9781422270691

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

12

Getting Started: Careers in Sports