One of the most exciting jobs for a sports fan is a career in a professional sports league like the MLB. Both Major League Baseball and MLB.com offer internships for college undergraduates looking to begin their careers in professional sports. The MLB has thousands of career opportunities for college-educated sports fans, and there are many paid internships available during the summer and fall.
Related resource: 50 Most Affordable Small Southern Colleges for a Sports Management Degree
Applying for an Internship
To be eligible for a paid internship with the MLB or one of the teams in the league, you must have completed two years of college. The MLB offers internships in various departments such as marketing, social media, public relations, e-commerce and corporate sales. When applying for an internship, you must specify the department in which you are interested and then explain why you would be a good intern for that position. The MLB receives many more applications than it has internships to award, and the hiring department bases its decisions on the experience and qualifications of the applicants.
It’s not always necessary to have experience or knowledge related to the department for which you are applying, but it can certainly help to raise your application to the top of the stack. While it isn’t possible to acquire work experience in the MLB before you apply for your first internship, you can gain experience in your area of interest during your personal time outside the classroom. For example, if you’re interested in applying for a position in the marketing department of the MLB, you can acquire experience and knowledge related to marketing before submitting your application. On your application, you can list the projects to which you have contributed as well as any relevant metrics indicating how successful the projects were. It’s not necessary to embellish your credentials or exaggerate your accomplishments on your application. You will be more likely to receive an internship position if you’re honest about your experience and abilities.
MLB Careers and Job Outlook
Jobs in sports management tend to be quite competitive but also highly rewarding for fans of sports. The starting salary for professionals with a bachelor’s degree in sports management is around $29,000, according to Payscale. The median annual salary for professionals in this field is around $47,000. The majority of people working in the MLB are involved in customer service, marketing, and other low-level business operations. A small number of these professionals make their way up to the executive level of the MLB or a specific team in the league. As a high-level sports manager, you can expect to earn $120,000 to $188,000, depending on the position and your work experience.
The job outlook for sports management careers is 8 percent, which is about average for all occupations. While this field is not experiencing a hiring boom at the moment, it is projected to grow significantly over the next 10 years. It will probably have enough positions to accommodate almost everyone who wants to work in sports management.
Business and management skills translate to a large number of occupations, and many of these professions are very exciting and interesting. If you love baseball and you’ve completed two years of a sports management degree, you should start the process of applying for an internship with the MLB.
