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tools to manipulate and study the information. Business classes
help students understand the role of different departments in
an organization. How does the marketing department use data
as opposed to how the shipping department uses it? Sports
management classes teach students the structure of pro or college
sports organizations. It’s important to know how each type of
business runs. Simply being a great math student is not enough;
a sports analytics professional has to be able to use and share
discoveries in the context of what his or her organization needs.
Internship, Anyone?
As with most types of business, you need more than a classroom
or book education. Nothing helps prepare a person more than
real-life, day-to-day work. Internships are the lifeblood of many
businesses, and the front offices of sports teams are no exception.
An intern is usually not paid in money, but in experience. The
internship gives a person the chance to learn, but can very often
lead to full-time employment. There is nothing better for an
employer than to hire someone they already know can do the
job. On the other hand, if the intern realizes during the intern-
ship that the job wasn’t quite what was expected, he or she can
walk away with no regrets.
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