Fresh Profile: Sports Jobs

Published on 2008-06-09

Compile an impromptu list of the largest and most influential industries in the United States and it's unlikely that sports will spring instantly to mind. Yet according to Plunkett Research, sports industry revenue exceeded $400 billion in 2007 - more than the automobile manufacturing, oil and gas production, petroleum refining or film industry, to name just a few. Even this startling statistic fails to convey the full impact that sports jobs have on the U.S. economy. The U.S. sports industry creates employment in a broad and diverse range of business sectors, including sporting goods, gambling, advertising, broadcasting, and health and training, not to mention all of the athletes, coaches and executive personnel required to run the country's amateur and professional sports leagues. Here then are some of the jobs in sports that should offer excellent career prospects in the years ahead.

Health and training

Employment projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that training and fitness jobs represent some of the fastest growing occupations in the entire healthcare industry. As more Americans seek to get fit and lose weight, work opportunities will increase for physical therapists and fitness trainers. Even athletic injury is a $12.6 billion industry according to a statistical overview by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal.

Marketing and communications

From Joe Namath wearing pantyhose to "Bo, you don't know Diddley!" to Kobe Bryant jumping over a pool full of snakes, marketing, advertising and endorsements have been a highly memorable part of the American sports economy. Sports marketing jobs have become some of the most highly sought after positions in the industry, and many universities and business schools now offer bachelor's and master's degree programs in sports marketing and/or management. Jobs in sports marketing can involve the promotion of teams, leagues and/or athletes; event management; licensed merchandise; sponsorship and ticket sales; athlete endorsements; and many other activities.

Apparel and footwear

A 2007 survey by The NPD Group found that sporting goods, particularly apparel and footwear, is the largest and fastest growing segment of the global sports industry, accounting for 44% of the total market. It's difficult to gauge exactly how many garment industry jobs are attributable to the popularity of sports apparel, but Nike and Adidas alone took in over $30 billion in 2007 and together employ nearly 60,000 people. Street & Smith's survey found that sporting goods worn in competition bring in over $25 billion annually and licensed goods over $10 billion. The sports apparel market undoubtedly has created tens of thousands of design and retail jobs in the U.S. and worldwide.

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