Best Jobs in Sports Analytics 2024

Sports are constantly evolving. They’ve gone from a hobby to one of the biggest industries in the world. As a result, teams are more sophisticated in their operations. One example of that is the rise of sports analytics.

If you’re interested in finding jobs in sports analytics, this is the article for you. We’re breaking down everything you need to know about data analytics jobs in sports to help you put yourself in the best position to find one of them.

So, without further delay, let’s get into it.

How to Get a Job in Sports Analytics

If you’re interested in getting hired for sports analytics jobs, you probably already know how competitive the industry is. So, how do you break into it?

You start with a great resume. That means getting a relevant degree, building some experience with analytics in the sports industry, and becoming an expert in critical skills like programming with Python and R.

Sports teams are, by their nature, extremely competitive. This means they all want to hire the best of the best. In order to give yourself the best chance of getting hired, your resume needs to show that you’re one of the best of the best.

There are different ways to stand out like this. You can go to a top Ivy League college, build a new metric that’s extremely useful, or create a strong network that helps you get your foot in the door.

We provide more in-depth instructions on this process near the end of the article.

What Jobs Can You Do with a Sports Analytics Degree?

Jobs in sports analytics are often thought of as a single career, but there can be quite a bit of variability between different roles. Therefore, your pay and future career opportunities with a degree in sports analytics can change based on which of the following jobs you decide to pursue after graduation.

Data Scientist

Data scientists earn an average salary of around $125,000. In the sports industry, they work to identify patterns, minimize injuries, and maximize points for a team. They may also play a role in identifying talent and finding weaknesses in the opposition’s game plans.

Sports Analyst

Sports analytics are an average of around $61,000 annually. They perform many of the same tasks as data scientists but not at quite the same level. For example, they might build models to predict the outcome of games for sports betting sites. Or they could analyze and interpret sports performance and strategy with publicly-available data.

Sports Statistician

A sports statistician is a data analyst who collects, organizes, and analyzes sports data. They apply statistical reasoning to discover team and player performance trends, which may be beneficial to teams or sports-related companies.

These professionals earn an average salary of about $74,000. They may also create statistical models that make predictions and assist with data visualization.

Sports Consultant

Sports consultants provide their analytical expertise to teams that have encountered an obstacle they can’t get past on their own. They also support teams when looking for general direction with an important decision.

For example, a sports consultant may help a team evaluate the talent level of a potential recruit or decide on a new strategy to help the team win more games. The average salary for this position is about $66,000.

Sports Data Journalist

You could also become a sports data journalist with a degree in sports analytics. These professionals use their analytical backgrounds to create compelling articles about sports and athletes for public consumption. The average salary is about $60,000.

The public is becoming increasingly interested and sophisticated in their understanding of advanced analytics when it comes to sports. As a sports data journalist, you’ll create compelling content in this growing niche.

How to Find a Job in Sports Analytics

If you’re serious about getting a job in sports analytics, here are step-by-step instructions you can follow to turn your dream into a reality.

1. Build Your Resume

Sports analytics is a highly competitive field. You’ll need a solid resume to stand out; there’s no way around that fact.

You can begin by earning a sports analytics degree from a strong university. But there are still ways to enter the field if you’ve already graduated from college with another degree.

The main thing teams care about is your ability to perform sports analytics at a high level. You can build those skills through experience. For example, many current sports analytics professionals got their start by creating compelling content that helped them grow social media profiles.

However you do it, the first step towards getting hired in this field is creating a resume that shows teams you’re an expert in the field and would be able to make a difference in their results if hired.

2. Create a Network

The unfortunate reality is that there are more people with excellent sports analytics resumes than there are jobs available for them. That’s why it’s also important to focus on building your network.

Social media is an extremely powerful tool for this. Remember, teams and the people who make hiring decisions for them are also on these platforms. So if you consistently share great content and build a name for yourself, they’ll notice, and your name may come up when a team is ready to make a hiring decision.

3. Find and Apply for Jobs with JobsInSports.com

To give yourself the best chance of getting a job in sports analytics, you’ll need to apply for many jobs and send in your application quickly so that it lands at the top of the pile.

JobsInSports.com makes this much easier to do. We maintain an up-to-date list of the latest jobs in sports and can send you notifications as soon as new opportunities become available.

When you have an account with us, you’ll be able to apply for jobs faster and with less effort so that you always have the best chance of success.

So why wait? Create a free account with us today to get started.