Beyond the Field: Exciting Sports Careers for Non-Athletes

Sports is a glamorous industry, with top athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, and more often appearing in the public eye through their performances and promotional deals. Many young souls dream of emulating the success of their idols - just ask our very own Loh Kean Yew, who grew up watching Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei exhibit their mastery of badminton.

Yet, being a sportsperson is not everyone’s cup of tea (and it is not for a lack of trying). So what do you do if you love sports but don’t see a career as a professional athlete? Fortunately, the sports industry isn’t just about life in the spotlight. The supporting cast that toils behind the scenes is just as important, if not more important for bringing sports to the public.

Athletic Trainers

Athletic trainers work with athletes to treat and prevent common sports injuries. They are often the first medical professionals on the scene after an injury. Athletic trainers are critical in helping athletes train, perform, and recover from injury as safely and effectively as possible. They also provide a vital communication link between the injured athlete, the physician, the coach, and sometimes the athlete's family to determine when it's right to return to practice and competition.

Physical Therapist

In the realm of sports medicine, physical therapists play a crucial role in facilitating the recovery process and optimising athletic performance. Through a combination of manual therapy techniques, therapeutic exercises, and modalities such as ultrasound or electrical stimulation, they help athletes regain strength, flexibility, and range of motion. Furthermore, physical therapists serve as advocates for athletes' overall health and well-being. They work closely with coaches, trainers, and other healthcare professionals to ensure that the rehabilitation process is coordinated and integrated seamlessly into the athlete's training regimen. 

Sport Psychologist

Sport Psychology plays a critical role in performance enhancement and in developing and maintaining athletes’ well-being within the competitive sports environment. Athletes are often under immense pressure, whether it be intrinsic, extrinsic, or environmental factors like the pandemic. Sport psychologists are therefore vital in helping these athletes self-regulate cognition, emotions, and behaviour, as well as optimize their performance on the big stage.

Sport Nutritionist

Without the proper fuel, an athlete's body cannot achieve peak performance. Sport nutritionists are integral in helping athletes plan their diets, ensuring they receive the necessary nutrition during training, competition, and recovery. Nutritional needs vary with each phase of training, and sports nutrition promotes healthy, responsible eating at all times.

Public Relations Specialists

In the context of the booming sports industry, public relations specialists typically focus on creating and maintaining a positive image for the organization(s) or athlete(s) they represent. There are many acceptable degree backgrounds, making this position highly popular for prospective candidates who are entering the sports industry for the first time.

Sports Agents

As legal representatives, sports agents are best known for helping the athletes/coaches that they represent procure and negotiate different contracts. These would include negotiations like employment with a particular club, or endorsement deals with other agencies. The career planning services they provide are highly sought after by any sporting talent looking to focus on their performances on the pitch.

Event Planners

Sporting events like football matches and week-long campaigns are fun and flashy for all participants. However, there is plenty of hard work behind the scenes required to ensure the event runs smoothly. That’s where sporting event planners come into the picture. Event planners coordinate with teams of varying sizes to guarantee that every aspect of the sporting event is under control - participants, location, scheduling, safety, ticketing, or even finances.

Commentators/Pundits

Sport commentators are most commonly known for providing real-time play-by-play commentary of a sports event. In a live broadcast, the energy they inject can greatly enhance the viewing experience.

Pundits, on the other hand, express their professional opinions about various topics such as a particular player, the state of a sporting team, or the overall landscape of the sport. While their comments may sometimes be controversial, the additional buzz they create for the sport remains an extremely popular draw, particularly in the age of social media.

Both roles require individuals to be highly knowledgeable about the subjects they cover, and they are critical in helping to bring the sport to the masses.

The sports industry is a thriving scene, with a multitude of careers that cater to a wide variety of skills and expertise. If you love sports, why not consider whether the career options mentioned would be a good fit for you?