Sports Then and Now

They say “do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” Well, what if what you love is sports? We can’t all be professional athletes, and perhaps that ship has well and truly sailed for you already. However, those aren’t the only ways to turn your passion for sports into a career. Here are a few other ways you should be aware of.

Start writing for sports

Are you a confident writer or a good speaker? Then sports journalism could be the right step for you. It can involve writing for websites, papers and magazines, radio or TV. If you prefer a more independent route, you can start blogging, though it can take time for monetization opportunities, such as affiliate programs, to start presenting themselves. You can also look into academic writing and getting into the world of sports academia, but that requires a lot more education.

Help develop the athletes

Want to help athletes stick at the top of their game? There are a lot of ways to do it. Coaching is the most obvious, but many coaching positions are voluntary or highly competed for in schools. Personal trainers are highly sought after, helping with the strengthening and condition of top-level athletes. If you can make it through the personal training courses, it can be highly lucrative as you will deal with not only athletes but also clients from all walks of life. Sports instructors and physiotherapists tend to work more closely and exclusively with athletes and may end up getting hired to work full time for certain teams or groups.

Millions of people around the world are passionate about sports and play them and/or watch them on a daily or weekly basis. If you’re one of them, you no doubt have favorite teams you cheer for passionately, spend much of your leisure time being active in your sports support and wish that you could somehow make a living on this interest.

Well, the fact is that you probably can. There are all sorts of sports-related jobs on offer, most of which don’t actually require you to be fit enough or young enough to play professionally. Thanks to technology, you can also work for a company that may be located thousands of miles away, so you don’t even need to find an employer in your local area.

If you’re keen to pursue a new, sports-related career, read on for some tips you can follow to help you make your dreams come true.

Learn About the Different Job Options

For starters, it’s important to do your research, so you know about all the different job options available. While at first you might think that you can’t work in the sporting arena because nothing matches your skill set, when you find out how many different fields there are, you’re sure to find something to suit.

For example, you can help athletes to stay in top shape by becoming a physical or occupational therapist, a masseuse, acupuncturist or other type of therapist. Jobs can be in private practice or working full-time for a particular sporting team or organization. If, instead, you want to help sports people focus on their mental preparation or deal with the stress of their career, consider becoming a specialist sports psychologist.

If you’re good with numbers you could become a statistician, examining sports analytics for a living (a growing field) or if you enjoy negotiating contracts and deals and building relationships, then becoming a sports agent or manager could be the right fit for you. Read the rest of this entry →

At some point in life, you’ll likely be forced to admit that your chances of becoming a pro athlete are slim to none. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a successful career in sports. There are numerous related roles that will allow you to take part in your favorite sport or team and get paid for it. Here are some opportunities to focus on.

1. Social Media Director

Sports teams and organizations are aware of the potential for engaging and expanding their social media following, and like many businesses are increasingly looking for someone to represent them. If you have social media experience, writing, and digital marketing skills, the team you’re passionate about may need you.

2. Announcer

While the TV jobs usually go to established professionals and former athletes, sporting events at all levels usually require both on-site and radio announcers for broadcasting. You may be able to find a starting position as a high school announcer fairly easily. Moving up will typically require years of experience, training at broadcasting, and extensive knowledge of the game, along with a clear speaking voice and some authentic enthusiasm.

3. Sales Coordinator

All teams, even local high school teams, have an interest in earning extra money from merchandising or advertisers. You’ll work closely with team management, owners, and often the players themselves. You’re helping the team to improve and prosper in an important way. Typically, all it takes is an undergraduate degree in sales or marketing, some knowledge of sports management, and good people skills. Read the rest of this entry →

Many Americans are passionate about sports, and if you share this love of the sporting world, consider earning a degree in sports management. While plenty of people love watching and participating in sports, the sports management degree plan is relatively uncommon and many people are unaware of what sports managers really do. If you’re interested in learning more about earning a degree in sports management, it’s important to gain an understanding of the degree plan and career outlook.

What You’ll Do

If the title of sports manager sounds intriguing, it’s time to learn about what you can expect to do on a day-to-day basis in this type of position. As a sports manager, there are a wide variety of tasks that you can expect to be responsible for after you’ve completed your undergraduate degree. Depending upon where you work, you can expect to manage the roster of teammates on college or professional sports team, or you might take on a more clerical role and manage the office and marketing campaigns of a sports team.

Required Education

If you’d love to have a career in sports, it’s important to think about the education required to meet your goals. While the hiring standards are different between employers, most professional sports managers have a minimum education of an associate’s degree. If you’d like to boost your chances of landing your dream job, earn a sports management degree online from Adelphi.

What You’ll Gain From This Career

Before you officially decide to apply to start your sports management degree, you might be wondering what you’ll gain from a career in this field. For many sports fans, the number one reason to pursue this type of career is the ability to feel passionate about your work. If you’re able to work with a sports team, you’ll likely get to meet some of the players that you’ve always idolized and enjoyed watching. In addition to feeling passionate about your work, there are several other reasons to start taking classes to earn a degree in sports management. Read the rest of this entry →