Price Waterhouse Coopers predicts global sports revenues of $145 billion by 2015, making it an attractive field for a SPORTS MANAGEMENT INTERN. Professional football, baseball and basketball teams are among the most visible producers of the predicted revenue, but there are many other opportunities for an enterprising person to pursue. Working for no pay is typical of volunteers, but you can make it an investment in your future by offering your services to a sports organization for free. Some of the best opportunities include these:
- college athletics
- talent agencies
- marketing
Interning at the College Level
Event staging is a labor intensive aspect of sports management, and colleges need interns who are willing to do the work for basketball, football and other games. Lifting as much as 50 pounds and working in extreme weather is part of the job in some cases. Things that you take for granted as a spectator are an assigned task for a worker, and colleges need to cut costs wherever possible.
You may have to schedule personnel to take tickets or work as marshals. Your superiors probably take care of arranging to have physicians on duty, but scheduling a first aid staff is a necessary task as well. Game management may put you in touch with referees, statisticians and scoreboard operators, giving you the chance to get hands on experience with staging a college sports event. Coordination with visiting teams is a courtesy that makes them feel welcome.
Finding the Money
Sports agents must negotiate highly lucrative contracts for professional players, and getting to see how negotiations occur is a valuable experience. Tom Cruise played the role of a fictional sports agent, revealing the inner workings of contract negotiations. Television rights involve legal statements and conditions that are worth huge sums, and access to negotiations is outside the reach of most people. But sports management in the front office or as a personal representative covers all financial aspects of a professional’s career.
Marketing World Wide Events
Creating and managing sports events around the world is the task of firms that travel the globe to stage golf tournaments, races and soccer games. Duties of a SPORTS MANAGEMENT INTERN may include confirming player eligibility and management of the entry process. Scheduling meetings prior to the event and conducting a mail campaign are behind the scene activities that affect the success of an event. Course marking and setting up the venue require physical effort, and coordinating volunteers gives you the chance to interact with willing workers.
Finding Opportunities Online
Major organizations such as state golf associations, sports marketing firms, CBS, Nestle Purina, Sirius XM Radio and others actively search for qualified candidates to work in sports management. Competition for jobs in sports management is intense, and an internship can give you the experience that makes you more attractive to potential employers.
Some internships conclude with an offer to stay on as a paid professional, but those that do not can provide you with invaluable knowledge that is otherwise out of reach. The time that you spend working as a SPORTS MANAGEMENT INTERN for free may open opportunities to work in the growing sports business and to benefit from the rewards available in a $145 billion industry.
For more information, check out:
Top 15 Best Online Sports Management Degree Programs
What Public Relations Jobs in Sports are Available?
