Are you passionate about sports or esports? You don’t necessarily need to be an athlete, a competitive gamer, or a coach to thrive in this industry. There are many other compelling roles available, including sports management jobs that call for visionaries who are determined to make a difference.
However, not all fans are well-suited to sports and esports management, so it is important to examine your options carefully before you move forward in those fields. To help with the career planning process, we’ve highlighted several of the most compelling options in sports and esports management.
Why Pursue a Career in Sports and Esports Management?
Sports and esports management are quickly growing fields that provide passion-driven work opportunities for diverse types of ambitious, sports or gaming enthusiasts. This can be a great option for blending passion projects with strong earning potential while also leveraging a clear path to advancement. Key benefits of sports and esports careers include:
Industry Growth
Sports and esports are both quickly growing fields, driven by a rapidly expanding fanbase. Esports, in particular, has seen dramatic growth in the last several years, with tournaments attracting millions of audience members. The global sports industry is also expanding. In fact, marketing agency Two Circles anticipates that by 2033, this industry will reach annual revenues of $260 billion.
Technology and Media Expansion
With the rapid growth of sports and esports comes a clear desire among fans to consume as much sports-centric media as possible. These fans crave connection with like-minded individuals and want to expand their understanding of their favorite sports or events through in-depth commentary and analysis. Media coverage and content creation are expanding with the industry, adding nuance and engagement while creating many new jobs in broadcasting and production.
Passion-Driven Work
Professionals in sports and esports management are enthusiastic about their work and would likely spend much of their time on sports content even without jobs in the field.
The value of a passion-oriented career path should not be discounted. For those who are truly committed to the sports or esports fields, everyday tasks do not truly feel like work. There is something wonderfully rewarding about getting the chance to help shape a field you love and appreciate.
Variety of Career Opportunities
The exceptionally diverse fields of sports and esports management cater to professionals from all walks of life, including eager professionals with a wide range of interests and experience. There really is something for everyone, including numerous ways to specialize or to climb the career ladder. From marketing to operations and even broadcasting and production, a wealth of opportunities await.
10 Career Opportunities in Sports Management
Sports management has long played a central role in driving the success of the sports industry as a whole. Skilled sports management professionals manage the complex administrative components of this sector, ensuring that teams, organizations, and events have the necessary oversight so that operations are carried out smoothly. They also drive impressive progress towards ambitious objectives while upholding core organizational values. These essentials are conducted by many key players, including:
1. Sports Agent
Sports agents advocate for athletes: their professional best interests and even their health, well-being, and work-life balance. This primarily encompasses contract negotiation but may also involve assistance with financial planning and other tasks. This grants athletes valuable peace of mind and allows them to shift their focus to training and performance.
2. Sports Market Manager
It takes a carefully crafted marketing strategy to appeal to specific types of fans or future fans. However, sports market managers make it happen by developing marketing initiatives that make a splash. This may involve marketing campaigns that promote not only the team itself, but also specific events or products that relate to the team. This role could also encompass social media engagement or community outreach.
3. Event Coordinator
Responsible for planning and executing critical events such as games or tournaments, event coordinators collaborate closely with numerous teams, vendors, sponsors, and other stakeholders to keep everything running smoothly. This far-reaching role encompasses everything from ticketing to hospitality, merchandising, and even sponsorship activation.
4. Athletic Director
Often employed by high schools or colleges, athletic directors oversee budgeting, staffing, scheduling, and other concerns on behalf of often sizable athletic departments. They may work with coaches, athletes, and parents to ensure that programs are well-run and that they abide by the values or goals of the school or organization in question.
5. Sports Information Director
As uniquely media-savvy professionals, sports information directors oversee far-reaching publicity efforts as they relate to sports teams or programs. Their goal is disseminating critical details while clearly conveying the values of the organization in question.
6. Sports Compliance Officer
Determined to uphold the integrity of the sports industry while also keeping individual athletes and entire teams safe, sports compliance officers ensure that all athletes and coaches abide by relevant regulations. These may be developed by governing bodies, but it is the compliance officer’s responsibility to verify that such rules are followed and take appropriate actions when warranted.
7. Team Manager
Sports teams face a number of administrative complications, such as scheduling, travel accommodations, and budgeting. Team managers handle these concerns while acting as liaisons between coaches, students, athletic directors, or league officials. Some are also heavily involved in athlete scouting and recruitment.
8. Sports Merchandising Manager
Committed to boosting brand visibility and maximizing sales for specific teams or leagues, sports merchandising managers drive the strategic development and promotion of sports-related products. They may offer direction for product design and packaging while also handling inventory management essentials, including procurement, replenishment, and more.
9. Fitness Manager
Typically working within gyms, fitness centers, or health clubs, fitness managers are eager to help members improve their physical health and emotional well-being as they experience the simple joy of movement. This role typically centers around day-to-day facility operations, including staff supervision and member services.
10. Facility Manager
Bringing operational management expertise to arenas, stadiums, and other athletic venues, facility managers help to keep athletes safe while also ensuring that practices, games, and other events run smoothly. This role emphasizes maintenance activities, although staffing, scheduling, and budgeting are also priorities.
10 Career Opportunities in Esports Management
Esports management is just as diverse a field as conventional sports management, with several roles closely aligned with their counterparts in the sports industry. That said, there are significant differences worth considering as seen in the job descriptions highlighted below:
1. Esports Team Manager
From scheduling practices to handling sponsorships, esports team managers oversee processes that resemble conventional sports management. In esports, this role may have less of a focus on in-person travel arrangements, and instead, focusing on online competitions or communication platforms to support remote team members.
2. Esports Coach/Analyst
High-level coaching is just as important in esports as in conventional athletics. In traditional sports, coaches are largely involved in physical conditioning. With esports, coaching is more of a tactical pursuit, with coaches or analysts emphasizing the psychological components of the game. This is often through gameplay analysis and performance metrics.
3. Event and Tournament Organizer
Whether esports events involve dedicated arenas or are held entirely online, they call for exceptional coordination and planning from event or tournament organizers. These professionals must address unique concerns such as server stability. Event organizers will ensure that necessary platforms or communication tools are configured appropriately to facilitate seamless events.
4. Esports Marketing Specialist
Although similar in many respects to traditional sports marketing roles, esports marketing positions often prioritize digital marketing avenues, especially social media and influencer marketing. Tutorials, highlights videos, and other competitive gaming content can play into powerful marketing initiatives, and esports marketing specialists are committed to maximizing fan engagement.
5. Sponsorship Manager
Sponsorships are increasingly the lifeblood of the esports industry, driving revenue and long-term financial support for teams, leagues, and even individual players. Sponsorship managers help teams and other esports organizations identify valuable sponsorship opportunities and negotiate contracts with relevant brands or agencies. They also develop activation plans, including digital content and experiential marketing.
6. Content Creator or Social Media Manager
Tasked with developing engaging and insightful content for social media pages, websites, or blogs, content creators build passion and engagement among vast communities of esports fans. They are determined to build a close-knit esports community while also helping new fans develop insights and expertise through tutorials, interviews, or narrative content.
7. Broadcast and Production Specialist
Esports broadcasts present distinct complications above and beyond conventional sporting events with connectivity being one of the main concerns. Broadcast and production specialists are aware of these concerns, and they handle all the details to ensure that audiences can enjoy a seamless viewing experience. This may also involve the management of streaming or distribution, especially with platforms such as Twitch.
8. Community Manager
The esports community is incredibly active on social media, and this reality presents exciting opportunities for boosting fan engagement. Community managers support these efforts by helping fans have a say and facilitating stronger connections between audiences and athletes.
9. Esports Business Development Manager
Committed to developing strategic alliances to foster long-term growth, esports business development managers bring big-picture planning to the broad esports industry. They may be involved in sponsorship deals and activations but also strive for market expansion.
10. Player Agent
Representing individual players, agents play an instrumental role in contract negotiation and enjoy helping players find and manage sponsorships. Agents can be amazing advocates for emerging esports talent, acting as visionaries to help their clients map out ambitious career pathways.
4 Emerging Careers in Sports & Esports Management
As the sports and esports industries evolve, exciting new job opportunities will become available. A myriad of these are expected to involve cutting-edge technologies, including a greater emphasis on data analysis. Other positions will reflect the growing importance of diversity and wellness. Careers worth exploring include:
1. Data Analyst
Athletic pursuits are increasingly data-driven, as events produce a wealth of metrics related to performance, health, and even fan engagement. Data analysts are tasked with gathering relevant data from a variety of sources, including wearable devices, game footage, and even ticket sales, to produce actionable insights. These insights can be conveyed via advanced data visualization tools and ultimately, support strategic decision-making.
2. Integration Manager
Sports and esports organizations now rely on a vast spectrum of technological systems and solutions, but it can be difficult to make these systems work together seamlessly. If they are not properly integrated, data silos and inefficiencies are likely. Integration managers oversee a complex web of tech solutions to ensure that the digital ecosystem remains cohesive and reliable.
3. Fan Engagement Manager
Fan engagement drives ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandising, and so much more, but it takes more than talented athletes to deliver a passionate and connected fanbase. Fan engagement managers build powerful relationships between teams and fans by designing campaigns
4. Health and Wellness Advisor
Determined to promote long-term positive health outcomes among hard working athletes, health and wellness advisors offer counseling and support related to nutrition, injury prevention, mental health, and more.
Get Started in Sports and Esport Management at Baker College
Ready to take the next step as you pursue top careers in sports management? Look to the esports and sports management degree from Baker College for strong skill development and networking opportunities.
Committed to guiding devoted students in their efforts to pursue top careers in esports and traditional sports, we offer support every step of the way. Reach out to learn how a Sports and Esports Management degree can expose you to the best sports and esports career opportunities.