Salary for a Sports Management Professional
There are several avenues to enter into the sports management field. The difference in compensation can be vast, but it will often be commensurate with the amount of work you will be doing. For example, the job of a sports medicine professional may not be quite as demanding as that of a sports agent; thus the compensation of an agent will be higher. There are also varying degrees of competition within the sports management field. Due to the lucrative nature of being a sports agent, there is quite a bit of compentition in this particular subfield.
Compensation will vary depending on the level of education and experience one can attain. Those with a bachelor's degree in sports management can expect to earn a starting salary of $35,000-$42,000, depending on the sector they're working in. Once a sports management professional gains more experience, regardless of whether they attain a master's degree or not, their salary will inevitable increase up to $60,000.
Sports Administration and Sports Medicine
Sports administration and sports medicine offer two sports management fields for comparison. Those who graduate with a master's degree in sports administration will generally make $30,000 at an entry-level position, while those who attain the same degree in sports medicine will make $36,000 in the same position. That being said, the room for growth with the right amount of experience is greater in the sports administration field. Even with many years of experience in sports medicine, the average salary will top off at around $60,000, will the ceiling for a sports administration professional can exceed $100,000 annually.
Sports Agents
Sports agenting, with a right combination of skill and luck, could open a gold mine for a sports management professional. One note to make before proceeding here is the level of competition in this field. To even gain entry into the world of sports agenting will require talent and good connections in the field. Once in the field, on average a sports agent can make $50,000 with minimal experience. When more experience is attained, and if one works with athletes and sports teams, the figure swells into the $80,000-$90,000 range. And if a sports agent can maintain a good reputation the compensation can easily rise above $100,000.
Compensation Around the Country
Taking a quick look at the difference salary figures in different states shows that those with big market cities have more to offer sports management professionals. For example, Illinois and Michigan offer their sports management professionals upwards of $53,000 annually. Out West there is a sizeable difference in compensation between Utah, at $46,000 annually, and California, at $57,000 annually. While the trade off in the Southern region is the year-round warm weather, salaries in Texas and Florida dip a bit into the $46,000-$47,000 range. Finally, Washington, D.C., and New York offer the highest salaries, in the range of $63,000-$64,000 on average.
Article Resources:
All Business Schools - Salaries
Simply Hired - Sports Management Salaries