There are more than six million careers in sports, and at one time they were only open to men. That has changed considerably since the advent of Title IX, which forbids gender discrimination in athletics. After Title IX became law in 1972, more opportunities became available for women to pursue sports-related degrees and then move on to the workplace. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go in some fields.
The following section examines careers for women in sports and the outlook for the future other than being a sportswoman:
Athletic Trainer:
Athletic trainers provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis and rehabilitation for athletes and sports teams. In the past, colleges and universities primarily hired female athletic trainers to work with female teams, but that is changing as more women pursue athletic training degree programs. However, female athletic trainers hold only a few of the most lucrative jobs in sports. Women made up over 52% of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2012 and represent medical teams on the sidelines for almost every sport.
College Athletics Director:
A College Athletics Director oversees the work of coaches and related staff in athletic programs. It requires a graduate degree and extensive administrative experience as well as a strong business background.
One of the missions of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) is to promote the growth, leadership, success, and advancement of women as athletic administrators, professional staff, and coaches. According to the NACWAA, the trend in hiring is to seek leaders from significant business backgrounds rather than strictly sports administration. They also recommend building a network that includes other athletic directors, college coaches, and conference personnel.
College Coach:
According to the NCAA Race & Gender Institutional Database, women currently hold only 20% of all coaching jobs across the NCAA. Associations such as the Alliance of Women Coaches are working to increase the number of female coaches in all sports.
Coaching positions at the college level include head coaches, assistant coaches, and graduate assistants. The first step to becoming a college coach is earning an undergraduate degree. There is considerable competition for college coaching jobs, so teaching certification is one way to stand out. After graduation, women who are interested in coaching at the college level should gain entry-level coaching knowledge and experience.
Sportswriter/Broadcast Journalist:
Women have the widest range of opportunities in sports media with sports, teams, leagues, and organizations producing their own online content. According to the Association of Women in Sports Media (AWSM), online audiences are demanding features, game coverage, and injury updates more than ever before at all levels, from small colleges to the NFL. Therefore, these institutions need professionals with writing, reporting and production skills.
Competition for jobs in the sports media field is competitive, so it’s important to gain experience in internships and volunteer positions. AWSM offers an internships/scholarship program to promote and increase diversity in sports media. In addition to placing more than 100 female college students in paid internships since 1990, AWSM has developed mentoring and career-enhancement initiatives.
Sports Executive:
Sports Executives are the top management of a college or sports team. Every sport hires executives to oversee managers in departments such as marketing, public relations, ticket sale, accounting, and advertising and set team or franchise goals. Sports executive positions require extensive education, including bachelors and master’s degrees in sports administration or a related field.
Most sports executives begin their careers as interns and in entry-level positions in the sports industry. Then they develop experience managing staff and developing skills in various advanced positions in areas such as marketing, public relations, advertising, sales, and broadcasting.
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