Top Careers in Sports Mangement

Sports management careers are a great choice for those who love sports and fitness, and would like to work in the industry. Earning your degree in sports management is a good way to start a rewarding and often lucrative sports mangement career.

Sports management online degrees combine fitness and business to give graduates a solid foundation to build a lifelong career out of their love of sports. Sports and fitness management degree programs typically include classes in management, finance, communications, ethics, and business together with the principles of fitness and wellness. Here is an overview of a few common sports management careers this degree will prepare you to pursue:

Gym manager

Gym managers oversee the day-to-day operations of a gym facility, including hiring, managing, training and scheduling staff; facility management; recruiting new members and implementing marketing initiatives to generate revenue; buying and maintaining equipment; and designing and scheduling classes and features to attract and retain members. A gym owner can open a franchise or a new gym facility. Owners with good business skills and an understanding of the sports and fitness market have the opportunity to achieve high profits.

Professional coach

Professional coaches don't only work at the national level. They may work with semi-professional teams, private sports facilities, summer camps, and schools. Many schools, private sports facilities and camps hire coaches part-time, but you can become a full-time coach at a larger school or university. Often professional coaches begin their careers as assistant coaches after years of experience as a player, and work their way up to head coaching positions.

Sporting goods store manager

Sporting goods stores draw on sports knowledge and business skills when seeking managers. Salespeople work directly with customers, making recommendations and sometimes earning commissions. Managers supervise employees and ensure profitable sales in their departments, sometimes designing pricing and sales policies as well as motivational programs for the sales staff. As the owner of your own sporting goods store, you'd be responsible for the survival of your store-from merchandising and pricing to marketing and hiring.

Community recreation center or sports facility manager

Community recreation center managers are typically responsible for designing and promoting activities, securing contracts and funding, running activities, hiring staff, managing facilities, and other tasks depending on your job description. Some recreation centers and sports facilities are run by nonprofits, while others are funded by state or local governments, or may be privately funded facilities.

Camp director

Camp directors are normally responsible for planning camp activities, hiring counselors, managing facilities, marketing the camp, and ethical and legal issues that relate to day and overnight camps. Although most camps are seasonal, depending on the climate in your area and whether you run a program marketed to children or adults, you may be able to find year-round employment or open a camp that caters to customers year-round.

Gym teacher

Many individuals who aspire to be sports coaches find rewarding careers in education. Gym teachers work in public and private schools with kids of all ages, from kindergartners to teenagers. This is typically a full-time position, and some gym teachers may take on coaching and health education duties as well. In most states, aspiring gym teachers will have to become licensed to teach in public schools.

Spa owner or manager

Health spas may also include many recreational facilities, including tennis courts, swimming pools, gyms, and golf courses. In addition, they typically include professional massage, meditation, beauty treatments, medical consultations, and more-depending on the type of spa. You can work for a spa chain, a luxury resort, a health or medical spa, and more-there are numerous possibilities to suit diverse interests. Become a spa manager or run your own spa, and you'll have day-to-day control over health and fitness-related activities and facilities and programs as well as the spa's business operations.

An online degree in sports management can lead you down many different career paths, depending on your interests. For those with a strong interest in hands-on sports participation, a teaching or gym education career may be a perfect fit. Those with an entrepreneurial mindset may love to own or manage their own gym, sporting goods store, or spa. And people who love directing and designing activities and managing sports facilities may find fulfillment in a directorial position at a camp or community recreation center. An online degree in sports and fitness management will help you combine sports and business knowledge to find a career that works for you.