Sports Management

I’m currently a sophomore in high school looking for a top notch sports management program. However, my grades aren’t that great, with a 3.4 GPA. I also had a horrible freshman year because I had an epilepsy problem that made it difficult to keep a 3.0. I really like UMass Amherst and am looking for a school like that but less selective. Please let me know if you have any ideas. Btw, I know i’m only a sophomore, but it’s never to early to start looking at colleges because time flies by.

Temple University School of Sport, Tourism and Hspitality Management.

If you are in state and can move your grades up the next two years. Decent boards. UMass Amherst is still in the game. And it’s one of the better for your major.

Even with a 2.9 GPA in Freshman?

Keep in mind… that 3.4 is your Sophomore GPA. You still have a full year to bring it up before anyone looks at it. And schools love to see that “upward trend.”

Do you understand what sports management actually is? Many kids think that’s the major to become a player agent. It’s not. Just want to be sure you understand what you’re getting into.

I think Syracuse has some good programs in this field.

Work on your grades. It’ll give you options…

If your goal ifmsnto work in the field of sports management, it’s best to major in straight business or management, with a PR/statistics/data science minor (or if you really like the idea of sports management, a sports management minor) + internships at your college’s D1 office and/or if in a city with professional sports, have a summer internship with a pro team.
The sports management major, at many universities, is a management-lite major and has fewer career opportunities.

SUNY Cortland: https://www2.cortland.edu/departments/sport-management/

Good program, excellent internship placement, well within reach of your stats.

Disclosure: Very close friend is on the faculty of this department.

I do understand what the Sports Management program is. I’ve talked to the chair of the Isenberg School of Business and am of full knowledge of what the degree would set me up for.

When my son was considering that major, we contacted people in a number of local pro teams.

They were split pretty evenly: some suggested a general business major, but the other half strongly suggested a Sports Management degree.

I agree with the Cortland recommendation.

^it depends on the strength of the major. It really has to be a solid management major with something additional, NOT a “management lite” major with a couple “sports-related” classes thrown in. Internships and experience are crucial.

Agreed

@mcadoom I don’t know much about UMass, but how is UMass Amberst selective? Their acceptance rate is almost 60%. Am I missing something here?

60% IS selective, by definition…most importantly, UMass admits by major and that number is an average between majors where 80% get in and other majors where 30% get in. Getting into Isenberg or CS is MUCH harder than general admission to the university. See the thread “why applicants overreach and are disappointed” - not understanding the difference between overall selectivity and major selectivity is a big point.

The Isenberg School of Management is selective, because it’s one of the better programs in the country.

@Angelababy30 Plus in state vs out of state can skew selectivity for these state flagships. OOS UMA is selective

@angelababy30 - Sports Management at UMass is an entire department (not just a major) and it is housed in the business school. They offer a BA, MA and Phd degrees. The undergraduate business school is ranked #1 in New England. The Sports Management BA program has been ranked #1 in the world.

Admission to the Sports Management BA program requires an application to the specific major, or an internal transfer application. It is a relatively small program and more selective than the business school which is more selective than the university average.

Other BA programs that were ranked highly in the peer survey include:
Ohio University
Deakin University
Brock University

In general, the stronger programs tend to be those offered within business schools. Some business schools that do not offer formal programs have a good track record for job placement because they have alumni ties.

https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/programs/undergraduate/on-campus/majors/sport-management

https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/programs/undergraduate/on-campus/admissions/internal-transfers/sport

@Mastadon Thank you for the information. I am generally not into sport management. I guess UMass is selective in their sport management department.