How2Day: Careers for a Sports Management Degree

Representing pro athletes is one job for those with a sports management degree. black man's hand with baseball image by steven hendricks from Fotolia.com
Sports management degrees are offered by several colleges and universities all across the United States, but those who obtain one or who are thinking of entering a program may not be clear about the options available to them upon graduation. The truth is, a sports management degree can lead to a variety of careers within the sports industry.

The sports agent is a professional who guides an athlete through his professional career. Athletes generally sign with an agent at the end of their college career. Agents work to market the athlete and recommend courses of action for those they represent. They also help negotiate contracts, including salary negotiations, and additional contract options and help make provisions for potential injuries for the player.

The sports agent typically has top-notch communication, multitasking and negotiation skills. He should be very knowledgeable about investments, business management and financial analysis and be up to date on trends in the sports he represents. Sports agents often work long hours, but also demand high salaries that typically equal a percentage of the client's pay.

The general manager or coach of a sports team is an option for graduates with sports management degrees. These careers range from high school sports coaches to general managers of professional franchises.

The coach is responsible for teaching fundamentals and advance techniques of a team or individual sport. Coaches are in charge of practices and make the on-the-field decisions during games, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A general manager (GM) is responsible for the business aspect of the team organization in professional sports. The GM is typically involved with contract negotiations, hiring and firing of coaching staff and managing the entire staff on behalf of the owner.

An athletic director is a department head within a college or university system or high school. The athletic director is the person responsible for oversight and administration of all athletic programs, intramural organizations and recreation. She is also in charge of the school's sports facilities in most instances.

It is the athletic director's job to ensure compliance with all applicable rules and laws regarding the athletic department and to maintain funding and budgetary responsibility for all athletic programs. At the secondary-school level, the athletic director does all of the above and also typically coaches one sport. In some smaller colleges this is the case as well.

Some sports management degree holders choose to get into facility management. Arenas and fields where sports regularly take place need people to manage them and ensure the proper maintenance of the facility. The event or facility manager is the person for the job. He manages the staff that operates and maintains the venue and also works to book events and negotiate event contracts with sports teams or other organizations.

This job is often done by the athletic director in high schools and colleges, but professional sports often have a third-party manager of the facility in which they play.

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