The future is bright for sport administration. This wide-ranging field is not only a multi-billion dollar industry, it’s both firmly rooted in tradition while open to new ideas. Consider, for example, the evolution of Olympic sports. Over the years, dozens of sports have been added to the winter and summer games. Five new sports will be added to the 2020 Tokyo games: baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing, and surfing.
Youth sports, interscholastic athletics, and intercollegiate sports have all increased in number and participants over the past 20 years. Women’s sports have also benefitted —title IX enacted in 1972, paved the way for, among other things, women and girls to participate in federally funded educational programs and activities.
These developments in the industry and the law means exciting opportunities for those wishing to pursue a career in sport administration. Based on these, and future progress, this dynamic field will continue to grow and deepen in the years to come.
Technology and sub-field dynamics
If you think about each sport individually, imagine all the work that goes into developing and training new talent, training programs and venues, equipment manufacture and maintenance, competition venues, and more —and these are just the most recent sports to join the contest roster.
Now think about the technologies that go into supporting these sports, both at the level of training and presentation. Swimming strokes can be analyzed in ways never before possible. Events can be watched on your television, computer, tablet, or phone. The sport administration industry is not only leading this change in various ways, it also has to keep up with it.
Because the field of sports administration is broad, there are changes occurring in various facets all the time. Whether your path is to specialize in sales, marketing, and promotion, public relations, business, analytics, management, or event planning, you have to be aware that advancements in other areas of the industry will affect your field, and vice-versa. In this sense alone, the future of sports administration will keep you on your toes.
Competition and education
Competition is another way in which the future of sports administration is certain to remain dynamic. By nature, the field is enormously competitive, which is why it’s crucial to consider earning an advanced degree in Sports Administration. The complexity of the industry demands an academic background that is both intellectually diverse and hands-on, with plenty of real-world experience. You need to be prepared to juggle an intense and varied professional skill set, which means you’ll study everything from accounting to writing, and then you need to leverage your program to gain invaluable field experience that will help you get a foot in the door in your chosen area.
The proliferation of sports and sport administration
If the explosion of academic programs in sports administration and management is any indication, the future of the industry is bright. No longer just a specialization within physical education programs, sports administration is now a stand-alone discipline, with over 40 academic and professional journals devoted to it.
There are more than 250 academic programs in the U.S., offering associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. Related academic fields include sports law, philosophy of sport, and sports psychology.
The breadth and diversity of sports create a strong future ahead for the sports administration field. The key is deciding what your passion is, and then taking the steps to realize it. So, when investigating which sports administration program is right for you, consider their successes, such as graduate placement in the industry of choice, the breadth and depth of the program, and the relationships professors develop with their students to aid the seamless transition from student to professional, and the networking and related opportunities for students during the course of their program. UM offers all these and more.
For more information about UOnline’s Sports Administration program, you can find more information here or you can contact one of our enrollment advisors are available on live chat, or by phone (800) 411-2290.
