A sports management degree is a specialized offering for people who want to combine their interest in business with their love of sports. There is no requirement that students be big sports fans though the majority of individuals who end up in these programs tend to have a rooting interest. Sports management students can be male or female, and the students can be interested in a host of different sports. They learn the basics of business, and those basics are taught in the context of what might happen in the sports world. Students might learn marketing, advertising, promotions, and management techniques. They will learn how to operate a sports team or a sports facility on a day-to-day basis. The University of Central Florida is one of the best sports management schools in the country, and it’s well known for its ability to connect students with internship providers. For graduate degrees, Georgetown University is a top choice, and it’s known for providing students with a sports administration foundation. Many students who graduate from Georgetown go on to work for college sports programs in one capacity or another.
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Breaking Into The Sports Management Profession
Getting started in the sports management profession requires one to have some training and education. There is no one specific track that will lead to a sports management career though students with sports management degrees tend to have better opportunities. Students will need to have studied the basics of business, with finance and management being very important. Those who want to work on the business side will want some experience or education in marketing, since many of the sports management jobs revolve around advertising or account management. Some students may start out as account executives, and they would make around $50,000 for the average pro sports team. Those individuals would handle marketing accounts, and they would be in charge of keeping those clients happy. The jobs that pay the most are technical jobs and jobs on the personnel side. For instance, a person working as a baseball operations analyst might make almost six figures coming out. Once a person rises to the level of vice president, he or she can expect to make mid-six figures. In terms of demand for students coming out, it should be known that teams are always in the market for people who have a math and statistics background.
Best Cities for Getting a Job in Sports Management
If students want to get hired, they have to go where the jobs are. New York City is a great place to be if you want to work in sports. Sports management professionals there might work for either teams, like the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones, or venues, like Madison Square Garden. In Houston, sports management professionals have plenty of opportunities. They might work for the Shell Houston Open north of town, or they might be able to snag a job as an account executive with the MLS’s Houston Dynamo. One city that people might not expect to offer great opportunities is Milwaukee. There, students might be able to get a job in sports administration with Marquette University, a school that has a top-notch basketball program. Miami is also a great place to go for sports management jobs. Rather than looking at the traditional teams there, professionals might look toward administrative positions with a huge number of pro baseball teams, many of whom have spring training in the state. Indianapolis is a great place to be for people who want to stay in Big Ten country. In addition to the Colts and Pacers, there are many colleges in the city, and the Indianapolis 500 has a huge staff of sports management professionals.
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