Sports Management Degree – Everything you need to know

Published On: August 26, 2025

Table of Content

Sports Management is a new-age career option for sports lovers that gives them opportunities to make careers in the business, management, and entrepreneurship areas of sports. The study of Sports Management allows aspiring professionals to work across various sectors in the Sports Industry, including Sports Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Sports Law, Sports Operations, Sports Event Management, Sports Broadcasting, Content Creation, and Sports Analytics.

With the size of the Indian Sports Industry in 2030 is estimated at $130B, per a Google & Deloitte Report, career opportunities in the sports management field are going to grow exponentially.

Sports Management Degree

The field welcomes sports lovers from diverse backgrounds. All that matters for an aspirant to make a career in Sports Management is to have a sheer passion for sports.

Here are a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Sports Management degrees for aspirants.

What degree do you need to pursue to become a Sports Management professional?

An individual who has passed 12th grade can study for a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management, whereas graduates from any stream can opt for either a Master’s Degree in Sports Management. Additionally, experienced graduates can enroll in an 11-month Post Graduate Program in Sports Management for a quick professional qualification.

A formal Sports Management degree pursued from a recognized institute opens multiple avenues for aspirants in the field.

At International Institute of Sports & Management (IISM), Bachelor of Sports Management (BSM) courses are mostly of a three-year tenure, whereas Master of Sports Management (MSM) courses are of two years.

It isn’t mandatory for aspirants to hail from a specific stream to study a Master’s or PGP in Sports Management. Subjects in the courses involve everything from the basics of Sports Management to numerous verticals pertaining to the field.

Know More about: SMAT: The bridge between you and the world of sports

What are the careers one can make in the field of Sports Management?

Just like other industries, there are diverse verticals in the sports industry too, for aspirants to carve a career for themselves. You name any professional category, and it exists in the Sports Industry. As the sports industry in India is thriving exponentially, we are witnessing numerous reforms being introduced by our government for the betterment. Individuals can choose to join sports management organizations and work at sporting events such as the IPL, ISL, or PKL, or they can aspire to work with federations and esteemed bodies within the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Some of the Sports Management verticals, where careers could be made, are as follows:

Team, League & Athlete Management
Venue Management
Managing Associations & Federations
Handling the Operations & Logistics
Sports Grassroots Development – Identifying & Nurturing Talent
Handling Media & Communications Outfit of a Team
Broadcasting
Sports Event Management
Business Development, Sales
Digital Marketing

Careers in Sports Management

Sports Data Analytics
Sports Retail
Sports Marketing and Sponsorship
Sports Law
Sports Coaching

Also Read: Career Opportunities in Sports Management

What majors go well with Sports Management?

Majors pertaining to any field would go well with Sports Management. As the field areas in Sports Management are vast, there is space for all aspirants to carve a path of their own in the industry. If you are an engineer or an arts graduate, you can still choose to study Sports Management.

As for traditional management specializations, Marketing and Operations are two majors that could work like a charm for aspiring sports managers. With multiple verticals like digital marketing, event management, and sports retail require similar skillsets and knowledge base, any marketing or operations graduate could easily transcend into sports management.

Even Finance and HR graduates can leverage their knowledge as managing budgets and personnel in the dynamic sectors of league and venue management can be more than handy.

Similarly, IT and engineering background candidates have increasing scope with the data analytics becoming an integral part of the sports industry on all fronts.

Which companies offer jobs and internships in Sports Management?

There are companies in the sports industry offering jobs and internship opportunities across various verticals mentioned above — from Talent Management to Digital Marketing, from Data Analytics to Sports Tourism, and from Media and Broadcasting to Grassroots Sports Development.

Companies like Cornerstone, Baseline Ventures, PMG (under Madison World) do provide talent management roles as they have multiple athletes under their brand.

Meanwhile, DreamSetGo under Dream Sports is one of the prominent Sports Tourism companies in India. Dream Sports also has FanCode — an upcoming digital broadcasting brand — under its umbrella. Besides Star Sports, Sony Pictures Networks and its OTT subsidiaries like JioHotstar and SonyLIV, FanCode is also a great company that offers marketing, broadcasting, data analytics, and engineering roles in the broadcasting sector.

In the media sector, new-age media companies like Cricbuzz, Sportskeeda, Sportz Interactive, and several such brands are redefining the fabrics of media coverage in the sports industry. So, the growth in the variety of roles in these organizations has skyrocketed.

To know more the companies that are actively offering jobs and internships to aspiring sports managers, go through our blog titled Top 20 Sports Companies in India Every Future Sports Manager Must Know.

What is the salary range for Sports Management Graduates?

At IISM, Bachelor of Sports Management (BSM) graduates are getting placed in the some of the top companies in various sectors of the sports industry and the highest package among them was ₹5,40,000 per annum.

Meanwhile, the highest package among the Master of Sports Management (MSM) cohort was around ₹6,60,000 per annum. From a long-term perspective, a placement around this package in the sports management industry is more than a solid foundation with a top organization across various sectors.

The scope of opportunities with companies like Dream Sports, Cricbuzz, Star Sports, Decathlon, ITW, Cult.fit is only going to increase and with experience, the salary range for the variety of roles available will improve exponentially.

Is a degree in Sports Management worth it?

It is a simple answer: yes! The Indian Sports Industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world (Source: DataPOWA). As a country highly passionate about sports, we are only moving forward with a good success rate. The Government of India and the Ministry of Youth Affairs of Sports have published the highest sports budget this fiscal year, contributing tremendous efforts to the development of sports.

As we say, sports is a field that welcomes everyone; all that matters for individuals is to have a sheer passion for sports. Sports is a dream career for many. The field has a lot to offer to those who really wish to contribute immensely to the sector with their talent and perseverance. A formal education in Sports Management will equip you to take on tasks and execute them successfully while working on numerous fronts in the sector.

For those who wish to become a Sports Management professional, this is the right time for them to take the first step towards their dream.

Don’t let your dream just be a dream and pursue Sports Management by studying at the institute, which pioneered Sports Management education in India and is a proud recipient of Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar for Development of Sports- International Institute of Sports Management.