The term ‘sports managers’ (a synonym is a general manager in the sporting field) refers to people who handle business matters for sports teams and athletes. They don’t stick to one sport – they work across the board – and deal with athletes at a college or professional level.
As a sports manager, you might negotiate contract terms and trade deals, handle media relations, and organise promotional events for your organisation. You may also draft players, as well as hire coaches, scouts, and other athletic staff. Another important aspect of this career is managing the budget of the sporting organisation that employs you. This can involve making financial arrangements for uniforms and equipment, setting up accommodations for travel, and preparing financial statements.
What a Sports Manager Does on a Daily Basis
Human Resources Duties
The sports manager has the task of employing and dismissing athletes. This is when he or she works at the professional level. The sports manager engages with other staff members in order to draw up contracts for each athlete. They also negotiate with athletes to conclude contracts.
If a sports manager works in a college, they will work with a recruiting team to look for talent at high school level. They will bring in the best athletes for the college’s programmes. The sports manager will use scholarships to ensure that they can attract the best talent to the college.
Sports managers function as sports agents for individual athletes. They help the sportsmen and -women to negotiate contracts with teams.
Management Responsibilities
The sports manager performs management duties at various levels. Sports managers – in professional teams – work with coaches and trainers. This duty is there to be sure that each athlete has the training and resources that he or she needs to be the best that they can be.
Sports managers are employed by colleges and high schools in the role as athletic directors. They manage all the aspects of that school’s athletic programme. A sports manager can also function as a facility manager. If they adopt this role, they will be managing the following, for example:
- Hiring food and service staff,
- Developing game schedules, and
- Managing the facility’s maintenance.
The Business Side of Being a Sports Manager
Every season, the sports manager plans the budget. In so doing, they will looks at the following:
- Potential revenues,
- Operating costs, and
- The salaries of everyone from the athletes to coaches to staff members.
Sports managers also control the budgeting for travel arrangements for the team travel in addition to equipment and uniforms.
The sports manager must consider player injuries, potential playoff games and other issues that may arise that would alter the budget. Other sports managers assist with ticket sales and merchandising for the franchise.
Still other sports managers work in sports merchandising. This means that they sell sporting goods.
Marketing and promotions
Often times, the sports manager will be the face and spokesperson for the team. As such, it is necessary that they handle interaction between the media and the team.
Some sports managers work as sports marketers or fitness fundraisers. They brings in corporate sponsorships and endorsements. Sports managers can also be public relations staff members or sports information directors. In other words, they:
- Arrange media days for their team, and
- Function as the go-between for interviews, scores in addition to updates regarding the team.
A sports manager can act as an event planner for a team or athletic organisation.
Other Duties
Sports managers do many other duties jobs in other aspects of the sporting world. Some sports managers work at fitness facilities or health clubs and are in charge of operations. Others have management duties for recreational, community and education athletic programmes, such as organising sports leagues, clubs and camps. Sports managers can even work for resorts, organising sports and athletic activities for guests.
If you want to extend out from traditional sports management, if you have a sports management qualification you can decide to become a:
- Sports statistician
- Sports psychologist
- Sports agent
- Sports PR manager
- Sports event coordinator
If you’re passionate about sports, specifically the business side on the game, then you really do need to think about become a sports manager! It will be a great, rewarding career choice that you’ll never look back from.