Women in sports management?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am a rising junior and really want to major in sports management. I know the industry is almost completely men, so would this help me get into the program or make it harder? I am not just a fake sports fan, as i know just as much as all the guys. I also would want to go to a pretty prestigious school so any suggestions would be great! Thanks so much in advance!</p>

2

<p>Generally, if your gender is a minority in your major, it either helps you or doesn’t hurt your chances of admission at all. Of course, that is as long as you’re qualified which seems to be the case here.</p>

3

<p>The bigger problem will be your career and getting clients, if you’re talking about the agency side of things. Sad to say, but among male athletes, you’re more likely to get hit on than be taken seriously. It’s a rough business for anyone, let alone a woman. Not that I can guarantee this, but I think a lot of top sports management people tend to be lawyers. Not all of them, but a lot of the top ones. Scott Boras comes to mind.</p>

<p>If your talking about the management side of a team, it always seems like a lot of those people have some connection to the sport.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

4

<p>Thank you both so much for your responses. Do you think that since it can be hard for women to break through it would be better for me to major in business then take a sports management minor or even just go to grad school for it? Also I know at Wharton undergrad you can major in business then be a part of the sports management initiative . Would something like that be a good fit? Do either of you know any women in sports management? Again thanks so much</p>

5

<p>What do you want to do in Sports Management?</p>

6

<p>The best approach is to major in what will get you internships close to what you want to do - getting actual office experience is probably vital for someone trying to break into this, male or female, but especially female.</p>

<p>Indiana has a well known sports marketing and management major. I know someone who started out in that and switched to business, which is also strong at Indiana. Might be worth a look, and the ability to switch to a top business school is a nice safety. Indiana is also a lot easier to get into than Wharton.</p>

<p><a href=“Indiana University Bloomington”>Indiana University Bloomington;

7

<p>Just go for it and don’t worry about your gender! I say that as a female structural engineer who went to college in the early '80s. It is what it is. I’m usually one of only two women at engineering association meetings. Big deal! The guys are just people - they don’t bite. They treat me as one of them.</p>

8

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<p>I’d be a bit hesitant to follow this advice. Comparing the sports management industry to the engineering world is apples v. oranges. Discriminatory hiring is a huge problem in the industry, and the International Olympic Committee is doing a huge amount to fight this, but the problem more than likely won’t go away anytime soon. There are very few, if any, pushes to get women into sports management as it is, unfairly, a male-dominated field. The gender equalities act even removed women from management positions where men stepped in to take over women’s sports teams. </p>

<p>OP, Do you have any ties to the industry? I.e. is anyone from your family in the field? The most difficult part for you will be building a network/getting clients/being hired for a team. </p>

<p>Found this on scholar.google.com . Read from page 14.</p>

<p><a href=“Principles and Practice of Sport Management - Google Books”>Principles and Practice of Sport Management - Google Books;

<p>It’s possible to go into this field, but it’s difficult–and your gender will (sadly, unfairly, and misogynistically) matter. </p>

9

<p>af1918 best of luck in the field. Gender won’t be a concern at all, the study of sport management is men-heavy, but the actual workplace is remarkably diverse regarding gender. In the college job market, it will actually help you. I have worked in D-1 college sports for two years, I have taught SM classes, and I will start my PhD or Sport Law school in Fall of 2015. If you are set on elite private schools, they won’t have sport management, just as you see with Wharton. If I could do it over again, I would have majored in business and interned in sports. Followed by a masters in Sport Management. If you want to work in College sports (where the jobs are) a masters is now a MUST.</p>

<p>If you are open to studying at a good public school, UMass and Indiana are probably the best SM programs (In that order). The best advice I have ever gotten about working in sports was: “It is not about who you know, it is all about who knows you. Who can speak intelligently about you and what you can offer to an organization?” So regardless of major, take every internship, every grad assistantship, every volunteer opportunity that you can to get a network and exerperience. Good luck! For any other reader who isn’t set on an elite school and is looking for what schools have programs, here is the best link you can ever find:
<a href=“http://www.nassm.com/InfoAbout/SportMgmtPrograms/United_States”>http://www.nassm.com/InfoAbout/SportMgmtPrograms/United_States&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;