The best schools offer MBA students the chance to focus on a specialization. That approach allows graduates the opportunity to learn both the fundamentals of business and how it applies to a specific industry.
Perhaps none of these are as highly specialized as an MBA in Sports Management program.
This program attracts those with a love of sports and great skills in business – a combination that makes them attractive job candidates in this unique field. Not everyone can throw the game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl under extreme pressure. But a job in sports management can get you into the industry you love.
What You’ll Learn in an MBA Sports Management Program
Earning an MBA in sports management puts graduates in a great position to break into the multi-billion dollar sports industry. Graduates learn the economics around sports management, as well as marketing, managing the finances of teams and stadiums and legal issues involved with the sports industry.
Using the program at Concordia University-Chicago as an example, graduate student outcomes include:
- An ability to analyze how domestic and global economic principles and theories impact the sports industry
- An understanding of fundamental concepts in sports finance, stock and bond valuation, capital project evaluation, risk assessment, leverage and working capital management in relation to the sports industry
- An ability to analyze and assess sports law situations in litigation and understand insurance, policy and law cases involving sports
- An understanding of diversity, gender equity and ethical decision-making in the sports industry
- An ability to use technology in making data-driven decisions
It’s a niche industry with plenty of potential for career success and job growth. Some of the potential careers include the following.
Sports Marketing
Sports marketing doesn’t just happen during the sports season. It’s become a year-round effort that involves selling season tickets, promoting special in-season and off-season events and (in the case of sports facilities) promoting non-sports events during the off season. As with marketing in all industries, sports marketing also now has a huge digital component. Those who work in this field need expertise in web site marketing, how to leverage online consumer data for targeted marketing campaigns and how to use social media to reach consumers on the Internet.
Athletics Administration
Athletic administrators oversee operations of a sports team or, in a university setting, the athletic program. They make hiring decisions and are involved in every major decision that dictates the direction and future of a team. This is essentially a CEO-level position.
Sports Event Planning
Consultants often work in this area, managing sports event planning. It’s one of the biggest jobs in the industry and one of the most highly specialized. Even a regular season sports game requires a unique set of skills to plan and manage. Large events such as the World Series or Super Bowl requires a lot of planning and preparation to do right. An MBA in Sports Management can prepare graduates to take on this challenging field.
Sports Agent
This is another highly specialized area. Sports agents manage the career of individual players. The most successful sports agents often have many players as clients. It’s a lucrative, high-pressure job that requires the ability to handle negotiations with often adversarial people across the table, as well as help players better manage their finances.
An MBA in Sports Management is a highly specialized degree that can open the door to fascinating careers involving the wildly popular world of sports. For those with a love of sports and a head for business, it can prove the perfect career match.
