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What Are My Career Options in Sports Marketing?
What Are My Career Options in Sports Marketing?
Find out about the types of jobs you could pursue in sports marketing. Read on to learn more about career options along with salary and education information.
What is Sports Marketing?
There are many types of sports marketing jobs, including those with professional sports teams, at sports arenas or for sporting goods companies. You may work as a market researcher, a public relations specialist, or a marketing manager within the sports field. As a marketing manager for a sports team, you're in charge of promoting the team and overseeing the creation of merchandise. A public relations specialist who works for a sport team or arena is in charge of creating and maintaining a positive public image for their respective client. Finally, a market researcher within the sports field may be in charge of researching how many tickets an arena may sell for a season or how many fans a team has. Learn about the typical job skills, employment outlook and education requirements for a sports marketing career from the following table.
<table border="1"><tr><td></td><td><b>Market Researcher</b></td><td><b>Public Relations Specialist</b></td><td><b>Marketing Manager</b></td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Degree Required</b></td><td>Bachelor's degree</td><td>Bachelor's degree</td><td>Bachelor's degree</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Education Field of Study</b></td><td>Market research, statistics, business</td><td>Public relations, marketing, business, communications</td><td>Public relations, marketing, business</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Key Skills</b></td><td>Good communication, detail oriented, computer savvy</td><td>Communication, writing, problem-solving, creativity</td><td>Management skills, interpersonal communication, creativity</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Job Growth (2020-2030)</b></td><td>22% <i>(for all market research analysts)</i>*</td><td>11% <i>(for all public relations specialists)</i>*</td><td>10% <i>(for all marketing managers)</i>*</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Average Salary (2020)</b></td><td>$73,970 <i>(for all market research analysts and marketing specialists)</i>*</td><td>$71,940 <i>(for all public relations specialists)</i>*</td><td>$154,470 <i>(for all marketing managers)</i>*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhereMightIFindWork">Where Might I Find Work?</h3><p>As a sports marketer, you could certainly find yourself working for your favorite sports team, or you might find a position with another type of company in the sports industry. You could work for a marketing firm and be assigned to major ad campaigns that are sports-related. Or, you could work for a company that is involved in sponsoring sporting events. Other sports marketers work for sporting organizations such as the National Football League or Major League Baseball. You could even get a job working for a government agency that regulates or officiates sporting events.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatTypesOfJobsAreAvailable">What Types of Jobs are Available?</h3><p>Sports marketers are responsible for being the liaison between their company and the public. Many types of positions can fill this role. As a market researcher you could research public opinion on sports issues by analyzing surveys and setting up test groups. You could also specialize in developing a sporting company's brand, team promotion, or special events promotion.
</p><p>Some sports marketers work for government agencies to promote sports in the area. You could work for a local visitor's bureau or tourism office marketing sports. In some positions, you may market your area's sports teams to bring in tourists. Other positions may find you campaigning for prospective sports teams or large sporting events that need a location.
</p><p>Marketing managers, who typically work for large firms, coordinate advertising, product development, market researchers, promotional managers and sales managers. As a sports marketing manager you could monitor demand and customer satisfaction for a product or team. You would then use that information to guide pricing strategies, production and new product development.
</p><h3 id="section---IsThereGrowthPotential">Is There Growth Potential?</h3><p>Due to the results-driven nature of the sporting industry, if you perform well, you should be considered a valuable asset to any company. As a marketing manager who shares the vision of a company, you might enjoy a greater deal of job stability than most other managers. Additionally, because of this importance, managers in departments like marketing and accounting are often considered ideal candidates for top executive positions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of marketing managers was expected to rise by 10% between 2020 and 2030.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreSomeRelatedAlternativeCareers">What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?</h3><p>With a bachelor's degree, you could also work in the sports industry as an art director. You may be employed by a sports team and be responsible for helping design advertisements and commercials for their team and help in the creation of clothing and team merchandise. You may also be interested in representing individual athletes as a sports agent. This would involve handling their public image, making statements on their behalf, and most importantly, helping them negotiate new contracts. This job generally requires a bachelor's degree.</p>
