Q&A With CEO of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of 体育运动

超过22个,000个成员, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of 体育运动 (NACDA) is a behemoth in the sports world. Its wide-ranging mission includes providing educational opportunities and serving as a vehicle for networking and advocacy on behalf of the athletics administration profession.

Patrick Manak于2023年1月成为NACDA的首席执行官. 最近, he paid a visit to students enrolled in RIC’s new sports management program to give his take on their promising future in his field.

Why do you think that the sports management industry has grown so swiftly in recent years?

回到上世纪90年代，我刚进入这个行业的时候, there were only a handful of sports administration programs across the country. 随着时间的推移，它爆发了. More schools are investing in it and more students are interested in it because there’s so many different career paths in sports management. 

What are some of the careers out there for those who have a sports management degree?

有太多的职业可供选择. 如果你想走高中路线的话, there’s a big need for high school athletics directors across the country. 很明显, 在RIC所占据的大学空间内, 体育部门有几个不同的职位, ranging from the athletics director down to professionals in areas such as marketing, 发展, 筹资和授权. 在职业体育队伍中，也有机会. 然而, 职业球队越来越少, 所以机会比大学少得多. 然后是企业部门. 如果你看看耐克这样的公司, 可口可乐还是Capital One, there are plenty of positions for people who want to get into this sector. Corporations want to team up with sports franchises to market their products and services. 这是我们行业持续繁荣的一个领域.

这些职业的薪水怎么样?

薪酬各不相同. Like anything else, you have to work your way up, depending on what you embark upon. The high school and college route probably pays on the lighter side when compared to opportunities in the professional and corporate ranks. 然而, if you’re willing to put in the effort, you’re going to be rewarded. I tell young people all the time that they’re not getting into this field to break the bank. 他们应该这样做，因为这是一种激情. There are ways to make good salaries in the field, but that shouldn’t be the driving factor.

Do you need to be an athlete or knowledgeable about the sports world to go into this field?

I don’t think a person would need to be a former athlete to succeed in this industry. 但如果你是运动员，你会有优势吗? 我想是的，尤其是在大学里. 当我们看到那些曾经是学生运动员的人, 他们已经在时间管理上投资了, 为团队工作, 加班加点, multitasking – all the successful attributes of an individual entering a sports management position. 然而, since there’s more people getting into this industry than ever before, we can’t solely look at former student athletes to fill all the positions.

成功需要什么样的品质?

努力工作, 奉献, 激情, 动机, being a team player – attributes that make you successful in all areas of life. 然而, there’s another attribute in our industry that is a key to becoming successful – relationship building. 你很快就出名了——不管是好的还是坏的.

Is there an aspect of RIC’s sports management program that stands out?

作为RIC体育管理项目的负责人，大卫·罗奇(David Roach)脱颖而出. Very few sports management programs across the country have the wealth of knowledge and experience of someone who was an athletics director at three different Division I schools and coached at another Division I school. Roach provides the students in this program with so much knowledge and best practices about what he’s seen from both the successful and not-so successful side. I know this program is brand new but to have him in 的地方 as part of the foundation, 这些学生很幸运. 他们应该利用他的知识基础，而不是想当然.

NACDA对体育管理领域有何影响?

NACDA有自己的实习项目. 我曾经是他们的实习生. What NACDA is able to do is bring in young people who are looking to take their first steps in the industry. 我们有一整年的时间, so, 我们能够塑造, 指南, educate and share all our past experiences – whether good or bad – with them. The floodgates are opened for them during their internship to meet and interact with a whole different clientele who they haven’t been exposed to before. From the very beginning, we tell them that our duty is to get them full-time employment. We’ve been very fortunate over the years to attract great individuals who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in athletics administration.