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Author: Suzanne Lainson; Licensed content of JobsInSports.com.

Sport administration / management is a very broad area. Sport managers and administrators run teams, ski resorts, recreational programs, sports governing bodies, college sports programs, etcetera. They are business people specializing in sports organizations.

“Some degree of business acumen is essential because we’re dealing with accounting and finance, we’re dealing with all these areas where there is a great deal of transfer from the business world,” said Mike McGee, then athletic director of the University of Southern California. (1) While he was talking about athletic directors, his comments apply to all sport management/administration positions.

On the one hand, sport management / administration jobs, can vary widely. A community recreation director is going to have different responsibilities than a minor league general manager who’s going to have different responsibilities than a high school athletic director.

On the other hand, most sport managers and sports administrators are similar in that they work with staffs, establish and oversee budgets, and are aware of, and possibly develop, marketing plans. A general manager of a minor league baseball team, for example, concerns himself or herself not only with ticket sales, but also whether or not the club controls concessions, how much to charge for parking, and whether to book a band after the game.

At this point it is important to note that most jobs in sport management aren’t glamorous. Sports and recreation are big industries, but most of the money is generated at the local level. “High school games may not be held in fancy stadiums, but they attract more fans than all the pro leagues and colleges combined.” (2) For example, in 1989 it was reported that elementary and high school sports spending was about $11 billion, while the total NCAA spending was about $2 billion.

And part of the revenue generated at these sporting events came from something other than ticket sales: Americans spent $4.2 billion on tickets and another $2.93 billion on food, drinks, and parking at stadiums, arenas, and tracks.

And even bigger money is spent away from stadiums and arenas (e.g., in 1989, Americans spent $17.4 billion for fishing trips).

Upcoming issues of Sports News will look at different aspects of sport management/administration and also the career paths of some sport managers/administrators.

This issue will conclude with a brief look at sport management education. Until recently, the best way to land a top job in sport management was to start at the bottom and learn by doing. But as sports became big business, colleges and universities began offering degrees in sport management. These have become accepted; increasingly sport administrators are coming from these programs.

Most schools offer internships which give students on-the-job training and most have very good placement services which match employers with recent graduates.

Students have a wide variety of academic options to choose from in their pursuit of a sport management degree:

Business degrees. These programs are taught in undergraduate and graduate business schools. Required courses are generally business courses, with an added emphasis on sports. Often the goal is to prepare students for jobs in the corporate world.

Kinesiology degrees. These programs are taught in undergraduate and graduate kinesiology or education departments. Required courses are generally education and sports-related courses, with an added emphasis on business and management. Often the goal is to prepare students for jobs in facilities management or to become athletic directors.

Sports specific programs. These are two-year or four-year undergraduate programs specifically tailored to prepare students for careers in one particular sport. The emphasis is on applied knowledge. Examples:

Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan offers bachelor’s degrees in professional tennis management and professional golf management.

Other schools with tennis management programs include Methodist College in North Carolina, Lyndon State in Vermont, Technical College of the Lowcountry in South Carolina, and Manatee Community College in Florida.

Other universities with golf management programs include Mississippi State, Penn State, and New Mexico State.

Northern Michigan University and Lake Superior State University (another Michigan school) offer degrees in ski facility management.

Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado offers a two-year degree in ski operations and Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Michigan offers a two-year ski area management program.

Other programs. Some schools offer sport management programs within their tourism, recreation and leisure studies, hospitality, hotel and restaurant management, or other departments. A unique example:

The University of Rhode Island offers MBA and MS degrees in international sports management through its Institute for International Sport. “Ideally, we would hope to turn out a student, or students, who some day will be presidents of the U.S. Olympic Committee and perhaps even the I.O.C. [International Olympic Committee],” said Daniel E. Doyle, executive director of the institute. “… I decided that it was important to establish an institute where young people could prepare for careers that would blend sports management and diplomacy.” (3)

1 Athletic Business, November 1990.
2 Steven Wilstein, “The Business of Sports,” an Associated Press article reprinted in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, August 26, 1991.
3 The New York Times, July 25, 1990.

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