Published June 11, 2019 in CSU Christian College Blog 

1. Professional Sports Administrator
2. Athletic Coach or Manager
3. School Athletic Director
4. Director or Manager of a Recreational Ministry
5. Athletic Camp Director
6. Sports Marketing Director

Do you love sports? Were you that kid who was always outside working up a sweat, getting back up no matter many times you fell down? And do you have a passion for encouraging others to do the same? Well, sports management might just be the career for you.

But what do sports management jobs look like? And how might a Christian approach this career field with a sense of purpose?

Read on. We’ve got six ideas to get you started in considering this exciting path.

1. Professional Sports Administrator

This field provides many opportunities to serve people who are determined to succeed—and perhaps to challenge them on how they define success.

Do you see yourself working in an athletic club setting? It might be a not-for-profit organization like a YMCA or community center, or maybe a for-profit sports and fitness center? As sports administrator, your job would include getting people to come, raise funds, purchase supplies – everything that makes sports happen.

A Christian sports administrator looks for opportunities to disciple club members to grow more Christ-like as athletes. This may be as informal as building relationships with members outside of your administrative duties and sharing your faith. Or, it could be as formal as organizing a club Bible study.

While there may be more opportunities to share your faith in a Christian community center, relationship building and discipleship can happen anywhere. This field provides many opportunities to serve people who are determined to succeed—and perhaps to challenge them on how they define success.

2. Athletic Coach or Manager

Maybe you feel a call to deeply invest in athletes. Whether you’ve coached before or you’ve been positively impacted by a coach who cares, you know how rewarding it can be to help people develop their talent.

As a coach, you instill key values into your players, like dedication, teamwork and a strong work ethic, which will serve them well beyond their time on the playing field. Athletics is an excellent avenue to truly reach the hearts of people. A manager serves his or her team in other ways—by organizing games, maintaining equipment and watching the finances.

Christian coaches and managers look at their role as more than a job. It’s a ministry. It takes a servant’s heart to teach, motivate and lead a team, through many ups and downs, to help them fulfill their greatest potential. That is love in action.

This job can take place in a school, university or different levels of professional teams. So consider which age groups you’d like to work with as well as the salary and stress balance. Typically, coaching higher levels of sport will come with both higher pay and more pressure, but it can be a ministry at any level.

3. School Athletic Director

CSU helped me develop a strong understanding of God’s Word which informs my leadership and decision making on a daily basis.”

You may see yourself working as an administrative leader within a school. With your degree in sports management and coaching experience, you may decide to direct an entire athletic program. In this role, you would be hiring coaches, scheduling games, preparing budgets and setting the direction of the athletic department.

Athletic directors guided by Christian principles are able to apply them across many programs, coaches and teams. At this level of sports management, you would be setting important guidelines for the conduct of athletes, coaches and support staff. And you would have the Word as your own guide.

Clarks Summit University alum Dr. Donald Davis, Jr. (‘01) is a basketball player turned coach and eventually athletic director and head of school at Second Baptist School in Houston, Texas. He says he built his leadership ability on the biblical foundation he learned at CSU.

“Having a biblical worldview is so powerful today … CSU helped me develop a strong understanding of God’s Word which informs my leadership and decision making on a daily basis,” he said.

You could build your own leadership on that same foundation and help ensure student-athletes excel in a fun, safe and inclusive environment.

4. Director or Manager of a Recreational Ministry

Would you like to apply your love of sports and recreation to the work of a church or ministry organization? Many churches have programs to bring people together through sports leagues, fitness classes and excursions into nature. They need someone to lead these programs.

The director or manager of a recreational ministry creates opportunities for fellowship and discipleship through group activities. It’s a blessing for people to enjoy activities that promote physical, emotional, social and spiritual health all in one.

That’s the gift you could give to members of your church or to the greater community. Your job would be to create an environment of health, community and spiritual development. That’s pretty cool.

5. Athletic Camp Director

If you want to invest in the lives of kids and teens, your calling may be to lead an athletic program at a camp. If you are picturing a summer camp and wondering what you’ll be doing the rest of the year, don’t worry. There are plenty of year-round opportunities.

As the director of a camp athletic program, you’ll create opportunities for physical fitness, relationship building and character building. This may or may not be in a strictly Christian setting. Regardless, you can provide meaningful experiences for people that open the door to more conversations.

Whether summer camps, day camps, family retreats or outdoor education, you’ll either direct it all or focus on athletics as part of a management team. And, when you’re not coordinating events, you’ll be recruiting coaches, budgeting, creating policies and administering other areas. This job doesn’t wait for Memorial Day!

6. Sports Marketing Director

This is one of the most important sports management jobs, and it takes a servant’s heart to do it with integrity.

Do you have a talent for getting others excited and moving them to action? Some have a knack for coaching, and others are good at keeping everything organized. Your role might be to get spectators into the stands.

A sports marketing director makes the ministry of sports possible by keeping programs well-funded. A Christian understands driving ticket sales is not about the money; the money is a tool used to keep people employed and help athletes learn and grow.

So this is one of the most important sports management jobs. And it takes a servant’s heart to do it with integrity. Colleges and professional sports organizations need sales and marketing professionals who believe in the power of sports to bring communities together in a positive way. That could be you!

THROUGH SPORTS, YOUR POTENTIAL FOR IMPACT IS HUGE

Studying sports management at a Christian college can prepare you to contribute to athletics-centered ministries. It provides a strong ethical foundation for a career in a field that needs people who follow Jesus in leadership.

The popularity of sports isn’t going away any time soon. People will always want to play, compete, watch and discuss these sports we love. It goes beyond merely a game. That means your opportunity to minister to people through sports is huge.

Are you up for the challenge?

Contact us today to find out how you can make an impact with your degree in sports management form Clarks Summit University.