Careers In Sport Management

To many undergrads, the idea of building a career in sports management sounds ideal. And certainly, the excitement of working in professional sports is undeniable. At the same time, there's heavy competition for the high-profile jobs, and for most grads just out of school, working in sports management means starting at the bottom.

The sports industry in India and U.S. is amore $600-billion-plus powerhouse, with superstar athletes, lucrative endorsement deals, and all the free press an ego can handle. But if you're not the rare athlete who can hit a 93-mph fastball or sink a 15-foot jumper, how are you supposed to cash in on such a lucrative business?

There are jobs in the sports business that don't require sweating—marketing, philanthropy, graphic design, and sales are just a few. But there's increasing competition for these positions, with lawyers, communications majors, and business graduates all vying for the chance to share in some of the sports glamour. Which explains the popularity of the numerous undergraduate sport management at schools across the country.

Like any other field of study, there are variations in each school's program. Here's how to prepare yourself and what to look for when choosing an undergraduate sport management program.

THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND

Sport management career is much more than a continual chat about the previous night's game. "This is not SportsCenter; this is much more. "It's very much about a series of conversations about management first and how it applies to the business of sports and how it fits into society."

Another misconception is the idea that a bachelor's or even a master's degree in sport management will quickly land you the position of general manager with the Kolkata night riders. "One does not become a GM of a major league team simply by going to school and learning stuff in a classroom," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.

"The nature of Sport industry requires not only book smarts, but street smarts."

In other words, don't bank on running your own franchise right out of college or even in your lifetime. Stick to your fantasy league instead.

INTERNSHIPS AND NETWORKING

Because of the high competition for many sport management jobs, the ability of a program to provide networking and internship experience is crucial. "Five years ago, many thought if they got a degree in sport management that was their ticket to work in professional sports, in the four major sports leagues (football, Cricket, formula 1, basketball, hockey)," said Michael Mondello, associate professor of sport management at Florida State University. "But now they realize that those jobs are few and far between, and the turnover is small."

Career in Media Industry

Media industry is very vivid and one of the most versatile industry. Mass media, as it is called theoretically, is one of the most influential industries as it is directly connected with the mass audience. The main work of Media industry is to provide information and generate public opinion. The Media industry first started with the mass distribution of newspapers and magazines. Today, the definition of media has changed and media has many sub forms like Broadcasting with the help of TV and radio, Entertainment with use of audio visuals -films and videos, internet that includes blogs, forums, music, news, then Publishing of Books, papers, magazines, and it also includes postal mail, telephony and other interactive Media. The media has various purposes like providing entertainment, education, Advocacy among others. Thus the scope of a Career in media industry is vast.

Scope of Media Industry in India

According to the market analysis and research, Indian media industry has projected size of 7.7 billion US$. Moreover, it is estimated to be over 18 billion US$ by 2012.The television sector has a 42 % share and print media has 30 % share. The Indian entertainment industry is one of the fastest growing in the world giving 1000 films per year. It is the largest output by any media industry in the world.

Raised regulations, quality content development, competitive pricing, increased consumer base and significant marketing, creative use of technology and work effectiveness are the key drivers of Indian media industry. Because of varied structure and root presences, many media companies in India have grown up speedily and are recruiting newer young talent for increased efficiency and creativity. Because of this starting a Career in media industry is the latest trend among many youngsters in India. The strong influence that media holds over people's life has also attracted many to start a career in Media.The business opportunities in Indian media and entertainment industry are enormous. There is untapped potential along with the good creativity talent. In addition, good economy, FDI inflow, higher per capita income are the main reasons, because of which new media industries are opening up, thus giving good Career in media industry. Some of the reputed media companies in India are- Times Group which owns Indiatimes, Filmfare, Planet M, Times of India and many other brands, Adlabs, Zeetelefilms, UTV, Nimbus Communications, Sahara Group, Mukta Arts, Shrinagar Group, News Corporation, Sony, Walt Disney, Sun Network, BMG, Universal, The Indian Express, Manorama etc.

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