Sports, Athletics & Fitness

Areas & Employers For Work:

Sport Management

• Amateur Athletics: management related to Olympic/Intercollegiate/High School/Youth, coaching, recruiting, student-athlete affairs, facilities management, Bowls & special events (Universities; National & State Sport Governing Bodies (i.e. NCAA); International Olympic Committee; Training Centers; YMCA/YWCA; Sport Camps)
• Facilities & Event Management: facility management, marketing & advertising, event planning & management, design & development (Stadiums; Arenas; Golf Courses; Tracks; Local Tournaments & Festivals; City Parks & Recreation Departments)
• Professional Teams & Leagues: management of various sports, player personnel (coaching, scouting), business operations (marketing & promotions, sponsorship sales, ticketing & sales), stadium operations (food & concession, parking), sport information, professional services, player agency & representation (Professional Leagues (NFL, NHL, NBA, etc); Motor Sport Organizations; Sports Associations; Professional Player Associations & Unions; Player Alumni Associations; Professional Minor Leagues; Individual Franchises; Sport Marketing Firms; Management Firms)
• Sport Merchandising: product development & distribution, sales & marketing, brand/product representation, store management (Sport Equipment & Supply Industry; Exercise Equipment Manufacturers; Sport & Recreation Retailers)
• Leisure & Fitness: programming, management & administration, facilities/equipment management, operations, travel & event planning, instruction, sales & marketing (Ski Resorts; Health & Fitness Clubs; Country Clubs; Major Health Spas; Parks; Recreational Facilities; Related Nonprofit Organizations (Boys & Girls Club, Special Olympics))
• Sport Media: journalism, broadcasting, photojournalism, sport information, advertising sales (Newspapers; Television; Radio; Magazines; Special Interest Sport Publications; Internet Sites)

Recreation & Leisure

• Commercial Recreation
  • Resort & Private Recreation: administration, guest relations, event/program planning & evaluation, facilities management (Convention Services; Event Planning Companies; Resorts; Theme/Amusement Parks; Country Clubs; Travel/Tourism Companies; Ecotourism Agencies)
  • Local Recreation: administration, facilities management, sales/marketing, event/program planning & evaluation (Multipurpose Sports Clubs; Health & Fitness Clubs; Golf Courses; Event Planning Companies; Festival & Fairs)
• Government Recreation: administration, program & recreation management, recreation planning, parks development/management, natural resource management (City/County/Regional/State/Federal Agencies (i.e. Parks, Forests, Wildlife Areas & Water Resources); Conservation Organizations)
• Community Recreation: administration, camp/program/community center management, programming, coaching (Community Centers; Special Olympics; Youth Programs; Sports Leagues; Camps & Outdoor Recreation Programs)
• Faith-Based Recreation: administration, program & facility management (Churches; Synagogues; Mosques; Para-Church Organizations (i.e. Campus Crusade for Christ))
• Recreation Retailing: management, buying/purchasing, small business ownership (Department Stores; Specialty Shops; Pro Shops/Club Stores; Sporting Goods Stores; Outdoor Outfitters)
• Education: teaching, research, administration, student affairs (Universities; K-12 Schools)
• Therapeutic Recreation: administration/management, intervention/aquatic/outdoor specialties (Rehabilitation Hospitals/Centers; Nursing Homes; Assisted Living & Residential Facilities; Community Mental Health Centers; Substance Abuse Centers; Recovery Centers; Camps & Outdoor Recreational Programs)

Exercise Science

• Physical Fitness: exercise physiology, personal training, performance enhancement/management, health club management (Health Clinics; Fitness Centers; Retirement Centers; Resorts; Rehabilitation Centers; Sports Facilities)
• Athletic Training: performance enhancement/management, strength & conditioning coaching, biomechanics, consultation (High Schools; Universities; Sports Medicine Clinics; Fitness Centers; Rehabilitation Centers; Professional Sports Teams; Sports Facilities)
• Physical Therapy: clinical practice, management, education, research (Hospitals; Clinics; Nursing Homes; Sports Medicine Facilities; Rehabilitation Centers; Health Clubs & Fitness Centers; Universities)
• Occupational Therapy: screening, evaluating, treatment, administration (Hospitals; Schools; Nursing Homes; Community Mental Health Centers; Residential Care Providers; Home Healthcare Agencies)
• Education: research, teaching, assessment & evaluation, program development (Universities; Athletic Associations; Research Facilities)
• Business: product & program development, biomechanics, sales (Sporting Goods Manufacturers; Exercise Equipment Manufacturers; Sports Facilities; Health Clubs & Fitness Centers; Hospitals)
• Sports Medicine: orthopedics, osteopathics, chiropractics, prosthetics, biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology, psychology, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, research (Hospitals; Clinics; Home Healthcare Agencies; Sports Medicine Facilities; Rehabilitation Centers; Universities)

Athletics & Sport

• Sports Management: see Sport Management above
• Sporting Goods/Sport Merchandising: product development & distribution, sales & marketing, brand/product representation (Sport Equipment & Supply Industry; Exercise Equipment Manufacturers; Sport & Recreation Retailers)
• Sport Media: journalism, broadcasting, photojournalism, sport information, advertising sales (Newspapers; Television; Radio; Magazines; Special Interest Sport Publications; Sport-Related Internet Sites)
• Exercise Science: see Exercise Science above
• Physical Education: teaching, research, adaptive physical education, recreational sport administration (K-12 Schools; Universities)
• Coaching: professional, college, high school, private, youth sport (Professional Sport Teams; Universities; K-12 Schools; Recreational Organizations or Leagues; Country Clubs; Gyms; City Parks & Recreation Departments; Sport Camps)
• Officiating: refereeing, umpiring, line judging (Professional Sport Leagues; University Athletic Association; Amateur Athletic Associations; High School Athletic Associations; Recreational Leagues)
• Sport Psychology: teaching, research, consultation, performance enhancement (Universities; Olympic Training Centers; Recreational Organizations & Leagues; Professional Sport Teams; Hospitals)
• Exercise & Health Psychology: teaching, research, health promotion, primary care, inpatient medical, specialized health care (Universities; Hospitals; Health Clubs & Fitness Centers; Olympic Training Centers; Rehabilitation Clinics; Public Health Agencies)

Professional Associations & Job Search Sites:

• Adventure Jobs http://www.lookingforadventure.com/adventurejobs.htm
• Amer Sports http://www.amersports.com/careers/career_opportunities (sporting goods company)
• American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance http://www.aahperd.org
• American Association for Physical Activity & Recreation http://www.aahperd.org/aapar
• American Hiking Society http://www.americanhiking.org
• Association for Women in Sports Media http://awsmonline.org
• Athletic Link http://www.athleticlink.com
• Explore Health Careers http://explorehealthcareers.org
• Fitness Jobs http://www.fitnessjobs.com/
• Health Club Jobs http://www.healthclubjobs.com/
• Jobs in Sports http://www.jobsinsports.com/
• National Association of Sports Officials http://www.naso.org
• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/search.cfm
• National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA) http://www.nrpa.org
• National Wellness Institute http://www.nationalwellness.org
• North American Society for Sport Management http://www.nassm.com
• Outdoor Industry Jobs http://www.outdoorindustryjobs.com
• SnowSports Industries America http://www.snowsports.org (trade association)
• Special Olympics http://www.specialolympics.org
• Sport Management Worldwide http://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com
• Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association http://www.sgma.com (trade association)
• TeamWork Online http://www.teamworkonline.com
• Women in Sports Careers Foundation http://www.wiscfoundation.org
• Women's Sports Foundation http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org
• Work in Sports http://www.workinsports.com

Information compiled from:

• University of Delaware Career Services Center:
  http://www.udel.edu/CSC/women.html
• University of North Carolina-Wilmington Career Services
• University of Pennsylvania Career Services:
  http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/undergrad/resourcesbyfield/main.html
• University of Tennessee-Knoxville Career Services:
  http://career.utk.edu/wcidwtm/pdf/sportmanagement.pdf
  http://career.utk.edu/wcidwtm/pdf/recreation-leisurestudies.pdf
  http://career.utk.edu/wcidwtm/pdf/kinesiology.pdf
  http://career.utk.edu/wcidwtm/pdf/athletics-sport.pdf

Disclosure: Please take note that while this is a sampling of some of our favorite resources for job hunting and career research, inclusion does not represent an endorsement by UWW Career & Leadership Development.

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