Sports

The greatest number of job opportunities exists with professional teams. At the highest male professional level, there are 32 National Football League franchises, 30 Major League Baseball franchises, 30 National Basketball Association franchises, 32 National Hockey League franchises, and 30 Major League Soccer franchises. The Women's National Basketball Association has 12 franchises. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for athletes, umpires, referees, and related jobs will grow about 10 percent through 2033. Coaches and scouts will have 9 percent employment growth, much faster than average, through 2033. The growth will be driven by increasing interest in sports and the retirement of baby boomers, expected to spend much time participating and watching sports. Growing interest in fitness among amateurs will create demand for qualified coaches and trainers. Expansion of school athletic programs will also contribute to job growth.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the global professional sports market in 2020, growth resumed the following year and was strong enough that revenues surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2022, totaling $94.16 billion, according to Statista. Worldwide, revenues reached $112.37 billion in 2024, led by the United States at $49.76 billion. Soccer accounted for the largest portion of revenues at $56.67 billion, followed by American football ($27.23 billion), baseball ($13.52 billion), basketball ($11.24 billion), and cricket ($3.71 billion). Following compound annual growth of 4.16 percent, the global sports industry was forecast to total $137.80 billion by 2029.

One challenge that continues to face sports at all levels of competition is player safety. Recent studies have cast new light on the risk of concussions and other injuries associated with many sports. These can be especially dangerous for young athletes whose bodies are still developing. It has been noted as a serious, ongoing concern in football and the NFL, where players sometimes suffer multiple concussions in their career because on-field action often subjects them to harsh physical contact. This has been linked to brain injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a factor in many health issues, including depression and reduced cognitive function, and cannot be prevented by protective gear such as helmets.

The number of professional teams, in all sports, is relatively stable. This means, however, that the number of jobs is also relatively stable. Specifically sports-related jobs, such as managers, coaches, umpires, and referees, will open only as people retire or otherwise leave the profession. Some jobs will emerge with the birth of expansion teams, such as the Arizona Diamondbacks, which joined professional baseball in 1998, and the less common advent of new leagues or sports, such as the women's basketball and softball leagues.

For occupations that are also related to other fields, such as journalists, publicists, business managers, and attorneys, there is some movement of trained individuals into and out of the sports sector. The competition for all these jobs is keen. The number of people interested in working in sports in any capacity far exceeds the number of openings.

Competition for a job as a professional athlete is much tougher. In college football, for example, there are more than 250 Division I football teams (133 Division 1 FCS teams and 128 Division 1 FBS teams) and countless other teams in other divisions, but only 32 American professional football teams in the National Football League. Out of all the college athletes who wish to make the pros, few will be chosen. Of those chosen, many will not last the season; others will not play for more than a couple of years. Few professional football players are able to make a career of the sport. The same is true for other sports as well. Golf, tennis, and other individual sports enable professionals to play at the international level; however, the financial incentive for players who do not win tournaments is limited. Only a few players will earn the large incomes of athletes on the level of Serena Williams, Russell Wilson, or LeBron James.

As the field of technology grows, so does its application in the sports industry. Programmers are needed to improve computer-based timing equipment while other workers in sports technology design more aerodynamic bicycles and create swimming pools with minimal wave interference. Clothing and fabric designers design athletic wear that allows freedom of movement, low water or air resistance, or support for the feet.

Sports medicine, a relatively new addition to the industry, has shown good growth potential. Sports doctors and surgeons are beginning to specialize in the injuries particular to athletes, and more and more teams and athletes are employing massage and physical therapists, chiropractors and kinesiologists, sports nutritionists, and skilled trainers. The Department of Labor predicts much faster than average employment growth for athletic trainers, who specialize in preventing, diagnosing, and treating sports-related injuries; they will have 13 percent employment growth through 2033. In addition, there has been a recent boom in information on health and sports medicine, including many books, magazines, Web sites, as well as social media sites that focus specifically on these issues.