We are a Nation of sports fans and sports players.
Some of those who participate in amateur sports dream of
becoming paid professional athletes, coaches, or sports officials, but very
few beat the long and daunting odds of making a full-time living from
professional athletics. Those athletes who make it to the professional level
find that careers are short and jobs are insecure. Even though the chances of
employment as a professional athlete are slim, there are many opportunities
for at least a part-time job as a coach, instructor, referee, or umpire in
amateur athletics or in high school, college, or university sports.
Athletes and sports competitors compete in organized,
officiated sports events to entertain spectators. When playing a game,
athletes are required to understand the strategies of their game while obeying
the rules and regulations of the sport. The events in which they compete
include both team sports, such as baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and
soccer, and individual sports, such as golf, tennis, and bowling. The level of
play varies from unpaid high school athletics to professional sports, in which
the best from around the world compete in events broadcast on international
television.
Work environment
Irregular work hours are the trademark of the
athlete. They also are common for coaches, umpires, referees, and other sports
officials. Athletes and others in sports related occupations often work
Saturdays, Sundays, evenings, and holidays. Athletes and full-time coaches
usually work more than 40 hours a week for several months during the sports
season, if not most of the year. Some coaches in educational institutions may
coach more than one sport, particularly in high schools.
Athletes, coaches, and sports officials who
participate in competitions that are held outdoors may be exposed to all
weather conditions of the season. Those involved in events that are held
indoors tend to work in climate-controlled comfort, often in arenas, enclosed
stadiums, or gymnasiums. Athletes, coaches, and some sports officials
frequently travel to sporting events by bus or airplane. Scouts also travel
extensively in locating talent, often by automobile.
Becoming a professional athlete is the culmination of
years of effort. Athletes usually begin competing in their sports while in
elementary or middle school,
and
continue through high school and sometimes college. They
play in amateur tournaments and on high school and college teams, where the
best attract the attention of professional scouts. Most
schools require that participating athletes maintain specific academic
standards to remain eligible to play. Athletes who seek to compete
professionally must have extraordinary talent, desire, and dedication to
training.
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
Head coaches at public secondary schools and sports
instructors at all levels usually must have a bachelor’s degree. For high
school coaching and sports instructor jobs, schools usually prefer to hire
teachers willing to take on the jobs part time. (For information on teachers,
including those specializing in physical education, see the section on
teachers—preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary elsewhere
in the Handbook.) If no suitable teacher is found, schools hire someone from
outside. Some entry-level positions for coaches or instructors require only
experience derived as a participant in the sport or activity. Those who are
not teachers must meet State requirements for certification to become a head
coach. Certification, however, may not be required for coaching and sports
instructor jobs in private schools. Degree programs specifically related to
coaching include exercise and sports science, physiology, kinesiology,
nutrition and fitness, physical education, and sports medicine.
Employment
Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers held
about 253,000 jobs in 2006. Coaches and scouts held 217,000 jobs; athletes,
18,000; and umpires, referees, and other sports officials, 19,000. Nearly 42
percent of athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers worked part time,
while 15 percent maintained variable schedules. Many sports officials and
coaches receive such small and irregular payments for their
services—occasional officiating at club games, for example—that they may not
consider themselves employed in these occupations, even part time.
Among those employed in wage and salary jobs, 47
percent held jobs in public and private educational services. About 13 percent
worked in amusement, gambling, and recreation industries, including golf and
tennis clubs, gymnasiums, health clubs, judo and karate schools, riding
stables, swim clubs, and other sports and recreation facilities. Another six
percent worked in the spectator sports industry.
sources
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Athletes, Coaches, Umpires,
and Related Workers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos251.htm
(visited January 14, 2008).
