Sports management is the business of sport. You plan, run, and improve the systems that sit behind teams, leagues, events, venues, and athletes. That includes marketing, finance, operations, legal work, partnerships, and people management.
If you want sports management jobs, your day-to-day will usually sit in one of four areas: revenue (tickets, media rights, sponsorship), fan experience (content, community, service), performance support (data, logistics, medical coordination), or governance (compliance, contracts, risk).
But first we need a general introduction to what’s happening in this burgeoning world of business – let’s get into it.
5 trends in sports management
Women’s sports and global expansion
Women’s sport is scaling fast, and it is scaling globally. In fact, women’s football alone is projected to grow its fanbase from 500 million to over 800 million by 2030, according to Nielsen Sports and PepsiCo. That shifts budgets, scheduling, media strategy, and sponsorship priorities.
For sports management, this means you need sharper commercial planning and better audience insight. You also need operational maturity: facilities, travel, staffing, and matchday delivery have to match the size of the audience you are building.
Professionalization of the sector
More sports organizations now run like modern companies. You see tighter governance, clearer accountability, and more specialized roles across operations, finance, partnerships, and compliance. That creates more structured sport management jobs, and it raises the bar for skills and execution.
If you work in this shift, you will spend more time on process, reporting, and decision discipline. You will also coordinate larger teams and vendor networks. That is where a sports management degree can pay off: it trains you to manage complexity without slowing the product down.
Emerging digital ecosystems
Sports are becoming more direct-to-fan. Leagues and broadcasters are pushing into streaming, subscription bundles, and new distribution models. You will manage content rights, audience growth, and platform partnerships, not just match schedules and stadium operations.
Esports is part of that ecosystem too. One major market forecast values esports at about $2.0B in 2023 and projects roughly $5.18B by 2029, around a 17.5% CAGR. That growth drives demand for event producers, partnership managers, community leads, and commercial operators.
AI and analytics revolution
Data is no longer a “performance department” tool only. It touches ticketing, pricing, sponsorship measurement, content strategy, athlete health, and scouting. You will be expected to use analytics to make decisions faster and explain them clearly.
The market is growing accordingly. Grand View Research estimates sports analytics at $4.47B in 2024 and projects $14.48B by 2030, with a 20.6% CAGR from 2025 to 2030. That is a signal for skills demand across analytics, product, and operations.
Sustainable events management
Sustainability is becoming a real system requirement. Large events face pressure from host cities, regulators, athletes, fans, and sponsors to cut emissions, manage waste, and deliver a credible social legacy. That changes procurement, venue operations, mobility planning, and reporting.
You will also see more standards-based work. ISO 20121 is a widely used event sustainability management standard, and the Olympic Movement has tied event planning to this kind of framework. If you manage events, you should expect sustainability KPIs to sit next to cost, risk, and experience metrics.
How can you work in the sports industry?
Sports management is broad, so choose a lane based on the work you want to do day-to-day. Then build proof fast: projects, internships, volunteer roles, or case work with real organizations. A sports management degree can give you structure and credibility, but you still need evidence of execution.
Sports marketing and media
You grow audiences and revenue. You work on brand, partnerships, content, ticketing campaigns, and media value. Common sports management jobs here include partnership executive, marketing manager, communications lead, and content strategist.
Product innovation, licensing, and entrepreneurship
You build new revenue lines. That can mean merchandising, licensing deals, retail strategy, or new fan products. Roles include licensing coordinator, product manager, business development, and commercialization lead.
Sports analytics and AI
You turn data into decisions. You support performance, pricing, fan insights, and operations. Roles include data analyst, insights manager, performance analyst, and analytics product owner.
Sports entrepreneurship and venture building
You work in startups, innovation teams, or new ventures inside clubs and leagues. You test ideas, validate demand, and build partnerships. Roles include venture associate, growth lead, operations manager, and program manager.
Benjamin is the editor of Uncover IE. His writing is featured in the LAMDA Verse and Prose Anthology Vol. 19, The Primer and Moonflake Press. Benjamin provided translation for “FalseStuff: La Muerte de las Musas”, winner of Best Theatre Show at the Max Awards 2024.
Benjamin was shortlisted for the Bristol Old Vic Open Sessions 2016 and the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2023.
