Sports Management is a field of independent study that produces professionals with the knowledge, skills, aptitude, and attitude required to create and effectively manage diverse sports properties including athletes, professional clubs, tournaments, and sports leagues.
Sports management professionals today appear in many high-profile roles such as league managers who design and run sports leagues, tournament managers who design and run tournaments, club managers who lead clubs, team managers who lead teams, and sports agents who create professional players. There are many entry-level jobs in sports management such as sports PR, sports accounts executive, player liaison officer, and sports marketing executive.
Sports Agents
Sports agents are professionals who have made athletes rich and famous sports stars. In the first half of the 20th century, athletes were paid very little. But CC Pyle (Cash and Carry Pyle), the first professional sports agent, Frank Scott, who made baseball players rich, and Mark McCormack, the founder of IMG (International Management Group), changed the sports forever. They bargained with teams and sponsors for the athletes they represented and worked to increase the value of sportspersons. Sports stars were introduced into the advertising market, which was dominated by Hollywood stars. So sports stars become rich and famous.
League Managers
The main role of sports league managers is to design and manage sports leagues. The first professional sports league manager was William Ambrose Hulbert, who started the world’s first professional sports league, the National League Baseball. Behind the success of IPL and ISL is the ingenuity and hard work of sports management professionals working at IMG.
Tournament Managers
The main responsibility of the tournament manager is to plan and organize various sports tournaments. Many existing tournaments in our country have failed due to the lack of professional sports managers. Many of the relaunched or newly launched tournaments were run by event managers rather than organized by sports managers and were doomed to failure.
Club Managers
Why are Indian football clubs playing under the shadow of closure while Western football clubs have become profitable businesses? There is only one answer. While European clubs are run by professional sports managers, Indian clubs are run by people who are not related to sports management or any other business. These managers are as responsible for the balance sheet figures as they are for the club’s on-field performance. They are known by various names like Chief Executive Officer and Director. They manage the day-to-day affairs of the club.
Sports PR
Sports PR and Sports Communication Managers are professionals who constantly strive to maintain and enhance the brand image of a club, team or player. Sports PR is responsible for creating, maintaining and enhancing the acceptance of the brand it represents (team, club, players, sports agency) through the effective use of various media.
Sports Accounts Manager
A sports accounts manager is a senior role in a club’s sales department. The main responsibility of the Sports Accounts Manager is to secure group tickets and work closely with the companies that provide sponsorship to the club. Good communication skills, patience and business acumen are very important for success in this profession.
Sports Event Coordinator
Sports event coordinators are responsible for the management of various sports events. Event coordinators are responsible for many things like seating, security and parking. It is the responsibility of the coordinators to ensure that the spectators who come to watch the match are satisfied enough to be ready to come to watch the next match. This task is also what differentiates sports event coordinators from other event coordinators.
Sports Facility Managers
The main task of sports facility managers is the profitable running of various sports facilities such as stadiums, swimming pools, gymnasiums and training centres. The facility manager is responsible for the effective management of all facilities and systems under such facilities. Large sports facilities usually have many sports-related and non-sports-related facilities together, such as a restaurant, gymnasium, etc. Facility managers have to pay attention to several issues such as good management of all these and customer satisfaction.
Sports Development Officers
Sports Development Officers prepare and implement various projects necessary to attract the public to various sports and healthy lifestyles. Mainly various sports associations use the services of Sports Development Officers to promote the sport they represent to more people and regions. Clubs and academies employ the services of a sports development officer to increase their fan base and demonstrate their social commitment to fans and the community. Sports Development Officers are also appointed by companies and voluntary organizations.
Professional Scouts
Professional scouts are the ones who identify tomorrow’s sports stars today and bring them to the camp of the club they represent. Scouts work for clubs, academies and teams. There are mainly two types of scouts. Player scouts and tactical scouts. Player scouts identify talent for the clubs they represent. Tactical scouts help clubs prepare strategies by assessing the talent of players in opposing teams.
Sports Analysts
Sports analysts analyze every sports match and provide various information needed by teams, players and fans. Sports analysts work in many roles and job titles such as commentators, performance analysts, data analysts, video analysts and columnists.
Player Liaison Officers
Player Liaison Officers professionally help athletes who are contracted to play in foreign leagues to adjust to the new country and new club conditions. They handle all matters related to player transfers. The main responsibilities of the Player Liaison Officer are to ensure suitable accommodation for the player and family, arrange children’s school admission, travel arrangements, language training and visa documentation.
