Equipment Managers
Sports equipment managers oversee the handling and care of everything from baseball bats to football helmets, largely at the college and professional levels. The equipment manager has the responsibility of keeping the team's equipment clean and in good repair, having the equipment available for practice and games (this means traveling with the team), and providing security for the equipment, which is the greatest problem of the equipment manager. Often the manager is aided at the professional level by an assistant and at the college level by the teams' student managers. Most equipment managers also perform other tasks needed by the team.
People employed in this profession normally have a great interest in the sport with which they are associated; often they have played or coached, and some have worked as salespersons of sports equipment. While no special training or education is necessary, knowledge of the equipment and the ability to perform minor repairs is important. Also, the personal qualities of reliability and punctuality are a must.
Although equipment managers have been actively performing the craft for over 100 years, their professional organization has existed for only a few years. Presently salaries are attractive. Most equipment managers earn salaries from $18,000 to $50,000 annually, with the higher salaries coming at the professional level. Bob Lambert has served as equipment manager at Villanova University and also at the professional level. These jobs have kept him close to sports and allowed him to travel. "The job opportunities are great, and it's a wide open area for women" Lambert said.
Statisticians
Sports trivia buffs and rotisserie league fanatics can no longer claim exclusivity over sports statistics. Coaches have expanded their interest in this area, and the computer has emerged as a Statistics are kept at most levels of play. Which information is kept depends for the most part upon the philosophy of the coach. In basketball, one coach may want only rebounding statistics on the players; another may keep shot charts (locations of shots taken) and records of turnovers (the number, and who committed them); and still others may keep vast amounts of other information on their team and opponents. This may include such detailed information in a scouting report as the number of passes made between each player during a basketball game. Many high school and some college coaches record extra statistics, those over and above the minimal information kept by the official scorer.
High school and college coaches can be greatly aided by a competent student or volunteer statistician; likewise, the individual can gain valuable experience. Normally the coach will have a prepared form on which to record the information. The coach will explain the procedures to be followed and will allow the aspiring statistician to gain some experience in intra squad and preseason scrimmages. Once the season begins the coach will expect perfect accuracy. Interested individuals may wish to approach a local coach about aiding a team with statistics.
Experience will prove helpful. If, you lack the background, you may wish to practice taking "stats" when watching a game or event. While this is quite minimal, it might convince a coach of your desire to serve as a statistician. Knowledge of personal computers, data entry, and programming also will prove to be beneficial.
Careers as a sports statistician remain quite limited on a full time basis; however, several opportunities do exist to follow this job as an avocation. It should be mentioned that developing some skill in this area will help in related areas, such as sports information and newspaper careers.
Perhaps someday you will emerge as the Sultan of Stat as director of the Elias Sport Bureau-the keeper of records for the National Football League, the National Baseball Association, and a consultant to ABC's Monday Night Football, Sports Illustrated, and many other organizations.
Sports Academicians
In addition to the professional programs, offered by schools and departments on college campuses (physical education, sports medicine, sports administration, and other), academic departments often offer sports related courses.
Several scholars have begun to examine various aspects of sports from the perspective of their academic areas of study. These individuals have approached athletics and organized sports in systematic ways, armed with an excellent knowledge of how to conduct in depth studies of a particular topic.
Sports Historians examine such topics as the biographies of famous athletes and trends from past decades, such as the origin of a sport. They also work to encourage high school teachers to incorporate athletics into their courses when teaching U.S. history. Frequently, these individuals publish articles in the Journal of Sports History for the appreciation of the reader and the expansion of knowledge.
Sociologists sometimes study the role of sports in society. For example, they investigate topics such as racial problems, attitudes toward winning and losing, the effect money has had upon athletes, socialization through school sports, and social stratification among athletes. Often they publish their findings in the Sociology of Sport Journal, the International Review of Sport Sociology, and other scholarly periodicals.
Like other academics, most sociologists teach in colleges. Those with special interest in athletics frequently offer courses with titles such as "Sociology of sport" or "Sport in American society."
Academic: Sport Psychologists examine such subjects as running therapy, mental toughness, and the psychology of coaching. These individuals have a particular interest in the mental aspects of athletics. Frequently, they provide guidance to players and coaches concerning how to achieve greater success through closer attention to the psychological aspects of athletics. They work with coaches on topics such as motivation and the establishment of smooth working relationships with players; for the players, it means areas such as mental aspects of relaxation and of pregame preparation. Their articles appear in psychological and professional coaching journals.
Philosophers with an eye toward sports have involved themselves in teaching courses and writing for the Journal for the Philosophy of Sport. They often deal with ethical issues.
Most jobs for sports academicians exist at the university level. This means that if you have an interest in this career, you will need to attend college at the undergraduate level and then continue through graduate school until you obtain a doctorate. Above of reading and scholarly activity is important as well as a non going desire to add to the body of knowledge of sports. Interested? Perhaps someday you may teach a course entitled "The contribution of athletics to American culture" or "Management techniques for sports facilities," or conduct and publish research on "The mental aspects of pregame preparation" or "The value of sports in a small town"
