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Sports Executives

Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits

Sports executives are the all-stars of the sports management world, and it takes many years of experience (some might call it time honing one's skills in the minor leagues) to reach this career pinnacle. You should first participate in at least one internship while in college to obtain enough experience to be hired for entry-level positions in the sports industry. Once hired, you'll need to work three to five years in a support position to qualify for a management-level job, and then about seven years in that position to be considered for executive-level jobs. These experience requirements pertain to jobs at top professional levels; aspiring executives in the minor leagues often need less experience. 

Sports executives must create a positive image for their teams. In this age of extensive media coverage (including the frequent public speaking engagements that are required of sports executives), excellent communications skills are a must. Sports executives need to be dynamic public speakers. They also need a keen business sense, excellent leadership skills, and an intimate knowledge of how to forge a good relationship with their communities. They also should have excellent organizational skills, be detail oriented, and be sound decision makers.