Sports management is a great field for those who are interested in the sport field, but who aren’t interested in playing or coaching. This is a degree option that is growing in popularity. But just what can you do with this type of degree? Let’s take a look at some of your options in this field.

Sports Management Positions

With a degree in sports management, you’ll be prepared to work in administration in association with the world of sports. Positions are available in marketing, advertising, finance, scheduling, project management, human resources, and facilities management. In this field, you can work with a team or player, with the sports program at a college or high school, or at a specific facility. Entry-level positions usually have you working as an assistant, but like with other fields, you can work your way up the ranks through education and experience.

Daily Tasks in Sports Management

The tasks you’ll do on a daily basis in the sports management field of course depends on your specific positions, but in essence, all jobs have the same goal: to keep games running as smoothly as possible. If you’re working with a team or school, you’ll work completely in sports, where as facilities managers may also work with other events, like concerts and fan events.

With a sports management degree, you can also work with sports-related companies and research programs in administration positions. A sports management degree gives you multiple job options after you graduate – even more if you consider a minor or double-major in a related specialized field, like communications of accounting.

In a nutshell, agents and business managers of athletes are typically responsible for the following duties:

• Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms.
• Confer with clients to develop strategies for their careers, and to explain actions taken on their behalf.
• Develop contacts with individuals and organizations, and apply effective strategies and techniques to ensure their clients’ success.
• Schedule promotional or performance engagements for clients.
• Negotiate with managers, promoters, union officials, and other persons regarding clients’ contractual rights and obligations.
• Keep informed of industry trends and deals.
• Manage business and financial affairs for clients, such as arranging travel and lodging, selling tickets, and directing marketing and advertising activities.
• Conduct auditions or interviews in order to evaluate potential clients.
• Arrange meetings concerning issues involving their clients.
• Prepare periodic accounting statements for clients.

Characteristics Needed to Work in Sports Management

The best workers in sports management have one thing in common: the ability to organize. Sports management requires you to be as organized as possible in order to keep a team, player, program, or facility on schedule and on budget. You’ll work with quite a large number of moving pieces in this field, and you could be tasked with everything from dealing with food vendors for game day to booking team transportation to away games to making sure the facility has the best equipment and trainers to take care of players.