Career options for sport communication: Five segments
This is an excerpt from Strategic Sport Communication-2nd Edition by Paul M. Pedersen,Pamela Laucella,Edward Kian & Andrea Geurin.
This chapter describes the five major career segments of sport communication (see figure 2.1): management, media, support services, entertainment, and other opportunities. Consider the Sport Communication at Work profile for this chapter: Where would Nguyen be classified? Though she now works in an executive management role, she also provides some support services for the writers and editors at USA Today. In addition, she began her career as an unpaid independent blogger, which, if we use an inclusive definition, falls into the category of mass media. As Nguyen's career exemplifies - and as you will see throughout this chapter - many 21st-century jobs in sport communication require individuals to handle a convergence of job roles and use a variety of skills, many of which involve the Internet and social media.
Careers in sport communication can involve one or more of five major areas.
The multibillion-dollar sport industry is full of exciting and challenging career opportunities. One estimate credited the industry with accounting for nearly five million jobs (Pedersen, Whisenant, & Schneider, 2005). In another analysis, CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) found that jobs in U.S. sport-related industries increased by nearly 13 percent between 2010 and 2014; in contrast, the overall national job market grew about 6 percent over the same period (CareerBuilder, 2014). Not only do the vast majority of jobs in the sport industry involve communication (e.g., writing, speaking, interacting), but also the sport communication segment of the industry is particularly vibrant. This chapter introduces you to the broad range of careers available in this field. More specifically, it answers questions such as, "What kinds of jobs are available in sport communication?" and "How do I prepare myself for a position in sport communication?"
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