If you have a passion for sports, there are several career options in the sports industry that can be both lucrative and rewarding. Whether you want to play sports, work directly with athletes, or report on the latest sporting events, there are several career options to consider that can be highly rewarding and fulfilling for anybody who could not imagine a life without their favorite sports and sporting professionals. It is not necessary to be an athlete yourself to create a successful career in sports. Depending on your ambitions and skills, there is a wide range of different sports jobs to choose from with something to suit every sports fan.
Sports Journalist or Editor:
These are professionals who are focused on reporting sports news. Sports journalism college courses are available to help you get into this potentially lucrative position where you will be able to spend your time following your favorite athletes and sports teams, attending or watching sporting events, and reporting on the results as they come in. Sports journalists or editors have the important task of reporting the results of sporting events to the fans and the general public. Without them, it would be a lot more difficult to get the latest updates from the Superbowl or the Olympic Games, for example.
Sports journalists can work for many different companies including newspapers, TV channels, magazines, or websites where they will provide news either in written or broadcast form regarding leagues, athletes, and teams. Sports journalists often perform extensive research and interviewing players, teams, and coaches can often be a key part of the job. Some sports journalists will focus on a single sport while others report on a wide range of different athletic events.
Sports Reporter:
Similar to sports journalists and editors, sports reporters are also professionals who provide the fans with the latest information on games, athletes, events, teams, and leagues. They will usually work in broadcast media, which involves providing information through outlets like radio and television networks. Sports reporters are often individuals with a high level of knowledge regarding the sport that they are reporting on, which allows them to provide an in-depth commentary and analyze the performance of the athletes or teams that they are reporting on, often in real-time. Many sports reporters offer predictions on the outcomes of upcoming seasons, games, and competitions and strive to make a name and persona for themselves in their chosen sport. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is often required to get into this position, with many larger broadcasters and news outlets requiring applicants to have majored in journalism or sports journalism.
Personal Trainer:
A personal trainer is somebody who works with athletes and guides them through training regimens and workouts to keep themselves in the best physical shape for the sport that they play. Personal trainers work closely with both athletes and coaches to best determine the athlete’s fitness goals and develop tailored exercise regimens and health routines to help them meet these goals, including improving strength, building stamina, or building muscle, for example. Personal trainers can work for either individual athletes or teams and will usually require a high school diploma plus a relevant qualification such as a degree in physical education or exercise science. You will need to be passionate about both sports and fitness.
Football Coach:
The role of a football coach involves helping players develop their athletic skills on the football field and achieve peak performance. Football coaches are tasked with developing training schedules, providing advice to players regarding practice methods, and teaching players the skills that they need to be successful at their chosen sport. They also build close relationships with the players and assess their physical and mental health and well-being, providing additional support and help where needed. Football coaches are usually experienced football players themselves and can work with football players at various levels including amateur, college, and professional teams. To work successfully as a football coach, you will generally be required to have gained a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as athletic coaching or sports science.
General Sports Team Manager:
A general manager is a professional who is tasked with overseeing the team staff and handling all administrative tasks for sports teams. They spend their time coming up with strategic plans for contracting or drafting athletes and team players and are responsible for developing the team budget. This role also involves negotiating contracts with sports players and their agents, and they will often provide advice regarding players’ promotions and more. General managers are employed by a wide range of sports team types at different levels including football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey. Educational requirements may vary, but you will typically be required to have a minimum of a high school diploma to work in this role. Since it’s typically associated with the business side of sports, a degree in business or a similar field can be useful.
Sports Marketer:
A sports marketer is a professional who is tasked with promoting players, teams, leagues, and sporting arenas and stadiums. This role involves performing market research, drafting ideas to increase the awareness and interest in the player, team, league, or sports venue, and coming up with creative strategies to ensure that marketing goals are met. The majority of sports marketing professionals are responsible for increasing the attendance at sporting events or the viewership of events that are broadcasted. They may also be responsible for promoting and selling sports merchandise and will use a variety of media outlets including social media, magazines, newspapers, radio, and TV. Typically, you will need to have gained a bachelor’s degree in marketing, public relations, or a similar subject to be successful in this role.
Umpire:
Umpires are individuals who monitor games and apply the regulations and rules wherever necessary. Umpires are experts in the rules of baseball and need to have keen observation skills to identify when players have broken rules and to decide the penalty that is deserved as a result. During baseball games, umpires need to remain concentrated on the game at all times to spot violations and be able to react as quickly as possible. Some umpires work exclusively for single baseball teams while others will travel to different games to work on behalf of a variety of different teams. To work in this role in professional Major League Baseball games, you will need to undergo specialist umpire training. There are two umpire schools in the US, both in Florida.
Basketball Coach:
Basketball coaches are responsible for overseeing team practice sessions and games in the sport of basketball. They are responsible for monitoring players’ progress, workout routines, and successes and provide advice and support when it comes to how players can improve. Basketball coaches work closely with players to help them set goals and provide motivation and encouragement on a regular basis to ensure that teams are performing to the best possible standard in each game that they play. Basketball coaches are often professional or high-standard players themselves and can work for amateur, high school, college, and professional teams. Basketball coaches tend to be selected for their own sporting abilities and can come from a range of educational backgrounds. Most of the time, this will typically require a relevant degree in a major such as physical education or sports science.
Baseball Coach:
If you enjoy baseball and this is a sport that you are good at, you might want to consider training to become a baseball coach. Coaches in this sport are responsible for keeping teams and players motivated to perform at their best and get the best results from every game. They are responsible for overseeing practice sessions and helping players develop and refine the key skills that they need to be the best at their sport. They build close relationships with the players and carefully monitor their progress, picking up on any areas that could be improved and providing advice, support, and encouragement to help players reach their goals. Baseball coaches are also responsible for strategizing and making the final decisions regarding which players are going to be selected for upcoming baseball games. They can work for teams at a variety of levels from high school and amateur teams right through to professional Major League Baseball games.
Athletic Scout:
If you have an eye for good performance and want to be able to pick out the future players with the best potential, a career as an athletic scout could be an ideal choice for you. Athletic scouts are professionals who closely monitor and identify amateur athletes who have the potential for success in college or even professional sports. They spend time observing athletes working out, practicing, and competing in sports to find the most promising individuals and make sure that their skills and talents do not go overlooked. Athletic scouts are also responsible for monitoring trends and keeping up with the latest in sporting news. They will often work closely with coaches to find out more about the most promising athletes and ensure that they make the right decisions when it comes to who they provide with the best opportunities. While a formal sports education is not always required to get into a career as an athletic scout, the majority of scouts are former coaches or sports players who have an extensive level of experience and knowledge in their chosen sport.
Athletic Director:
Athletic directors are a type of professional responsible for managing the athletic department of a high school, college, or university. They manage the daily operations of the department and are responsible for a wide range of roles including budget-setting, hiring, and training employees, and overseeing travel arrangements for teams, coaches, and other professionals. They are also tasked with handling public relations for the athletics department, helping the department and the sports teams within it maintain a positive public image. To be successful as an athletic director, you will typically be required to have a strong skillset including strong leadership, communication, and decision-making skills. This career will often require education to master’s level in a subject such as sports management. There are also various career certifications to consider to help you fine-tune your skills and prepare yourself for success in this role.
Sports Psychologist:
If you are interested in working with teams on a more personal level and finding out more about who they are as human beings and what makes them tick, a career as a sports psychologist might be an ideal choice for you. Sports psychologists are mental health professionals that specialize in working with athletes and helping them reach top performance. Often, playing sports can be just as mentally taxing as it is physically taxing, and sports psychologists can help professional athletes overcome issues such as losing a game, fear of failure, or anxiety around returning to the sport after an injury, to name a few. Sports psychologists are responsible for the development of treatment courses and therapies to help athletes rehabilitate mentally after a drawback or an injury. They provide advice and support to players regarding dealing with pressure and managing the anxiety that often comes with playing sports at various levels. Sports psychologists often play a major role in helping to motivate teams to achieve peak performance. A doctorate in psychology is often required to work in this role.
Physical Therapist:
Physical therapists work with athletes who have been injured or are in recovery from surgery. They are responsible for examining the athlete and developing a rehabilitation plan that is tailored to the player to allow them to regain full use of their muscles and joints and return to the game. They are responsible for helping athletes make the most of their physical form to reduce main and prevent additional injuries as they return to the game. They often work closely with coaches, trainers, and physicians.
If you love sports, you don’t have to be an athletic person yourself to get into a great career in this field.