Whether you are a young person considering college for the first time, or a more seasoned professional looking to make a career move into the sports management field, it’s important to take stock of whether you are suited to this profession. Sports management is an exciting field with a variety of program options. Anyone can learn the skills and knowledge necessary for this career, but having the right aptitudes and personality will go a long way toward giving you a leg up toward being successful in the field. The skills and traits below are examples of the kinds of things that make people successful in this field.
Good Communication Skills
A large portion of sports management involves dealing with people. Whether it is the players, the public, potential sponsors, or others in the field, the ability to communicate effectively is an important aspect of this job. You’ll need to be able to communicate your vision to people around you, as well as you use your communication skills to achieve your goals (marketing, promotion, etc.), so the ability to communicate well (both orally and in writing) is essential.
Computer Skills
The reality is, most jobs these days require at least some degree of computer knowledge. Aside from the basic skills of knowing how to use word processing and spreadsheet software, a job in sports management also requires you to be versed on the industry-specific software used throughout sports management circles. Most sports management degree programs will offer instruction on these programs
A Commitment To Professional Image
A lot of what goes into being successful in sports management is largely about optics. It’s about presenting events, players and teams in a way that makes people motivated to do business with them. To do that, you’ll have to maintain a professional image at all times. If you aren’t prepared to wear business appropriate clothes every day and turn a key eye toward your personal appearance, the words you use and the way you conduct yourself, sports management may not be the right field for you.
Attention To Detail
Managing players, teams or events means keeping a variety of balls in the air at once. To do that, you’ll have to be the kind of person who is detailed oriented. You’ll have to be able to see all of the cogs in the machine, to keep everything and everyone moving toward the larger goal.
Big Picture Vision
Speaking of the larger goal, in addition to being detail-oriented person, you’ll have to also be able to see how all of those small details fit into the big picture. You’ll should be able to keep one eye on the big picture (a sporting event, for example) and the other on all of the smaller details that go into making that event a success.
People Skills
People skills are essential for a job in this field. You will be dealing with people all day, most days. You should have the ability to deal with all kinds of personalities, resolve conflicts, be a team player when necessary and a leader when necessary, etc. If you are uncomfortable in dealing with people, this may not be a good career choice for you.
Multitasking Skills
Finally, a job in sports management requires you to be able to multitask. You won’t have the luxury of focusing all of your energies on one task at a time; you’ll have to manage a variety of tasks and people all at once. Good multitasking skills are important to success in this job.
As with any field, those who work in sports management have a variety of personalities, skills, strengths and weaknesses. Possessing the qualities listed above doesn’t guarantee success in the field, but people who possess these traits or abilities will almost certainly have a leg up on those who don’t.
