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Considering Sport Management?
I am too. I have done some research on career prospects for MBA’s in the sport field. Let me start this by saying, the rest of this isn’t pretty. Careers in sports are hard to come by without experience. I’ll start this off with a quote that an MBA professor told me: “Some people know they want to work in sports get here. A lot of those same people realize they would rather have a high paying job and good seats.”
I think one of the best pieces of advice I can offer is to reach out to people where you want to be. I have found that most people like to talk about themselves. Most teams have biographies of their upper level management, and I’d suggest emailing those executives with MBA’s. Truthfully, every response I have gotten has been to “get out in the real world,” “get some more experience,” or (my favorite) “forget the MBA for now.” If this is the path you want to travel, understand that even those with MBA’s are willing to give advice, but not so ready to give you the experience they require. Another executive I spoke to said that every employee starts in ticket sales…ticket sales.
I also want to mention a conversation I had recently. The man I spoke to was an employee with an NBA team, and had recently earned his MBA. He worked in marketing strategy, and genuinely loved his job. Also worth noting is that his first job with the team paid $35,000…$35,000.
The last thing I’ll mention is the Sports & Entertainment Academy (R.I.P.) at the Kelley School here at Indiana. This organization served as a hub for every MBA in the school who was interested in a career in sports or entertainment. The Academy was shut down recently for a variety of reasons. The reason why can be summed up by Kelley alum Mark Cuban. He asked the career management officers, “Why would I pay an MBA when there are people who will work for me for free?”
The bottom line is that if you want to use your MBA to get a career in sport you can, BUT experience is valued as much (if not more) than the degree so take that into consideration. Jobs in sports are fun! If that’s what you want to do then I’ll see you at the game.
4 Responses to “Considering Sport Management?”
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hi Joe,
i read your blog today on sporst management career and i found that my interest is similar to what you have mentioned.
However, would elaborate on how did u start your research. what things did u do in your research.
and what are the career options you have thought?
An MBA in Finance would pay me around 80,000 $ if i do MBA from any B school in US? can i get a similar amount in the sports industry as well.
regards,
Avinash
Hey Avinash,
Sorry about the looooooooong delay. I just returned from spring break though so I’ll see what I can come up with for you.
Most of what I consider “research” is simply reading the media guides that most teams put on their website for anyone to download. I have read the bios of the upper level management of basically every NBA team, lol.
After that, I emailed a few of the intriguing ones with some questions. I received some responses at a pretty good rate I’d say. As I said in the post, people like to talk about themselves.
As far as career options, I have been interested now in some “non-traditional” jobs. I’d like to do some independent consulting work on a part time basis.
Regarding the $80,000 in sports, I will say that there is a 99% chance that won’t happen in your first job unless you have a ton of experience.
Hope that helped. Let me know if you have any other questions.
hey friends,
well here is one more sport crazy. i reallywant to make career in sports industry and bring the professionalisum in indian sports. well i got call from COVENTRY UNIV, uK and edith cowan from australia. both MBA SPORT MANGMENT.
but really i’m not sure about the future as i realy want some good experience with good team or organization.
can u help me in regard to this? and hey AVINASH IT’S REALY good to c and INDIAN in this odd field. if possible u can contact me on swapnil_1983@yahoo.com
joe waiting for reply. thanks buddy
Hi Swapnil,
Good to hear you are interested in sports! I have wondered what the interest is in sports business abroad, and the enthusiasm shown by two Indian individuals tells me that there is some out there.
Now to your question. If I understand it correctly, you are asking whether to pursue the Sport Management MBA opportunities in front of you or a career in the sports field. I would say that you should consider the MBA options very carefully. In the USA, if you have a degree and no work experience, you will have a hard time in the sports industry. I think those opportunities can be valuable IF they promise you some practical experience working with a sport organization. Even if that is the case, you should examine the types of opportunities and the complexity of your responsibilities in those positions.
If you feel comfortable that those MBA choices will position you to take a good job in sports once you graduate, then I’d say go for it. If you have any concerns, though, I’d suggest working first in some capacity. Considering I don’t have any full-time work experience on my resume, I have a tough path ahead of me.
Good luck,
Joe