Find out what kinds of jobs are available in the sports marketing field.
Learn about the educational requirements for a sports marketing job.
Discover ways to improve your sports marketing skills.
Take a look at base salaries for sports marketers.
Competition forms the root of everything people love about sports. A solid sports marketer knows how to leverage that competitive spirit to benefit any team or athletic organization.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 10% uptick in sports marketing jobs over the next decade, particularly in areas related to digital marketing. If using radio, social media, television, magazines, and other forms of media to design promotional campaigns for sports organizations sounds like a dream job, keep reading for useful insights into making that dream a reality.
A rewarding job in sports marketing is attainable, even if your prior work experience may not seem to connect with this popular field. You can begin your journey as a marketer in the sports industry regardless of your previous career path.
The following sections explain what prospective sports marketers should consider to break into this industry successfully.
Like most professional fields, the sports business contains a wide variety of full-time positions that can represent excellent starting points for a career in sports marketing. A few types of jobs available in sports marketing include:
Account coordinator. This is an entry-level position responsible for seeking out prospective sales leads and assisting the marketing department with market research and the development of promotional presentations.
Sports marketing manager. A sports marketer may conduct market research and combine those findings with problem-solving skills to create advertisements that drive ticket sales and general interest for the sports teams they serve.
Sports agent. This role negotiates contracts between athletes and their teams and handles endorsement deals for athletes and sports organizations.
Athletic director. An athletic director handles all major aspects of an athletic program at a college or university, including the hiring of coaches, advertising for special programs and sporting events, scheduling and budgeting, equipment management or ordering, and supervision of sports personnel.
Public relations specialist. This role involves managing interactions between sporting organizations and media outlets (e.g., television, radio, and magazines) and communicating with the media on behalf of sports teams and athletes.
Athletic business manager. An athletic business manager oversees all fiscal functions of an athletic entity and maintains a sports organization’s compliance with all relevant governing laws and professional conduct expectations.
Vice president or president of business development. This upper-level role represents the active face and visible management of all corporate sponsorships, league guidelines, and executive responsibilities relative to a sports entity. Travel is potentially required to maintain and grow formal partnerships and help expand brand awareness and marketing strategies.
As you embark on your journey toward a career in sports marketing, take some time to evaluate your unique skill set to determine which jobs in the sports industry might best suit your personality traits and specialties.
Relevant degree programs, areas of study, and courses relative to sports certifications vary widely within the field of sports marketing. A bachelor’s degree in journalism or marketing can make you competitive with prospective sports marketing employers.
Other educational backgrounds that can prove useful include business administration, sports management, and kinesiology. Focusing on economics, accounting, and sales can also be a good idea if you’re interested in finance-related sports marketing jobs, or cross-functional roles that focus on operations and strategy as well as fan engagement. And then there is the burgeoning field of sports betting, which is now considered legal in more than two dozen states, and relies heavily on advertising and promotion to grow market share.
It’s worth noting that sports organizations may expect candidates to hold a master’s degree for senior-level positions.
You’ll need to finely hone certain skills if you plan on hitting the ground running — pun intended — in your sports marketing role. Engaging business partners and fans through impressive communication skills, both spoken and written, will likely be necessary. Practice your public speaking and front-facing written communications every chance you get.
Developing strategic partnerships that are beneficial to the brand identity and public perception of a sports team or organization may also require an analytical mindset. The highest salaries in sports marketing go to candidates who are well-versed in digital marketing, strategized advertising, and email campaigns.
Creativity, flexibility, and time management are mandatory. Sharpen your skills in these areas by taking classes, using your own social media platforms as active practice, and holding yourself to deadlines, even if they’re self-imposed.
Various companies have a need for sports marketing professionals. You may find yourself applying to a call for sales managers by the NFL or taking an interview with a university in response to a posting from its athletic department. Big corporations specializing in athletic gear or clothing, such as Adidas and Under Armour, are also viable employment options for sports marketers.
Make sure your resume looks its best by including any marketing internships you complete, sales experience you may have had in the past, or personal connections to sporting events that have been impactful in your life or career. Check out available sports marketing jobs in your area with Joblist.
Although there’s a variety of jobs available in sports marketing, sports professionals should be able to exhibit a few key qualities. Below are a few skills needed to start a career in sports marketing:
Task management. You should be able to handle multiple projects, sponsorships, daily duties, individual athletes, and accounts in a timely and effective manner.
Written abilities. You should be able to compose emails, draft formal speeches, respond to press inquiries, and create other written correspondence for the sports organization.
Big-picture thinking. You should be consistently forward-thinking and looking ahead as far as 10 years down the road with regard to a sports entity’s needs, goals, and opportunities.
Leadership and public speaking. You should be ready and able to speak publicly on behalf of a sports organization at any time and set and enforce organizational expectations.
Beyond sales, advertising, public relations, and agent positions, additional jobs are available in sports marketing. A few of those include:
Merchandising. You might manage sports-related stores, purchase goods for sports entities, or be involved in regional and national retail as it relates to a sports organization.
Hospitality and restaurants. You might market sports-related opportunities to local businesses, creating food and beverage packages for sports clients in various areas.
Event management. You ensure sporting events unfold seamlessly, fostering sponsorship and creating audio-visual materials.
Marketing research. You’ll study sports fans, team and area histories, and competitors, evaluating sports data for economic impact and advertising possibilities.
Salaries within the sports industry can vary from position to position, but most enjoy a healthy average of pay. The following table represents the median annual wages reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for advertising, promotions, and marketing manager positions as of May 2021.
Advertising/public relations managers | $133,380 |
Company/organization managers | $129,510 |
Finance and insurance | $151,870 |
Wholesale trade | $132,450 |
Are you considering a new career in the sports industry now that you have more info? Let Joblist help pave your way to the sports marketing position that’s best suited to you. Visit our quiz page today to get started!
