Do you have a passion for sports, but can't pitch a baseball over 100 mph, slam dunk, or score the winning touchdown? According to The Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there are only 16,500 professional athletes, which is approximately 0.00053% of the U.S. population. However, earning a Master's degree in Sports Management can place students on the inside track to a career in the exciting sports industry. Students pursuing Sports Management degrees will learn business, finance, law, and marketing as they apply to the sports industry.
College athletes and former athletes are prime candidates for a Master's in Sports Management, because they can draw upon their personal experience, as well as use the exposure from scouts, agents, and coaches to help launch their career. Billions of dollars are spent on the sports industry every year. This revenue creates a wide variety of careers, including coaching or managing teams, event management, sports venue management, and recreation management. Some of the more unique careers within this field include sports blogger, season ticket management, sports camp director, and sports apparel brand management.
Because the sports industry is fiercely competitive, earning an online Master's degree in Sports Management provides job applicants with an edge over their competition. Also, students in a sports management program can complete an internship, providing them with experience in a field where it can be hard to get your foot in the door. It is important for students to think about their future career goals, and try to gain experience within that particular sector. For example, if you're interested in negotiating contracts, it would be beneficial to complete an internship at a law firm. Graduates typically go on to work for professional teams, professional athletes, sports associations, local parks and recreation departments, arenas, stadiums, marketing or law firms, YMCAs, colleges and universities, health clubs, and sports facilities.
The main factor in pay depends on whether you work with amateur or professional athletes, and what career you choose within the sports industry. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, coaches and scouts earn a median salary of $31,460. Agents or sports managers earn an average of $62,080 annually, and sports marketing managers can expect to make a median salary of $131,180. The top 10% of professionals working in the sports management field earned an annual salary of more than $194,810. California, New York, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas are the states with the highest employment level in agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes in the US. The highest mean salaries from the nation were in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, District of Columbia, and New York.
There are more individuals wishing to pursue a career in sports management than openings, but there is higher than average project job growth within this field predicted by the year 2026. An anticipated 13% growth for coaches and scouts, 10% growth for sports marketing managers, and 7% growth for agents or sports managers, provides a positive outlook for individuals interested in the sports management field. A online Master's degree in Sports Management would give students an advantage in this high demand, lucrative, and exciting field.