Sports Management in the U.S.

Sport Management is where sports and recreational activities meet the business world, and the Turks and Caicos Islands is not short of our fair share of athletic potential. From track and field to rugby to soccer, this array of sports and recreational activities have brought thousands from all over the world to seek out participating in these sports in the TCI. If you’re interested in a career that allows you to learn and operate in the business aspect of sports, read on for how you can learn more about studying Sports Management in the U.S.

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Academic Routes

2-Year Degree

There are a select few jobs you can start on the sports management path that require a 2-year degree of less. Jobs that require a high school diploma or less include athletes, umpire/referee, and sales agent. Many of these, such as athlete and umpire/referee, usually start as extracurricular activities and the more years of experience you gain can help you solidify your path toward a career.

A 2-year degree can help you get started on courses in business and management. Courses in these programs will include introduction to mass communications, public speaking, introduction to business and marketing, computer literacy, introduction to management, and math such as economics, accounting, and calculus. Entry-level job you can get with a 2-year degree in business include social media/marketing assistant, graphic designer, and sales associate.

4-Year Degree

Entering the sports management field begins with a 4-year degree as this is when you can begin specializing. You can either find a specific school that has a 4-year sports management program or you can get a bachelor’s degree in business. This gives you the fundamental background in finance, accounting, marketing, economics, and management. A business degree can look very different depending on what area you want to work in, and you can possibly have a concentration or minor to take extra classes to gain more experience for the specific area you want to work in (like a sports and entertainment management concentration).

In a business degree program, courses will include heavy math (like calculus, statistics, accounting, and economics), marketing, entrepreneurship, public speaking, workplace skills, and law and business. Entry-level careers related to sports management that you can have with a bachelor’s degree include sales manager, marketing coordinator, special events coordinator, or marketing analyst.

Beyond a 4-Year Degree

Education beyond a 4-year degree is where you can really begin working in sports management and where you’ll see the more high-paying jobs. Often, you can work your way up to management level as you will gain experience over a number of year, but you might also have to take extra courses to support your experience. Some careers that may require a graduate or professional degree are operations manager or college and univeristy athletic coaches. Sports agents and recruiters can benefit from having a master’s degree because it gives them more insight into the workings of managing faciltieis and athletes. Courses in a master’s degree programs cover areas such as sports management, entertainment, business analytics, marketing, social issues, sport law, and finance.

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Technical Routes

Apprenticeships & Internships

Apprenticeships provide on-the-job training and education while you work and can look like working or volunteering with little experience but being trained to improve your skills. Not only are you learning the necessary job skills, but also the demands, hours, ways to interact with the public, procedures, and problems that usually arise on the job. It is an all-encompassing experience. You can find apprenticeship and internship opportunities in sports management through internet searches or networking.

If there is a business, organization, or person whose work interests you, ask them for the opportunity to intern or shadow them to learn more about the field and career. This is a great way to show your interest in the field and secure future opportunities to gain experience.

Vocational Training

Similar to apprenticeships, vocational training provides hands-on learning experiences, but mostly through coursework. It is primarily schooling with an aspect of hands-on learning to teach the necessary skills and later put them into action in a classroom setting. You can find vocational programs at technical colleges. Technical colleges usually do not provide vocational training around sports management, so look to apprenticeships or volunteering to gain hands-on experience.

Resources

You can review the Minnesota State CAREERwise website to explore careers similar to sports management in the Arts, Audio/Vidio Technology & Communications, Health Sciences, and Hospitality & Tourism career clusters. Here are more resources to learn more about careers in sports management:

The Complete Guide to Careers in Sports Management
Sports Management Programs: United States
Professional Associations: North American Society for Sports Management | Sports Events & Tourism Association | Society of Health and Physical Educators | Black Sports Agents Association | National Sports Marketing Network
Free Coursera courses: Sport Sponsorship: Let them play (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Sports and Society (Duke University), The Science of Training Young Athletes (University of Florida), Sports Marketing (Northwestern University)

Check with your institution of interest to find out more about their admissions application, program requirements, and the best way to map out your future for studying sports management.