Have you ever considered a career in Sports Management? Taking your sports obsession to a level where you can actually make money out of it? The misconception that you have to be athletically gifted to pursue a career in sports stems from the fact that many aren’t aware of the scope of sports management in India. Still others think that it’s not a lucrative career path unless you are actually on the field, as a player.
The past decade has been quite fruitful for Indian sports. The emergence of multiple leagues in diverse sports in India has created the need for numerous sports management jobs. So, take a look at 5 of the best sports management careers you can pursue in India.
1. Sports Manager
Running a team isn’t a walk in the park. It requires hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of patience. Have you ever observed football managers during games? They look more stressed than the players. This is because the team’s performance indirectly depends on them. A sports manager is not merely the representative of the team, he/she is the crux. The primary responsibilities of a sports manager are to negotiate contracts, handle PR, organize and oversee promotional events, handle finances, prepare budgets, and make selections that may greatly impact the team on and off the field.
2. Merchandising
The global sports merchandise (apparel, equipment, and footwear) market size is estimated to be around INR 19.7 lakh crore (US$ 310 billion). With growing viewership and sponsorships of sports in India, it is possible this number will increase rapidly. Major players in this sector include big names like Nike, Reebok, and Puma. However, there are numerous local retailers in India who also dabble in sports merchandise. These organizations, large or small, need the expertise of a sports management graduate to handle critical operations such as marketing, licensing, sales, and other day-to-day operations.
3. Public Relations
An exciting and creative sports management career option in India is public relations. Reputation plays a crucial role in the success of a team. The tiniest blemish on their name can cost them millions, maybe billions in sponsorships and fans. As sports teams and organizations are constantly in the eye of the media, they have to ensure their reputation remains high. PR, especially from a person well-versed in the field, ensure the team or organization’s name is viewed positively by the public. Your creativity, along with your management skills, can greatly boost the reputation of a team and introduce them to newer markets. Sports PR is not limited to national-level teams, games, or organizations. Even small leagues and teams need PR to raise funds and for publicity. This is where your skills, as a sports management graduate, come into play.
4. Food and Beverage Management/Concession management –
The minimum playing time of most sports is over two hours. In addition, you have tea breaks, lunch, referrals, and in some cases, fights and injuries. All these factors can stretch the game another hour. During all this time, spectators would like to refresh themselves with drinks and food. And that’s why food and beverage stands are vital in a stadium. Concession stand owners/vendors can earn well during a single game in the stadium than on other days elsewhere. The U.S. sports concession market alone generates between $5 billion and $10 billion in revenue. As you can see, it’s big business. Hence, vendors usually need management expertise to handle the business. With concession management, you would deal with forecasting, inventory, time management, staff management, and much more.
5. Blogger
While you don’t need a degree to be a sports blogger, having a degree in sports management can greatly add to your repertoire. You may be an expert on what happens on the field, but knowing the intricacies of the sport even off the field can give you a significant edge over other bloggers in your space. The audience of a regular sports blogger is limited to fans of the sport. By expanding your blogging to the business of sports, you are reaching out to a wider audience that includes not just fans, but also business executives and other sports management professionals. If your content is unique and engaging, you can expect good traffic to your site and make money through affiliate links and ads. Who knows, you may be hired by your favourite sports team or organization as a full-time blogger. Now that sounds promising, doesn’t it?
These are some of the most lucrative and highly sought-after sports management careers. There are abundant career avenues for sports management graduates. MBA ESG in Bangalore offers a unique Sport Management course. Now, you don’t have to pursue a “safe” course and push your passion aside. With a sports management degree, you can do what you love and still make a career out of it. After all, isn’t that the dream?
