain profitable each year.
To become a good sport management professional, you should be business-savvy. However, soft skills like communication, organization, analytical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration are also necessary for success in this field.
As a sport management expert, you can work for amateur, collegiate and professional sports teams. Other possible employers include sports networks (e.g., ESPN or NBC Sports), public relations companies and sports marketing firms.
In the athletics world, sport management professionals occupy various roles, such as athletic director, general manager, athletic coach, sports economist, sports lawyer, scout, facility manager, public relations specialist, sales coordinator and sports agent.
Careers in Sport Management
We sourced salary data for this section from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Payscale and Glassdoor in November 2023.
Athletic Coach
Median Annual Salary: $44,890
Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in sport management or business
Job Overview: Athletic coaches train athletes from amateur to professional levels. They create training regimens to help players and teams excel. Coaches also develop game plans to help their players win matches and games.
Facilities Manager
Median Annual Salary: $99,030
Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field
Job Overview: Sports facilities managers oversee and maintain athletic facilities. They ensure the safety of all players and playing surfaces during competitions and training sessions. Facilities managers also inspect the facilities at intervals to discover and prevent damage to sporting equipment.
Athletic Director
Average Annual Salary: $66,430
Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in sport management, completion of an athletic training program may be preferred
Job Overview: Athletic directors oversee athletic departments at school districts, colleges and universities. These professionals work directly with students, coaches and school administrators to ensure the success of athletic programs. They also oversee fundraising and budgeting for these programs.
Sports General Manager
Average Annual Salary: $99,240
Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in sport management or business
Job Overview: General managers are responsible for the daily activities of sports teams. They negotiate contracts for coaches and players, develop seasonal game schedules, recruit new players and act as spokespeople for teams.
Scout
Median Annual Salary: $44,890
Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in sport management or business
Job Overview: Scouts discover, assess and recruit new players to sports teams. Sometimes, athletic coaches can double as scouts for their team.
Public Relations Specialist
Median Annual Salary: $67,440
Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in public relations, communications or business
Job Overview: Sports PR specialists shape public perception of the athletes and clubs they represent. They issue press releases, schedule interviews and craft social media campaigns to bolster clients’ images and mitigate scandals. To learn more, see our guide on how to become a public relations specialist.
Marketing Consultant
Median Annual Salary: $138,730
Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business or a related field
Job Overview: Sports marketing consultants develop and implement strategies to promote athletes, teams and sports leagues.
Professional Organizations for Sport Management
North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM)
NASSM aims to advance sport management by promoting research, scholarly writing and professional development. It also publishes the Journal of Sport Management, where members can submit articles on the marketing, management and governance of sport companies. Founded in 1985, NASSM eventually joined with other regional groups to establish the World Association for Sport Management—an organization that facilitates international cooperation in sport management.
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA)
NACDA provides networking and education opportunities for collegiate athletics administrators. The organization publishes a magazine called Athletics Administration and hosts an annual convention to highlight concerns of the profession. NACDA also has an internship program for undergraduates who aspire to work as collegiate athletics administrators. Since its establishment in 1965, NACDA has grown its membership to 22,000 people across over 2,200 institutions throughout Canada, the United States and Mexico.
College Sports Communicators (CSC)
College Sports Communicators—formerly College Sports Information Directors of America —helps sports communicators like public relations and media professionals access resources for professional development. All CSC members can access the organization’s continuing education and mentorship programs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Jobs in Sport Management
Is a sport management degree worth it?
If you’re passionate about sports and careers to help guide athletes toward their goals, a sport management degree can help you qualify for this field. Some sport management jobs—including athletic director, sports general manager and facilities manager—offer higher-than-average salaries, which can indicate a positive return on investment for sport management degrees.
Can you work in the NFL with a sport management degree?
Earning a sport management degree is just the first step toward a career in the NFL. Depending on your desired role, you may need to earn on-the-job experience in other roles before qualifying for a job with professional leagues like the NFL.
Why is sport management a good major?
Sport management can be a good major for people with communication, planning and analytical skills. A sport management degree is versatile and can help you land a variety of careers within the athletics industry.
Who makes the most money in sport management?
Multiple sport management jobs offer higher-than-average salaries. According to 2022 BLS data, advertising, promotions and marketing managers—a broad career category that includes sports marketing professionals—earn $138,730 per year.
