Sports Analyst is a job that can be found in various industries such as media, finance and technology. The salary for this occupation varies, depending on the industry and certain skills that are required.
Sports Analyst is a rewarding and challenging position that involves creating objective, quantitative analysis of players, teams and performance for one of the most well-known sports outlets in the world. Looking for a blend of passion, creativity, analytics and social media skills? Have you used data mining in past projects? Do you have a passion for winning? Are you looking to join an elite sports team? Good news! At ESPN Sports Analytics we strive to build winning teams as passionate as they are creative by bringing together diverse backgrounds, perspectives, interests and expertise. We value what differentiates each of us individually collectively making our team stronger.
Sports Analyst careers can earn a median salary of between $33K and $123K. The sports analyst position is expected to grow by 22% over the next several years which equates to 1,100 new jobs opening up annually.
Salary For Sports Analyst Overview
If you’re interested in becoming a sports analyst, there are a few things you should know. First of all, the requirements for this job can vary depending on what type of job you want to do. If you want to be an NBA analyst, for example, you’ll need at least two years’ worth of experience covering basketball as an intern or writer. However, if you want to be an NFL analyst, then all that’s required is a bachelor’s degree in journalism or communications.
The other thing to know about being a sports analyst is that there are many different types of jobs available. Some analysts work for television networks by providing commentary on live games; others have their own blogs where they provide predictions and analysis; still others work for newspapers or magazines and write articles about current events in their sport; and then some analysts become sports agents who negotiate contracts between players and teams.
So what does it pay? According to careerkeg’s most recent data (as of September 2018), the median salary for a sports analyst is $66,000 per year—which means half of all employees earn more than this amount and half earn less than this amount (and those earning more tend tend toward the high end).
What Does a Sports Analyst Do?
Learn more about what it takes to succeed as a sports analyst, the skills you’ll need to become one, and what you can expect on the job.
Sports analysts are responsible for providing commentary on sporting events. They may be assigned to cover one or more specific sports, or they may be tasked with providing general coverage of a variety of different sports.
Sports analysts typically work for television networks or radio stations. Their job is to provide insight and analysis on the events that viewers or listeners are watching or listening to. This might include breaking down the strategies used by coaches or athletes, explaining why certain plays succeeded or failed, or predicting how upcoming games will play out.
Sports Analyst Job Duties
Sports analysts typically have a wide range of responsibilities, which can include:
- Analyzing statistics such as scores and statistics to provide information about player performance or team trends
- Interviewing athletes, coaches, and other sports figures to get their opinion on current events in the sport
- Reporting on the latest news about teams, players, and upcoming games in their sport
- Covering breaking news about injuries or other issues that impact teams or players
- Analyzing statistics such as scores and statistics to provide information about player performance or team trends
- Participating in discussions about sports topics on television or radio programs as a guest analyst
- Analyzing statistics such as scores and statistics to provide information about player performance or team trends
- Reporting on the latest news about teams, players, and upcoming games in their sport
- Conducting research to identify emerging trends in the sport industry
How to become a sports analyst
Successful sports analysts usually have a combination of training, experience and skills. Here are the steps you can take to become a sports analyst:
- Earn a bachelor’s degree.
- Gain experience.
- Create a resume and portfolio.
- Begin your job search.
- Take advantage of advancement opportunities.
1. Earn a bachelor’s degree
To become a sports analyst, you will first need to earn a bachelor’s degree. Your undergraduate focus will vary depending on your desired position. For example, most sports analysts that want to become involved in broadcasting pursue a degree in journalism, broadcasting, communications or a related field of study. On the other hand, if you’d like to specialize in something like statistical sports analysis, a degree in math or statistics would be more beneficial.
Though these are typically the degrees obtained by most professionals in this field, some employers will accept degrees in other related subjects, such as political science or English. Aside from the required courses, it can be helpful to take classes like public speaking, marketing, public relations, sports media and broadcast news writing. Additionally, some journalism students find value in classes that teach programming, coding and multimedia design. The skills taught in these courses give students the ability to develop stories across multiple platforms with graphics, audio, data and video.
2. Gain experience
Gaining experience in the field can be a powerful and necessary addition to your resume. There are several ways that you can gain valuable experience before entering the job market, such as:
Join a school newspaper or broadcasting program
High schools and universities usually have journalism departments that provide opportunities for students to develop their broadcasting skills. These programs provide valuable experience that can then be added to the resume and/or portfolio of prospective sports analysts.
Get involved in sports
The broadcasting field can be competitive so gaining experience in the sports industry can be beneficial to your career as a sports analyst. Ideally, you will have found some amount of success as a player, but any involvement in an athletic department can help. This can include experience as an athletic trainer, player, volunteer, student-manager or coach.
Find an internship
Internships can provide important training and exposure to the field you are hoping to enter. Though you can often find internships through external sources, journalism departments and college professors can offer advice and connections that will aid in your search. Additionally, internships are a great addition to a resume and could expose you to potential contacts that will help you gain employment after graduation.
The average salary for a sports analyst
Though there is no specific salary information for sports analysts, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporters, correspondents and broadcast news analysts make an average of $43,490 per year. Here are some other similar job titles that can give you an idea of what professionals in this field make:
- Radio announcer: $14.73 per hour
- News reporter: $38,647 per year
- Reporter: $42,509 per year
- Broadcast engineer: $62,635 per year
