The writers at TSR recommend all College Freshman and Sophomores start early if you intend to work in the Sports Industry. When conducting your search keep in mind that you will “probably” have more internship than permanent placement opportunities. This is due to the nature of your status (College Student) and economics (Free labor for the employer).

First, contact any local sports organizations (Major/Minor League franchises, Sports Radio stations, etc…). If there are no immediate openings on their websites or posted in the newspaper, send an inquiry letter to the staff member in charge of ticket sales and sponsorships. The letter should inform this person of your interest in “volunteering.” If  you do volunteer, contact your school counselor/advisor and see if you can receive academic credit while working. You should seek permission to receive academic credit the semester prior to working for the organization.

Second, contact the Athletic Director (AD) at your university. Express your interest in selling season tickets and sponsorships for the athletic programs (Football, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, both revenue generating sports). If you are enrolled at one of the smaller (student body population) schools, the athletic department will probably not have a sales staff. Your help would be appreciated and necessary. The benefit in working for the university is that you gain experience during the school semesters and have the ability to seek an internship from a separate organization during the summer months.

Important:Keep a record of all transactions ($ amount of ticket sales/sponsorships, % gain in sales/revenue attributable to your work, number of new accounts). This information will then be transferred to your Resume/CV. Imagine how your candidacy would look to a Sports-Industry employer with this experience upon graduation. You will be in a far superior position than your competition.

The TSR staff has been questioning the value of Sports Management programs, especially those at the Graduate level. The required course curriculum for these programs mirror that of other disciplines including Marketing, Management, Finance, Mass Communications, and Economics. The issue is whether this degree is useful outside of the sports and/or necessary to secure employment within the Sports Industry.

A  Juris Doctor (Law Degree) is valuable within and outside of sports. The same holds true for a degree in Marketing, Finance, etc… These disciplines have diverse curriculums where they are not “focused and concentrated” on one specific industry, which is the opposite of for example a MS in Sports Management.

Analyzing the jobs located on ESPN.com and TeamWorkOnline.com result in a small percentage of employers requiring candidates to possess either an undergraduate or graduate degree in Sports Business/Management. This leads to our conclusion that Sports Job-seekers without a degree in this field is not at a disadvantage to their counterparts.

Sports is part of the Entertainment industry. This means that there will be an unlimited need for selling and marketing in order to be successful (outside of winning games). Selling or the “Art of Selling” is not something that can be taught in the classroom. A good salesman learns from experience and by studying/focusing on the traits of potential customers.

Another point is that many schools offering this degree promote the fact their students and graduates have retained internship placements with relevant sports industry employers. However, this can also be done at the undergraduate level where many universities have student societies and clubs with a focus in Sports Management and Marketing. The student-operated organizations provide Career and Networking Fairs for its members on campus and encourage its members to attend off-campus Sports Industry functions as well (The purpose is to Network with industry executives with the hope of landing either a job or internship). If this can be done at the undergraduate level, what would be the purpose of pursuing such a unique degree at the graduate level?

If you one possess a Sports Business/Management graduate level diploma, we do not write this to question your decision. We only question whether this program adds VALUE to the marketability of your career prospects either within or outside of the Sports Industry.  The purpose of enrolling in school and selecting a particular major is to get employment in a certain field upon graduation. Where is the benefit in a situation when the goal and the experience required to reach this goal are not parallel?

NOTE: The TSR staff does not attempt to discredit the overall relevance of a Sports Business/Management degree. We only intend to show that this discipline “may” not be a necessary tool when seeking employment opportunities in the Sports Industry.