<p>So i'm having a dilemma here. I want to work in sports. I understand how difficult it is to have a job in sports. I'd like to be an advisor, consultant, executive, scout, director of operations, CEO, president, general manager, any type in that field. But I don't know if a sport management major is the right thing to do. </p>
<p>A sport management degree gives you nothing to fall back on. It's sports or bust. And considering the difficulty of landing a sports job, wouldn't it be better to have a business background, especially at the management level? And considering the competitiveness of the sport job industry, wouldn't having a sport management degree be taking a chance, as you don't have anything to fall back on?</p>
<p>I'm basically asking (summary), if I want a job in sports as one of those positions, would it be better to have a prestigious management degree from a top business school or a sport management degree from a good SM school?</p>
<p>scouts are usually former players, CEO's are usually rich from another profession then buy the team, general managers usually are networked in. There's this one agent I saw a special on TV about, a real bulldog, (I think he's Terrell Owen's agent), who got into the sports field by going to the U of Miami and doing a bunch of homework for the football players there, getting into their back pockets, then went onto get a law degree at Duke, I believe. By knowing a bunch of U of Miami football players, he was connected and began his career by helping some 'old college buddies'. So, if you want to begin something in sports, go to a school that has well known sports programs, and buddy up to the players/coaches, etc. It may work for you too, who knows???</p>
<p>I'm working on getting an internship with my local AHL team. I was talking about jobs in sports on a college hockey site and this is what one guy said:</p>
<p>"For those of you thinking about majoring in Sports Management -- read on:</p>
<p>I'm against having Sports Management as a college degree. Go for a business degree with an orientation towards sales/marketing or if coaching interests you, go for a degree in Education.</p>
<p>If you want to be involved with college or minor league hockey, get your degree in business (and maybe an MBA) so you will be marketable outside of sports. I would be looking for a sales-oriented person that can promote ticket sales, between periods entertainment (the dynamite lady that blows herself up), and has the interest in community outreach programs to get the team noticed.</p>
<p>If I were a team owner I'd be looking for business majors (ticket sales oriented) and not sports management majors seeking an internship.</p>
<p>1) Zamboni driver -- You don't need an internship to drive the zamboni (which is almost always owned by the arena) because that task is outside of the team's control in the purest sense. You need just a valid driver's license and the willingness to earn $6-$7 an hour at the local ice rink and to be able run back and forth to fill-in as a food service worker at the concession stand.</p>
<p>2) Locker room attendant -- this is a janitorial job. </p>
<p>3) Ticket Sales -- can you answer a phone and take down names, credit card numbers?</p>
<p>4) Coaching -- any degree (preferably in teaching/education) qualifies you for a coaching job. Become a volunteer coach for the sport of your choice to get started.</p>
<p>Notice how a degree in Sports Management is inadequate? It isn't feasible to major in Sports Management."</p>
<p>I plan to get really rich and then just buy a team, and then you could do whatever you want (there is a NY Lotto commercial like this where a coach - who looks a lot like Joe Torre, hmm? - is asked about how his team is doing and then asking about the third baseman - who sucks - and then when the coach is kinda avoiding the question a followup is asked: "does it matter that he bought the team?" and the coach answers "next question.")</p>
<p>I think that an undergrad degree in sports management is a good idea IF AND ONLY IF you are going to go to business school and get your MBA - that way you are marketable outside of just sports AND an expert at sports management.</p>
<p>The recently appointed general manager of the Boston Red Sox received a degree (masters from UMass, great school) in SM. Basically, what i've heard, is that the SM degree gets you those internships with those sports teams, because the connections that the school has set up for you with their alumni database. And that the majority of those internships get you into entry-level jobs, which if you work hard enough at will get you promoted.</p>
<p>Aren't the Boston Red Sox still doing the GM-by-committee thing? I know that's what they did for the winter meetings and have had their two Assistant GM's do it since then, did they finally hire/promote someone?</p>