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What do I need to know about fan engagement?

What do I need to know about fan engagement? What degree would you recommend for pursuing fan engagement in college and professional sports? What extracurriculars would you recommend to give experience in this field?

career sports-management fan-engagement
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Shannon’s Answer

Hi Bekah! Fan engagement is a pretty broad area, which is actually a good thing because there are a lot of ways to get into it. It can include social media and digital content, game day experiences, promos, events, community outreach, ticketing, sponsorship activations, and even using fan data to understand what keeps people interested and coming back. If you know you want to work in sports, I’d look at majors like marketing, communications, business, or sport management. You don’t necessarily need a sports specific degree either. The NCAA specifically says that people can enter college athletics without one, and its own internship programs look for backgrounds such as marketing, communications, business, event management, and sport management.

I’d honestly focus just as much on experience as the exact degree. If your college has athletics, see if you can work or volunteer with the athletics marketing team, social media, game day operations, ticket office, or events. Student organizations, campus radio, creating sports content, running social media for a club, and internships with college teams, minor league teams, or local sports organizations can all help too. The NCAA’s championship internships, for exp, involve event planning, game presentation, social media, corporate partnerships, and improving the fan experience, which gives you a good idea of the skills employers in this area are looking for. I’d try a few different parts of fan engagement while you’re in school because you might find that you love the creative social media side, the live event side, or even the data and strategy side much more than the others.
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Amy’s Answer

Many stadiums and large event venues hold seasonal hiring events for part-time positions. These opportunities can be a great way to get your foot in the door, gain experience in the sports and entertainment industry, and start building relationships that lead to future opportunities within the organization.
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Beth’s Answer

Bekah, congratulations on reaching out about your career aspirations. Research sporting events in your area (professsional, college and high school) as many sporting tournaments are often looking for volunteers. Don't shy away from volunteering vs being paid as sports is a very competitive market and it is better to get your foot in the door and gain experience. Special Olympics also has a volunteer program. Be open to working in any areas when volunteering and keep a record of the Event Organizers so you can connect or follow them on LinkedIn. Good luck!
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