Top 7 Modern Jobs in the Sports Industry

There are a lot of great jobs in the sports industry.

To many, the sports sector sounds like an exciting place to be. But there are many misconceptions that to be a part of it, you have to be a skilled athlete, or have an intense understanding of multiple sports. Although this helps, it’s definitely not a prerequisite.

These are some of the top modern jobs in the industry, what they entail, and what they require.

1. Data Analyst

Stanford vs. Minnesota women's volleyball game

Keith Srakocic / AP Photo

One of the best paying and most rewarding jobs in the industry, data analysts, or sports statisticians, are responsible for the numbers.

In this role, every aspect of a sports event or player’s performance is examined quantitatively in order to develop a strategy or comprehensive information about a team or specific player.

Studies have shown that data-driven roles are amongst those with the highest satisfaction rates, making it a coveted role in the sports sector.

Their reports can then be used for a number of purposes, such as to make recommendations to the manager of a team or to inform betting odds.

Thanks to the work of data analysts, sports leaders can make decisions on a team lineup, the utility of certain tactics, or the talent level of particular athletes.

2. Sports Betting Operator

Sports betting odds for NCAA tournament basketball games

Wayne Parry / AP Photo

Betting operators are the people behind one of the most popular activities for sports spectators: gambling. Often, they will work alongside statisticians to create odds for enthusiasts to gamble on, for a wide range of sports.

Sports betting staff can either work for physical or online sportsbooks. The latter is a relatively new facet of the industry, often incorporating other new digital innovations such as bitcoin or virtual reality into their apps, which you can learn more about by visiting sports betting sites and testing these features.

3. Athletic Trainer

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Von Miller working wtih Reggie Scott, team vice president of sports medicine and performance

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

Becoming an athletic trainer requires a high level of skill in a chosen sport or overall peak physical fitness. The main requirements for a certified trainer are to nurture the health of players and prevent any injury from coming to them through improper practice.

Athletic trainers also have the important job of identifying, diagnosing, and helping to treat any sport-related injuries that may arise. This is one of the most crucial roles in the industry because any mistakes or incompetence could seriously negatively impact the performance of a player or team.

If you watch a sports game and see people run to the scene after an athlete hurts themselves, one of those people will be a trainer.

4. Content Creator

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant gets lifetime contract with Nike

Ashley Landis / AP Photo

Creating content has only become a serious profession in the last 5-10 years, and it has become notorious for not requiring any formal qualifications and being incredibly lucrative, when done well.

Sports content creators come from a range of backgrounds: amateur players, spectators, fitness and wellness enthusiasts, the list goes on. The beauty of the profession is that you don’t have to have any specific job history.

The role of a content creator is to promote and market certain sports, teams, or events to an audience, whether this be their own following or that of a brand or team.

For example, people in this profession may be paid to create content surrounding an athleisure clothing brand such as Nike, which will then be posted by the brand as a means of user-generated content marketing.

5. Sports Journalist

Tennis player Naomi Osaka speaks with journalists

Andrew Dampf / AP Photo

Most sports journalists you’ll come across have a serious talent and interest in two things: writing and fitness. This familiarity and drive are what allow them to delve deep to find the best stories, go into detail about specific events, compare players against each other, and make predictions for future games.

Sports journalists will often report on upcoming games, or review what happened in games after they have taken place. One of the perks of the job is that they will usually get to attend a game and write it up after (although this is not always guaranteed, and the requirements to get into the industry are high).

6. Marketing Director

EA Sports creative director Larry Boltutis with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow

John Raoux / AP Photo

When we think about jobs in the sports sector, marketing director may not be something that immediately springs to mind. However, they are a vital link in the chain that connects players to managers to press to financiers.

The marketing department are the people who promote a certain team, tournament, or event to the rest of the world, and bring in relevant investors and sponsors. As well as this portion of the role, directors also have to oversee the analytical side of marketing.

This means creating strategies for many different strands of marketing: social media, digital, email, physical, influencer, and so on.

7. Sports Event Photography

davepeetersphoto / Getty Images

For people with a thirst for both the creative arts and fitness, sports photography is the perfect job. Again, this is a role that does not necessarily require any formal qualifications. All that’s required is passion and talent. This does not mean that it is easy though.

Sports photographers have to capture the critical moments of international events and athletes’ careers. To be able to do this, a high level of understanding of the sport and of the players is needed, so that these special and historical seconds are recorded and not missed.

There is also the opportunity for photographers to integrate with other modern sports sector roles, such as content creation and journalism. It’s a lot of pressure, but it can be incredibly rewarding. We can all remember some breathtaking sports photos.

This article is a partnership with Techopedia.