Most athletes dream of turning their sports hobby into a career one day. They know that the statistics are not in their favor of becoming an MLB baseball player or a Golfer for the Majors so they often turn to careers in coaching or sports broadcasting. What they don’t know is that their dreams don’t have to end there, as careers in the sports industry are not that limited. Here are five unexpected jobs in the sports industry that may just peak your athletic interests.
1. Sports Marketing
One of the most watched events of the year is the Super Bowl. People gather together in front of their TVs, some rooting for their teams, others gathered for a social event. As they watch the teams line up on the field, advertising for Budweiser, Doritos, E*trade, fills the stadium. The first commercial break comes, and everyone stops to see what great Super Bowl commercials there will be this year. Welcome to Sports Marketing. It is the job of a Sports Marketer to make money for teams, athletes, and companies selling goods and services with advertising.
2. Sports Team Psychologist
Athletes live in a world where they have to do their best, or they risk losing their job. The physical and emotional demands on athletes are so intense that they often become both physically and emotionally drained or broken. Often times this can be from fluctuating tabel with levels aka testosterone levels which can be linked to depression and a myriad of other problems. It is a Sports Team Psychologist whose job is to keep players in a healthy physical and emotional state. They are there to help monitor stress, prevent eating disorders, teach proper methods of goal-setting, prevent performance anxiety, and much more. Schools offer counseling degrees that specialize in Team Psychology and can prepare you for the sports career of your dreams.
3. Sports Event Coordinator
When you go to a sporting event, it is as simple as purchasing a ticket and showing up. However, for the event to actually take place a multitude of things are planned and coordinated in advance. A Sports Event Coordinator has the job of scheduling the event, organizing transportation, meeting the teams needs, accommodating the media, gathering security, ensuring that the audio-visual equipment is functioning, and overall making sure the event runs smoothly. Being a Sports Event Coordinator can be highly stressful, but it is also very rewarding when you watch all of your coordinated pieces come together.
4. Sports Statistician
Do you think that in a day and age where technology rules, that sports games are really left to chance? Did you see the movie “Moneyball?” If so, you know that sporting events are much more than just athletes playing the game. In addition to coaches working nonstop to find the most effective way to play their players, Sports Statisticians are in the background working to mathematically evaluate the game and its players. Every single detail and statistic during a game are gathered, reviewed, and analyzed. These statistics are then used for game performance, recruiting, and drafting.
5. Sports Officials
Ironically when you attend a game, you typically don’t pay attention to the officials (except when they upset you). However, it is the Sports Official who ultimately controls the game. Like it or not, it is their job to make a judgement on whether each play was fair and completed within the allotted rules. Similar to athletes they spend years working their way up from youth sports and hoping that they will be good enough to work among the few in the country who work professional level games. For previous athletes, this is a great way to continue being part of the game.
As you can see, your athletic dreams don’t have to end with the last game you play. You may not go on as a professional athlete, but you can go into broadcasting, coaching, or you can contemplate the alternatives. With a little research, you will find that there are many career options for the sports enthusiast and several that you may never have considered.
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