Enter the exciting world of sports management!

You love everything sports, you have an aptitude for management and you’re the first to help guide others. Are you ready to apply all those assets to a career in sports management?

Sports management is a rewarding career where you lead athletes, coaches and other sports personnel inside athletics departments and sports organizations. Your expertise helps individuals strengthen their skills and plays a critical role in helping teams develop quality sports programs.

The sports management field is the business side of sports – recreational, collegiate, and professional.  It takes a network of well-trained and ethical professionals working behind the scenes to keep sports organizations running smoothly.

The United States Sports Academy’s sports management degree programs can help secure a variety of jobs in sports management, including:

  • Stadium and arena management
  • Intercollegiate athletics departments
  • Sports governing bodies
  • Event coordinator
  • Sports marketing
  • Sports media industry
  • Fitness manager
  • Public relations
  • Athletic director
  • Facilities and operations manager
  • Sporting goods manufacturer
  • Sports agent

Each sports management job is integral to success

While sports management is the umbrella term for every role in the field, each job has specific responsibilities.

Athletic director

An athletic director is the head of the athletic department of a high school or university who handles most, if not all, of the daily operations for the sports department. Job duties of an athletic director include everything from creating and maintaining budgets to arranging travel and supervising department staff. Perhaps the most critical responsibility for an athletic director is managing public relations, which includes responding to media scrutiny around injuries or controversial team decisions.

Business development manager

Business development managers need to possess strong time management, communication and organizational skills. Their jobs with sports management requires them to oversee the business development team and communicate with marketing and advertising staff. They support the team’s financial well being by increasing fan base and building relationships with advertisers, supporters of the team and the league.

Operations manager

The operations manager handles every aspect of a sporting event — what happens before, during and after game day. Similar to sports managers but related specifically to the event, they establish budgets and collaborate with other departments. Operations managers also book entertainment, train employees, and ensure the sporting event runs smoothly.

Academy alums have secured NFL jobs with sports management degrees.

Dr. China Jude is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Denver Broncos.

“I started the Academy as someone who worked in sports, but left the Academy as a sports professional,” Jude said. “My time learning at the Academy gave me the practical experience I needed to work in the field, and it gave me the knowledge to be able to articulate my views, core values and priorities.

What’s the outlook for jobs for professionals with sports management degrees?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects sports management jobs to grow 22% through 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Sports management jobs are important to a team’s success 

Everyone, from the sports manager to the facilities staff, is connected to the team’s success. Sports management jobs require a multitude of skills from other vocations, including finance, business, law, human resource management and marketing.

The Academy will give you the leverage and flexibility to pursue any sports-related jobs with a sports management degree.

Why do you need a sports management degree from United States Sports Academy?

The Academy offers sports management degrees that afford you the opportunity to learn the latest techniques in the sports industry. Our sports management programs — created and taught by sports industry experts — provide you the exceptional education that leads to jobs in the sports field. Some degrees can be completed in just 15 months, but every sports management degree offers you online courses, robust internship opportunities and superior student support.

“[The Academy’s] program was rigorous and made me strive to excel. The Academy helped me achieve a more complete understanding of what modern student-athletes go through and prepared me academically to be a better coach. [USSA’s sports management degree] helped me press for excellence.” – LaTanya Sheffield, Long Beach State University track and field Head Coach