Should I Work in Sports?

Getting Into Sports Business... And Why It’s One of the Best Training Grounds You’ll Ever Find

My early career was defined by sports. I played college baseball, then moved straight into coaching because it felt like the natural next step. From there, I transitioned into administration, first as a director of operations for a couple of teams at UC Berkeley, then later into fundraising operations for the entire department. Eventually, I found my way into admissions work doing pre-reads for recruits, and after that, the rest of my professional path unfolded. I’ll keep that part brief here, since this article is really about what those years in athletics taught me.

And honestly, they taught me a lot.

Lessons That Stay With You

Working in college athletics is an immersion in fast-paced, high-pressure environments. You learn how to work hard simply because the job requires it. Everything moves quickly. Everything connects back to a schedule that can’t be shifted. You adjust, or you fall behind.

You also learn how to handle long hours. Game schedules don’t respect traditional workweeks, so you adapt to early mornings, late nights, and weekends that are more work than rest. Over time, the rhythm becomes familiar.

There’s also a structural reality you absorb whether you mean to or not. Far more people want to work in sports than there are available roles. That imbalance means salaries at the entry and mid levels tend to be low, especially given the expectations placed on those jobs. Organizational charts are usually bottom-heavy, with a small group of highly compensated leaders at the top and a very large group of young professionals hoping to work their way upward.

Eventually, that dynamic leads people down one of two paths.

Two Common Outcomes

Path One is the one most young professionals in sports hope for. You manage to climb the ladder and secure one of those top roles. It’s rewarding work. The compensation is far better. You’re part of major decisions. You’re close to the athletes and the excitement that drew you into the field in the first place.

Path Two is the quieter but more common result. You reach a point where you need something different. Maybe the lifestyle doesn’t feel sustainable long-term. Maybe the opportunities for advancement aren’t clear. Maybe the financial side just isn’t viable. In my case, I eventually stepped away and had to figure out what came next.

And that transition taught me something surprising.

Leaving Athletics Isn’t the Loss It Feels Like

Once you step into the broader job market, you realize quickly that the skills you built in athletics translate in powerful ways. Your ability to operate under pressure, handle multiple responsibilities, communicate clearly, and adapt to rapidly changing situations is genuinely valuable in almost any industry.

You also notice something else. Workplaces outside of athletics look and feel different. The hours are more predictable. The compensation is often higher. Weekends exist again. And the workload, while still important, rarely mirrors the nonstop urgency of game-centered operations.

Most people who leave athletics have that moment where they look around and think, I didn’t know work could feel like this. That realization stays with you.

The Moment I Understood This

My first job after athletics was as an IEC working with high school students. After my first admissions cycle, the company owner asked how I handled the pressure of October and November. I had to pause and think about where I’d been the year prior.

That same time the previous year, I would have been in the thick of the college football season. A full week of workdays from early morning to early evening. Midweek college basketball games, where I managed the luxury suite club. Saturdays spent setting up pregame events, then running up and down the steps at Cal Memorial Stadium, delivering care packages to donors in their seats.

Putting those two realities side by side made something very clear. Athletics had prepared me for that new role in ways I hadn’t even recognized.

What I Carry Forward

I will never work as hard or for as little money as I did in my years with Cal Athletics or in coaching. And I genuinely value the lessons from that time. They shaped the way I approach my work now. They built resilience and perspective. They gave me a foundation that makes new challenges feel manageable.

For students who are considering a career in sports business, it’s important that counselors help them understand these realities. The work is demanding. The hours are long. Advancement takes time and patience. But for the right kind of student, someone who gets energy from hard work, who doesn’t shy away from low pay early on, who wants the chance to prove themselves in a competitive environment, this field can be an excellent fit. And the truth is, a lot of athletes already carry those qualities with them.

Sports business can be a launchpad, whether someone stays in the industry long-term or eventually chooses a different path. The skills they develop will serve them well in either case. That’s the quiet advantage of working in athletics. It prepares you for whatever comes next.