6 Careers in Sports for Non-Athletes6 Careers in Sports for Non-Athletes6 Careers in Sports for Non-Athletes

Tables of Contents

Americans love sports, but only a select few will play professionally.

Take football, a sport that typically tops the list of all popular television programming in the U.S. Of those who play football in high school, according to Sportskeeda, about 0.00075% advance to the pros.

Fortunately for sports lovers who want to turn their passion into a career, many careers in sports are available, even for those who aren’t professional athletes. The sports industry is experiencing faster career growth than many others, and non-athletes can seek roles ranging from medicine to marketing for their sports careers.

Professionals who promote teams in the community, help keep players in top shape, and provide legal representation are among those with careers in sports — but they never see a minute of game time. As The Athletic reports, each NHL team alone employs hundreds of people, for example.

The prevalence of non-athletes in sports careers is likely to increase, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS projects that jobs in entertainment and   between 2020 and 2030, a much faster rate than the 8% average for all occupations the agency tracks. The BLS attributes its projection to the increasing popularity of sports.

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects strong growth for entertainment and sports careers between 2020 and 2030. Projections for some in-demand sports careers versus all occupations include: Fitness Trainer — 39%; Athletic Trainer — 23%; Entertainment and Sports Careers — 22%; Physical Therapist — 21%; Health Educator — 17%; Exercise Physiologist — 13%. The labor market as a whole is projected to grow 8% in the same time period.

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Some non-athlete careers in sports can provide the opportunity to work at sporting events, while others take place off-site, in offices or healthcare or fitness facilities. These sports management roles draw on more than a love of athletics, with roles that incorporate business, science or communication. What are some careers in sports management, and what responsibilities do they include? These careers focus on areas such as the following:

Sports medicine focuses on preventing and treating sports-related injuries. Across various industries and work environments, careers in sports medicine call on professionals to perform functions such as:

The BLS projects 16% growth in all healthcare jobs between 2020 and 2030. Sports medicine careers include the following:

Athletic trainers help individuals or sports teams perform their best. They work in settings such as fitness centers, medical facilities, and colleges and universities. Their work includes responsibilities such as:

The job outlook for athletic trainers is strong, with the BLS projecting 23% growth and about 3,100 openings each year from 2020 to 2030. The BLS attributes this demand to recovery from the economic challenges related to COVID-19 as well as the popularity of sports programs.

The median annual salary for athletic trainers was $49,860 in May 2020, above the $41,950 median salary for all jobs. The top 10% of earners had a salary of $75,810 or more.

Exercise physiologists analyze individuals’ medical histories and fitness to tailor health and exercise plans. Some exercise physiologists collaborate with physicians to address health concerns. Their work typically focuses on cardiovascular health, body composition, flexibility, metabolism, and chronic disease recovery. Among the responsibilities of exercise physiologists are:

Thanks to an increasing focus on exercise and preventive care, the BLS projects faster-than-average job growth for exercise physiologists (13%) and about 1,500 openings each year between 2020 and 2030. In May 2020, the median salary for this role was $50,280. Those earning a salary in the top 10% for exercise physiologists received $78,170 or more in annual pay.

Sometimes called personal trainers or kinesiotherapists, kinesiologists have expertise in how the human body moves. This career in sports medicine calls for designing, directing, and monitoring exercise plans for building strength and mobility for people — including those who are recovering from an injury. They can focus on specific injuries in their work or offer general assistance for increasing movement or recovering from health issues. Kinesiologists’ responsibilities include the following:

The BLS projects faster-than-average (13%) job growth for physiologists, including kinesiologists, from 2020 to 2030. PayScale reports that the median salary for this role was approximately $50,000 in February 2022, with the top 10% of earners receiving an annual salary of $80,000 or more.

Physical therapists (PTs) assess how people’s musculoskeletal systems — bones, ligaments, muscles, tendons, and soft tissue — are functioning. They assist with pain management as well as movement. PTs work in rehabilitation centers, schools, and medical facilities. The following are among their responsibilities:

The BLS projects job growth for physical therapist jobs will be much faster than average from 2020 to 2030, with 21% growth and about 15,600 openings per year anticipated. An aging population, many of whom are staying active later in life, is a key reason for this projection. PTs’ median annual wage was $91,010 in May 2020, according to the BLS, more than doubling the average for all occupations. The top 10% of annual salaries were $126,780 or more.

Physicians who specialize in sports medicine focus on preventing athletes’ injuries, diagnosing medical issues, and directing nonsurgical treatment and rehabilitation. They work in medical settings and in schools. Their responsibilities include the following:

The BLS projects 3% growth in all physician and surgeon jobs from 2020 to 2030, lower than average. Demand is likely to be strong despite this projection, however, with technology that allows fewer physicians to do more work tempering growth. PayScale reports that sports medicine physicians earned a median salary of about $184,000 in February 2022, with the top 10% of salaries at $244,000 or more.

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The term “sports psychology” refers to the study of how psychological factors affect sports, exercise, and the way athletes perform. Careers in sports psychology focus on assessing how athletes can improve their mental well-being, enhance their enjoyment of athletics, and improve their lives.

While the BLS doesn’t track sports psychology roles specifically, it does provide job growth projections for psychologists overall. The agency projects 8% growth among all psychologist roles between 2020 and 2030, about average for all occupations, or about 13,400 openings each year. Increasing reliance on professional help with mental health and acknowledgment of the connection between psychology and performance are driving this demand.

PayScale reports that sports psychologists earned a median annual salary of approximately $74,000 as of January 2022, with the top 10% earning a salary of $101,000 or more.

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Many athletes rely on sports psychology professionals to help improve their athletic performance and mental strength. Sports psychology’s benefits include building confidence, improving focus, controlling emotions, increasing motivation, and enhancing mental health, according to BelievePerform and the Sports & Exercise Medicine Institute.

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Among the sports psychology career opportunities are the following:

Applied sports psychologists work with athletes, coaches, and others who are physically active to strengthen their mental health and improve their performance. They work with youth and club sport athletes as well as those in high school, college, semiprofessional and professional leagues, and in the Olympics and Paralympics. Among the responsibilities of an applied sports psychologist are:

In team sports, psychologists help players develop resilience, focusing on mental health and social skills to encourage top performance. They work with teams to conduct the sports psychology tasks of leading goal-setting, concentration, motivation, and relaxation practices. Team psychologists focus the work of the group toward achieving a common goal for the team.

Clinical psychologists focus on the diagnosis and treatment of mental, behavioral, and emotional illnesses. In sports, clinical psychologists help athletes improve their mental health through treatment of these conditions — with an eye toward improving performance through better mental well-being.

For all clinical psychologists, the BLS projects 10% growth in jobs between 2020 and 2030. This growth represents the addition of 12,300 jobs.

Another sports psychology career, research specialist, provides research and analysis. For sports teams and activities, they gather labor and employee relations information to help in establishing new lines of revenue. Sports research specialists’ responsibilities can include the following:

The median annual salary for all research specialists was about $45,000 in February 2022, according to PayScale, with the top 10% of salaries at $72,000 or more.

Sports rehabilitation therapy includes a broad range of services — including injury prevention, nutrition guidance, and sports psychology — that target an athlete’s return from injury and improvement in athletic performance. Responsibilities focus on assisting athletes as they recover from injury and evaluating their progress. They can work in medical facilities or rehabilitation clinics.

The BLS reports salary and job outlook information for rehabilitation counselors. Professionals in this role earned a median salary of $37,530 in May 2020, with top salaries reaching more than $66,180. The agency projects 10% growth in rehabilitation counselor jobs between 2020 and 2030, with about 11,200 openings each year, thanks in part to an aging population that’s more likely to incur injuries.

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Sports science is the science that drives exercise and performance. In addition to sports management knowledge, careers in sports science call for expertise in anatomy, nutrition, physiology, and psychology. Sports science professionals work to help maximize athletes’ performance and endurance before sporting events. Activities include the following:

Following are some sports science careers:

Nutritionists work with individuals and teams to evaluate individuals’ health and eating habits, tailoring meal plans and dietary instructions to enhance their health and performance. Among the typical responsibilities of nutritionists are:

According to the BLS, the median salary for dieticians and nutritionists was $63,090 in May 2020, with the top 10% of salaries reaching $90,000 or more. The agency projects 11% growth for these roles between 2020 and 2030, a pace that represents 5,900 positions each year, because of the growing interest in how diet affects performance and well-being.

Fitness trainers lead and instruct exercise activities for individuals and groups. Activities can include cardiovascular, strength training, and stretching workouts. Working mainly at fitness and recreational sports centers, fitness trainers’ responsibilities include the following:

The job outlook for fitness trainers far outpaces the average for all occupations, with the BLS projecting 39% growth and about 69,100 position openings each year between 2020 and 2030. The continuing emphasis on exercise to combat obesity and enhance well-being, along with an aging population that’s increasingly active, are driving this growth.

Another career in sports science is health educator, a role that involves assessing a community’s or other group’s health and promoting wellness through tailored strategies. Health educators typically work in healthcare facilities, for nonprofit organizations, or for public health departments, with responsibilities such as:

The BLS reports that the median salary for health education specialists was $56,500 in May 2020, with the top 10% of earners receiving an annual salary of $101,890 or more. The BLS projects 17% growth in health education specialist and community health worker positions and 16,100 job openings per year between 2020 and 2030.

Working for a recreation department, park, or private organization, recreation coordinators develop group activities, events, and fitness activities. They work with groups in summer camps and cater to interests such as sports, music, and games. Responsibilities include the following:

The BLS projects job growth of 16% between 2020 and 2030 and about 64,600 job openings each year because of an increasing emphasis on lifelong wellness. Recreation workers earned a median salary of $28,440 in May 2020, with the highest 10% of salaries reaching $46,510 or more.

schedule practices; plan game strategies; and lead athletes and teams at the youth, amateur, or professional level. Among the responsibilities of sports coaches are:

The BLS tracks salaries and job growth for coaches and scouts, projecting 26% growth between 2020 and 2030 and about 45,100 job openings per year. The median salary for coaches and scouts was $36,330 in May 2020; those earning in the top 10% of salaries received $81,940 or more each year.

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The popularity of sports coverage in the media helps create various careers in sports media — including many for non-athletes. Whether sharing their knowledge with audiences or reporting on the outcome of athletic events, sports media professionals can pursue roles with positive career growth projections. Sports media careers rely on various communications channels, from radio and television to online news sources and social media. Sports media careers include the following:

Sports editors can work in television, on websites, in newspapers, and on radio or podcases. They assign and edit stories about sports and athletes, sometimes for a specific sport and other times for general sports coverage. Sports editors’ responsibilities include the following:

The BLS projects that editor roles will grow by 5%, with about 11,200 openings per year, between 2020 and 2030. This growth is about average for all occupations, with additional competition in media and shrinking advertising revenue holding anticipated growth at that level. Editors earned a median income of $63,400 in May 2020, with the top 10% of salaries averaging more than $126,800.

Video content coordinators work with sports teams to curate video footage of games and training, traveling with teams to record the action. These videos help promote the team and inform strategies for improving performance. Responsibilities of video content coordinators include the following:

Job growth for film and video editors and camera operators will be much faster than average between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS. The agency projects 29% growth over the decade, with about 8,600 openings each year. The increasing number of online streaming platforms and growing need for video content are factors in this growth.

Film and video editors had a median annual salary of $67,250 in May 2020, the BLS reports, with the highest 10% earning more than $152,720.

Another career in sports is graphic designer. These professionals create visual concepts, either with computer software or by hand, to communicate messages about an athlete or a team. In this role that combines art with technology, graphic designers are responsible for:

Graphic designers had a median annual salary of $53,380 in May 2020, according to the BLS, an amount that’s above the national average for all jobs. The top 10% of salaries were more than $93,440. The BLS projects slower-than-average job growth for graphic designers, anticipating 3% growth between 2020 and 2030, but notes that organizations’ growing reliance on digital communication may create additional need for design assistance.

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Sports media and sports marketing increasingly rely on social media to inform and influence fans. These social media trends are affecting how sports media and marketing professionals approach their work in the following ways: stronger loyalty in fan base, bigger personal brands for athletes, greater athlete influence on social issues, and increased team marketing and branding opportunities, according to Social Media Headquarters.

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With most athletes and teams using social media to communicate, social media coordinators play an important role in helping sports organizations develop relationships with their fans. Social media coordinators use social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok, to help sports organizations maintain audience engagement year-round. In sports, social media coordinators have responsibilities such as:

The BLS includes social media specialists in its data for public relations specialists. The median annual salary for public relations specialists was $62,810 in May 2020, with the highest 10% of salaries reaching more than $118,210. Job growth will be 11% for public relations specialists between 2020 and 2030, the BLS projects, with 29,200 openings each year. The explosion in the use of social media will create opportunities for professionals who can help their teams capitalize on this popular medium.

Sports broadcasters, or sportscasters, select, write, and share footage of sports news. They broadcast during radio or television news or athletic events and shows. Sports broadcasters can provide game coverage, play-by-plays, and interviews with athletes and coaches. Responsibilities include the following:

The BLS provides information for announcers, indicating that the median salary for these professionals was $41,950 in May 2020. The top 10% of earners had salaries of $114,050 or more. The projected growth for announcer positions is 15% between 2020 and 2030, with about 6,100 jobs each year. This faster-than-average growth will occur primarily in online broadcast platforms.

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Work in sports marketing can include advertising and promoting a team or an athlete. Sports marketing careers often are based at advertising or public relations agencies or other marketing organizations. These roles can range from advertising and sales to event management. Following are some careers in sports marketing:

Marketing researchers collect information about sports trends to inform marketing efforts, evaluating who their customers are and what they want. Researchers’ work may include gathering data about ticket sales or customer reactions to marketing campaigns. Among the responsibilities of a marketing researcher are:

The BLS tracks data for market research analysts, projecting 22% growth and about 96,000 positions per year from 2020 to 2030. Increasing reliance on market data and research is helping to fuel this growth. The median salary for this role was $65,810 in May 2020, with the top 10% of salaries reaching more than $127,410.

Public relations managers, sometimes called account managers, are the head of a public relations team. They guide the development of marketing materials and represent athletes or teams to help ensure a positive public image. Responsibilities include the following:

The BLS reports that the median salary for public relations and fundraising managers was $118,430 in May 2020, well above the average for all occupations; the top 10% of salaries reached $208,000 or more. Job growth projections are also strong, with quick news cycles necessitating strong public image management. The BLS projects 13% growth between 2020 and 2030, with about 8,900 openings each year.

As the leaders of advertising teams,   guide the creation and distribution of video, voice, and print ads. In sports, they oversee advertisements for teams, athletes, and sports venues. Their responsibilities include the following:

The BLS reports that the median salary for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers was $133,460 in May 2020, with the highest 10% of salaries at $208,000 or more. The agency projects 10% growth, with about 31,100 additional roles each year, between 2020 and 2030. The demand for digital advertising will be particularly strong in the coming years.

In sports, brand managers are responsible for creating and maintaining an athlete’s, a team’s, or an organization’s image. They work to establish an image, or a brand, that attracts fans or customers. Their responsibilities include the following:

The BLS categorizes brand managers as advertising, promotions, and marketing managers, projecting 10% growth in these roles between 2020 and 2030. PayScale reports that the median salary for brand managers was about $72,000 in February 2022, with the top salaries reaching $115,000 or more.

Promoters publicize events to encourage ticket sales. Sports promoters’ work can include advertising special activities or specific athletes who’ll be at sporting events to drive interest and sales. Responsibilities include developing promotional campaigns through direct mail, online ads, displays, and events. Promoters also work to attract interest by offering incentives such as discounts, gifts, and coupons.

Promoters are also categorized as advertising, promotions, and marketing managers, whose job growth is projected to be 10% from 2020 to 2030, according to the BLS. The median salary for brand promoters was about $72,000 in February 2022, according to PayScale, with the top 10% of salaries topping $115,000.

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Sports law professionals work with athletes and sports organizations on legal issues such as contracts, labor laws, trademark rules, tax issues, and discrimination cases. Laws can vary according to an athlete’s status or laws related to a specific sport.

Following are some careers in sports law:

represent and promote athletes in their interactions with current or prospective employers. Their work includes contract negotiations and other business-related functions on behalf of clients. Working to protect their clients’ best interests, sports agents’ responsibilities can include the following:

In May 2020, the BLS reports, agents earned a median salary of $75,420. The top 10% of salaries were more than $190,500.

Sports lawyers represent athletes, teams, leagues, boards, and other sports-related organizations. They provide legal guidance and assistance, with responsibilities including the following:

While the BLS doesn’t specify sports law as a category, for all lawyers it reported the median annual salary was $126,930 in May 2020. The top 10% of lawyers’ salaries were more than $208,000. With demand for legal representation remaining steady, the BLS reports, job growth projections are about on par with all occupations. The agency predicts 9% growth, with 46,000 job openings each year, for all lawyers.

Sports compliance officers work at colleges and universities, ensuring that the school and its athletes are in line with rules and regulations. College athletics must meet requirements that their school and regulatory bodies, such as the  , have established. Compliance officers work with schools to identify and manage risk related to regulations and establish disciplinary action in case of violations. Responsibilities for this sports law career can include the following:

With an array of regulatory requirements to follow, the demand for compliance officers is strong, and their salaries are above the national average. The BLS indicates that compliance officers earned a median salary of $71,100 in May 2020, with the top salaries reaching more than $115,000.

A general counsel, sometimes called corporate counsel, advises an organization’s executive team on legal matters. In working with sports teams, these in-house lawyers set the tone for adhering to the law, starting at the top of the organizational chart. Among their responsibilities are:

As with compliance officers, the demand for team general counsels is high because of the importance of following ever-changing legal and regulatory requirements. PayScale reported that the median annual salary for the role was about $169,000 in February 2022, with the top 10% of salaries at $255,000 or more.

Sports commissioners oversee leagues at various levels of athletics. They serve as the head of business operations, with responsibilities such as:

Compensation for this role varies according to the level of sports and the league. Major college conferences and professional leagues pay their commissioners millions of dollars each year.

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Non-athletes who are interested in sports careers can find additional information about what it’s like to work in the industry, which trends to watch, and who’s hiring. The following organizations are among the available resources:

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Sports lovers have an array of career opportunities in a field that allows them to follow their passion — even if they’re not athletes. From roles that involve working with athletes at sporting events to those that focus on the study of topics affecting the sports market, a broad range of professional options in a fast-growing industry await.

Infographic Sources

BelievePerform, “What Are the Benefits of Sports Psychology?”

Social Media Headquarters, “How Social Media’s Influence on Sports Will Continue to Grow”

Sports & Exercise Medicine Institute, “Sports Psychology: Why Is It Important for Athletes?”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Athletic Trainers

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Entertainment and Sports Occupations

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Exercise Physiologists

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fitness Trainers and Instructors

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Educators

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Physical Therapists