A sports career can lead to any number of specialties. It is not just for coaches, team doctors, and athletes. Not everyone that plays a sport in high school and college wants to further their athletic career as a professional athlete. Undergraduate and graduate level sports degree programs open doors to sports jobs.
High school coaches used to be thought of as a gym teacher with knowledge of a sport. They are much more than that. At any level of athletics, the people who pursue a career in sports are professionals with the background to prove it. Coaching takes training just like anything else. It is more than blowing the whistle during practice and calling out plays.
Numerous colleges and university around the United States provide undergraduate degrees in sports disciplines. Many sports career paths require an educational background in sports as a complement to experience in the field. You may start off in a coaching position but if you ever want to further your career, you’ll need the education and this could in turn lead to sports agent jobs.
Think about your favorite sports team. It can be on a collegiate or professional level. To make a successful campaign on the season there needs to be a variety of people involved. There is the athletic director, the physical therapist, the team trainer, the coach, the sponsors, the marketing people, the uniform company, the ticket sellers, the sports writers, the sports complex manager, and a host of others. All of these jobs are part of the sporting industry. Any one of them can be yours with the right training.
In today’s world, a Bachelor’s degree is a minimum requirement for jobs in various industries and sports are no exception. For journalism, Penn State University has a program in their communications department for various aspects of sports journalism. More and more schools are tailoring their sports management degree to include industry specific courses to better prepare students for sports careers.
Students who want to pursue a career in physical therapy can get an the applicable education. This curriculum teaches about the science of the sports injury in particular and how to rehabilitate those who suffer from them. Remember that athletes come in all shapes and sizes. They are the professional and college athlete but also the recreational athlete.
After playing a professional sport, athletes may want to promote the sport from the marketing side of things. Putting a positive spin on the assets of a team can attract sponsors and more fans to become season ticket holders. A degree in marketing with an emphasis on sports is a plus.
Physical education teachers are like a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to sports. They teach students to respect the sporting world and how to play sports correctly. With their education, they learn how to teach, the science behind injuries, and about health and physical well-being. For athletes, they are some of the first ones to notice that potential in their students.
Master’s degree programs exist for those who want to stay competitive in the sporting industry. The future of sports will depend on the leaders that are created in the programs of today. Industry leaders exist on the field, in marketing, on sporting committees, in sports media, in high school athletics, college athletics, community athletics, and professional athletics. A career can be launched in any one of these areas.
Seattle University has developed a comprehensive graduate degree program offering a Master in Sports Administration and Leadership. The program is the first of its kind to offer a focus on all aspects of the sporting business as it applies to the collegiate level. A program with a broader base of study exists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Degree programs exist for athletic trainers, sports nutritionists, massage therapists, and exercise physiologists. People who want to specialize in one area of sports medicine can check out these programs. Community colleges offer sports-related courses for people who want to further their education but don’t have the time or money to take on a university program.
Having a sports related college degree helps when it comes to advancing one’s career. Sports job titles include: Director of Sales, Sports Law, Head Coach, sports reporter, Athletic Director, and Director of Public Relations. Sports are a universal language around the world. The advantage afforded by advanced degrees are not only valuable in high schools and colleges but also with companies like Nike, Sports Illustrated, marketing groups, management companies, and media conglomerates like Time-Warner.
Tags: College and University