This is the ranking of the best colleges for Sports Management majors. Sports Management is a specialized type of business management that focuses on the business aspects of sports. This includes management of stadiums, equipment suppliers, teams, athletes and athletic departments. Not be the on-field coaching, but everything related to management off the field comes into play, such as finance, accounting, logistics, supplies, transport, contracts, organization and agency. The program often is housed in the Kinesiology department of universities, rather than the business school. However, some of the best universities in the field have specialized sports management departments.
20 Best Colleges for Sports Management Majors
This is our RealRank ranking of the best colleges for Sports Management majors. Each of the listed colleges on the top 20 list include a link to its website. (Independence Note: We do not earn any commissions from the links!)
| Rank | College | City | State | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Carolina | Columbia | SC | Visit |
| 2 | Rice University | Houston | TX | Visit |
| 3 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | MI | Visit |
| 4 | Florida State University | Tallahassee | FL | Visit |
| 5 | University of Florida | Gainesville | FL | Visit |
| 6 | Texas A&M University | College Station | TX | Visit |
| 7 | University of Miami | Coral Gables | FL | Visit |
| 8 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas | TX | Visit |
| 9 | University of Texas | Austin | TX | Visit |
| 10 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh | NC | Visit |
| 11 | University of Georgia | Athens | GA | Visit |
| 12 | Syracuse University | Syracuse | NY | Visit |
| 13 | University of California Los Angeles | Los Angeles | CA | Visit |
| 14 | Clemson University | Clemson | SC | Visit |
| 15 | University of North Carolina | Chapel Hill | NC | Visit |
| 16 | Ohio State University | Columbus | OH | Visit |
| 17 | University of Louisville | Louisville | KY | Visit |
| 18 | University of Kansas | Lawrence | KS | Visit |
| 19 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | AR | Visit |
| 20 | Drexel University | Philadelphia | PA | Visit |
| 19 | University of Illinois | Urbana-Champaign | IL | Visit |
Have you attended a sports management program yourself? What is your experience at these universities?
Sports Management Careers
Sports has been a growing business for many years, making Sports Management an interesting major for students who know they would want to work in the recreation or sports industries. With billion dollar contracts being paid by leading television networks for the broadcast rights for professional leagues, and some college organizations, this field is one of the leading entertainment sectors. Indeed, for a lot of top tier universities sports is a significant factor in their own business plans. Football and basketball can be significant revenue sources. Likewise, they can be important factors for establishing university renown, and driving alumni enthusiasm and donations.
Examples of Sports Management careers include:
- University and school athletic departments.
- Professional sports leagues and associations.
- Professional sports team management.
- Amateur sport league management.
- Service and equipment suppliers to athletic teams.
- Player representation.
- Athletic director.
- Public Relations Consultant.
- Venue and event operations management.
- Sports team licensing and promotions entrepreneur.
- Athletic Manager.
- College Bowl marketing and management.
- Event manager.
- Sport club or league manager.
- Sports team marketer.
- athlete or entertainer representative
Students who major in Sports Management qualify for jobs paying in the mid-range for college graduates, but often jobs in sports-related fields can be difficult to find. However, sports management is a type of business management, qualifying graduates for the types of jobs that generalized management majors may pursue as well. Indeed, socially and for interview value, sports management can provide a type of unique qualification. Pursuing an MBA degree also could provide an additional qualification as a career in sports or any management advances.
