Is a sports management degree needed to get a job in the Indian sports industry?

This is the most common question you hear from candidates who want to work in the Indian sports industry.

Before we move ahead, however, it is important to quickly understand the origins and evolution of sports management degrees in India.

Prior to 2010, candidates aspiring to join the Indian sports industry would travel abroad to get an education in sports management. Sports in the western world have had decades to evolve, and hence many institutions have highly rated sports management degrees, some of which are several decades old themselves.

In 2010, the International Institute of Sports Management offered India’s first course in sports management. Since then at least 10 other institutions - like Global Institute of Sports Business, with their headquarters in Mumbai - offer sports management degrees - both bachelors and masters - with new institutions opening up every year. 

In such a scenario, where you are spoiled for choice, should you pursue a sports management degree, and why?

The answer, though, is complex.

To simplify it, let us look at it through the lens of the Sporjo formula:

Personality + Proficiency + Passion = Job and Career in the Indian sports industry.

Education, no matter in which form, is always an advantage. By that logic, a degree in sports management can possibly be an advantage to you if:

A. You use it to tap into a Passion: Nearly everyone doing a sports management degree in India is passionate about sports. But as we have discussed before, passion alone is not enough to get a job and begin a career in the Indian sports industry (LINK). While at your degree, find a way to tap into the resources and network of the founders of the institute to learn as much as you can about whatever you are passionate about. For example; maybe you are passionate about statistics and football, then it would be very helpful to find someone in your institute's network who is a football statistician and spend time with him/her to learn more about their job and career.

B. You use it to develop your Proficiency: All sports management institutes have a mandatory internship that students have to complete in order to complete the course of graduation. Use this opportunity to first learn about the skills you have, and then enhance them enough to make your profile attractive to potential employers. For example, you may learn that you are great at working with young kids; in that case find a grassroots program that you can help and be part of. Immerse yourself in the experience and learn as much as you can.

C. You use it to highlight your Personality: During your sports management degree you will be surrounded by peers who, like you, are all competing for jobs in the Indian sports industry. In such a scenario, it is important to find out exactly what your personality type is and enhance it, to stand out. Those who succeed in the Indian sports industry often understand their personality type and work on enhancing it to become complementary to the kind of job and career they are looking to build. For example, if you are someone who is outgoing and loves to mingle and work with people, then you would be better suited for a job and career in sports event management or even public relations. Using the time during your degree to learn more about yourself and enhancing your strengths will go a long way in helping you find a  job best suited for you and help you build a long and successful career.

Here at Sporjo, we have the ability to help you with all the three elements mentioned above. 

Sporjo is not a substitute for a sports management course or an institute. We are not a substitute for a good education. 

In fact, we are complementary to the degree of education you seek at an Indian sports management institution.

What we do is use a set of tools to help you further tap into a passion, develop a proficiency further, and highlight your personality more.

To know more, sign up here to register with us and let us get you started.