9781422270691

CAREERS IN BEAUTY AND FASHION CAREERS IN BUSINESS CAREERS IN CONSTRUCTION CAREERS IN ENGINEERING CAREERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT CAREERS IN NURSING CAREERS IN SAFETY AND SECURITY CAREERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE WEB CAREERS IN SPORTS CAREERS IN THERAPY AND REHABILITATION

BY ANDREW MORKES

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4751-8 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4760-0 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7069-1 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Project Manager: Andrew Morkes Cover and Interior Design: Tara Raymo • CreativelyTara Layout: Priceless Digital Media, LLC Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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CONTENTS

Introduction................................................................... 7 Chapter 1: Is a Sports Career for You?..............................11 Chapter 2: Sports Career Paths.......................................19 Chapter 3: Charting Your Path in Sports...........................35 Chapter 4: Exploring Education and Careers in Sports......57 Chapter 5: Learning More about Sports and Career Choices..............................................75 Index............................................................................92 Photo Credits................................................................94 Educational Video Links.................................................95 Author’s Biography .......................................................96 Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Series Glossary of Key Terms: The Key Terms glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

Many people aspire to compete in sports at the college and professional levels, but only the best of the best reach these athletic heights.

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Introduction

Students are often interested in learning more about careers, but many don’t take the steps necessary to do so, according to a survey of 14- to 18-year-olds by the nonprofit ECMC Group. It found that while 74 percent of respondents believe it is important to have their career plans determined when they graduate from high school, only 39 percent have taken classes or participated in programs to explore occupations. Many young people are not aware of the wide range of activities that are available to help them explore the industry they’re considering joining, discover career paths, and learn what it takes to train and be successful in a given occupation. If you are a middle school or high school student, here are just a few of the exploration activities in which you can participate: • fitness classes and involvement in teams and individual sports • non-sports–related competitions for aspiring data scientists, physical therapists, and business professionals • watching sporting events • school clubs • writing articles, making videos, and creating podcasts about sports • interviews and job-shadowing experiences with sports professionals • summer exploration camps • volunteer opportunities • tours of places where sports professionals play or otherwise do their work • books • websites

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• podcasts • videos • mentorship programs • resources from professional associations, companies, and government agencies The Getting Started series provides everything that you need to know about exploring careers while you’re in middle and high school. It also includes a wealth of information about dozens of occupations in each title, educational requirements, paying for school, and many other resources. If you’re looking for some great—and fun—ideas on how to learn more about a specific occupational area, you should check out this series. After trying out some of the suggested activities and learning more about sports occupations, you may be inspired to become a professional athlete, coach, umpire, statistician, sports therapist, or chief executive; start your own business; or enter one of dozens of other careers in the sports industry. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s begin exploring education and careers in sports.

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Getting Started: Careers in Sports

A soccer coach provides instruction to one of his players.

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Introduction

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

anatomy: the structure of the body, or body parts and systems, of a living thing apprenticeship: a formal training program that combines supervised practical experience and classroom instruction; the program is free to apprentices, who receive pay that increases as they obtain experience league: an organized group of teams in a particular sport that compete against one another during a specified length of time minor leagues: sports leagues with teams that feature players who are still developing their skills and abilities; top players from these leagues are selected for professional leagues

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1 Chapter

Is a Sports Career for You?

What’s So Great about Sports Careers?

Many of us dream about playing professional sports. Who wouldn’t like to throw the game-winning pass to win a football game, make a physics-defying catch in the outfield, or break the world record in a track-and-field tournament? Hand-in-hand with success comes the roar of the crowd and the big bucks that are paid to professional athletes these days. While it’s great to dream and work hard to achieve your life goals, it’s also important to remember that only a tiny percentage of amateur athletes make it to the professional leagues , or even the minor leagues . But you don’t have to be an athlete to pursue a career in sports. There are opportunities for people who love to teach and lead others (coaches); who ensure that competitors follow the rules of their sports (umpires and referees); who maintain, analyze, and work with data (e.g., statisticians, data analysts); and who describe the events of a game or other competition live, or the next day in a news story (e.g., announcers, broadcasters, sportswriters). These are just a few

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of the many career options in sports that will keep you close to the action in this exciting industry. Sports careers are available for people with high school diplomas, all the way through a medical or law degree. Professional athletes, of course, need a combination of superior talent, excellent physical conditioning, drive, and determination. But many also earn college degrees. You can even train for some sports positions via an apprenticeship or through the military. These training methods— unlike college—are free, and you will earn a salary while you learn. A wide range of work environments are available in sports. Professional athletes compete on baseball, soccer, and football fields, basketball and tennis courts, and at other indoor and outdoor settings. Different jobs exist in the stadiums and other buildings that house playing areas. Some sports professionals work in television and radio studios, the newsrooms of media companies, in business offices, in design studios, and in manufacturing plants (making sports apparel, equipment, and other products). There are also jobs in retail stores and in diverse settings. Many nonperformance careers in sports can be found in other industries, such as health care, consumer goods, computer products and services, food services, and finance. Their skills are often transferable. This means that an accountant in the sports sector (such as one who works for a National Basketball Association team) can transition to work in the banking sector without a large change in job duties. If employment in one industry is weak, a person with those skills can seek opportunities in a faster-growing sector. Top professional athletes earn tens of millions of dollars a year. And even the lowest-paid pros earn great salaries. Many leagues have defined the minimum salary that players must be paid. In Major League Baseball, the minimum player salary is about $700,000, while in the National Basketball Association, it is approximately $1 million. The most-popular professional athletes also receive money

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Getting Started: Careers in Sports

Gerrit Cole recently signed a deal with the New York Yankees that pays him $36 million a year. Above, Cole with one of his former teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Is a Sports Career for You?

from endorsements and other business deals. Top managers of professional sports teams can earn $5 million or more a year, and sports executives can earn anywhere from $100,000 to more than $1 million annually. Salaries for the remaining workers in the sports industry mirror the earnings of workers in “real world” industries such as health care, manufacturing, marketing, and engineering. With that said, earnings for many sports professionals are higher than those paid to workers in other jobs outside of sports. For example, workers in business and financial professions earn a median annual wage of $76,570, according to the US Department of Labor (DOL). This is higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $45,760. Health care practitioners and workers in occupations such as physical therapy earn $75,040. Those in media and communication occupations make a median annual salary of $62,340. On the other hand, workers in some professions—such as stadium vendors and retail sales workers— earn salaries that are lower than the median annual wage for all workers. Many people break into the sports industry by working in these careers and obtain additional education to become eligible for higher-level positions. Employment in entertainment and sports occupations is projected to grow 13 percent from 2021 to 2031, according to the DOL. This is much faster than the average for all occupations. The DOL includes the following careers in this prediction: athletes and sports competitors; coaches and scouts; and umpires, referees, and other sports officials. Here is the employment outlook in various jobs for people who also work in the sports industry: • building and grounds cleaning: as fast as the average • business and financial: as fast as the average • computer and information technology (IT): much faster than the average

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Getting Started: Careers in Sports

• health care: much faster than the average • management: faster than the average • media and communication: as fast as the average • sales: little or no change

If you enjoy working out and staying in shape, a career as a professional athlete, sports trainer, or exercise physiologist might be a good fit for you.

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Is a Sports Career for You?

What Type of People Are Interested in Sports Careers? People with many different interests can find sports careers that suit them. But if you’re unsure about your interest in athletics, answer the following statements to determine if a sports career is the best fit for you: • My favorite class is physical education, and I play on sports teams. • I compete in individual sports such as tennis, golf, gymnastics, and swimming. • I regularly watch sports broadcasts and go to sporting events. • I’m obsessed with sports statistics. • I like to write about sports. • I like being a leader, organizing things, and supervising the work of others. • I am interested in good nutrition, physical fitness, and engaging in other healthy activities. • I am interested in how products and services are marketed and advertised. • I am fascinated by human anatomy . • I have strong oral and written communication skills. • I think I’d like to start a business someday. If many of these statements describe you, then you should consider a career in athletics. But don’t be deterred if you didn’t answer yes to many of these statements. So many additional sports occupations exist that you are likely to find a great career that will match your skills and interests. In fact, this book provides information on more than 40 sports careers!

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Getting Started: Careers in Sports