If you are a big sports fan and love athletic events, sports management could be the right career for you. The best first step to getting into sports management is to earn your degree and apply for an internship in a position related to the career of your dreams.

Patrick Leary, ED.D., Johnson & Wales University department chair and associate professor of Sports, Entertainment, Event - Management programs said, “Undoubtedly, an internship or the requisite field experience is now a ‘must have’ versus a ‘nice to have’ for any graduate looking to break into the sports industry.”

Most folks are familiar with the term “armchair traveler,” usually depicting a voracious reader who dreams of visiting exotic locales or someone who lives vicariously through films set in faraway destinations. Moreover, fascinating as this image may be, I might suggest an even more enticing one: that of the armchair athlete (not to be confused with the couch potato!)

Many sports enthusiasts mark time by sports seasons. Score by score, game by game, they'll follow their favorite sports and teams all the way through the playoffs and, ultimately, the championship.

Nearly every sports fan has dreamt of becoming a sports agent. These professionals spend countless hours with players, coaches, and other agents. It’s a fantastic way to stay “in the game.” But what does it take to become a sports agent? 

When the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs face off this weekend in Super Bowl LIV, it will be history-in-the-making—regardless of the outcome of the game. This year, Katie Sowers, assistant coach for the 49ers, is blazing the trail as the first female to coach in a Super Bowl in the history of the National Football League. Sowers is also the first openly gay coach in the NFL.

College football is a hugely profitable business with a surprising share of the total revenue generated during bowl season. This valuable niche is only growing in popularity, with record viewership and fan participation prompting the regular addition of new games. The 2019-2020 bowl schedule includes an astounding forty games—a bowl “season” that culminates in a national championship in New Orleans on January 13.

Here is a hospitality career you may not have ever considered: venue management. When you attend a sporting event, concert, conference, or convention, you are stepping into a world that mixes operations with facility management, food and beverage management, event management, and more.

What really excites me about the sports industry is not only the continual evolution we see through emerging industries like eSports and the integration of augmented reality and virtual reality into the consumer experience, but the continued development and investment of equity in women.  As an educator, I find myself consistently communicating to my students that “sports are a reflection of society.”  This could not be truer today. 

Let’s take a look at the current state of the industry:  

There's more to esports than Twitch streams and energy drink sponsorships — this legitimate industry is full of promise. Experts at Newzoo claim that the global esports audience will exceed 453 million this year, as individual events regularly draw huge crowds. For example, top esports company ESL recently reported record attendance of 174,000 fans at IEM Katowice, which boasted an impressive viewership of 230 million.

Meeting, convention, and event planner occupations are predicted to grow by 11 percent in the next seven years, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the need for sports and entertainment professionals will continute to rise 10 percent. This unique realm of the hospitality industry gives creative and organized professionals the opportunity to combine a passion for sports, entertainment, or events with the desire to provide guests with an exceptional experience.