Arts, Design, Media, and Sports · Career brief

Athletes and Sports Competitors

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Athletes and Sports Competitors at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$66,710

Middle-of-the-pack pay

2025 national median. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for pay.

2Demand

5.5%

Steady projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Above the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

2,200

Relatively fewer openings

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.

4Route in

No formal credential

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

No formal educational credential. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Hands-on

Practical work with tools, systems, or physical environments

Assess performance following athletic competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses and making adjustments to improve future performance.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

This is a small national occupation (22,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

ChooseField take

The national benchmarks are mixed, so the work itself and the route in matter more than any standout pay or demand signal. It makes the most sense if hands-on work appeals to you and you are comfortable with entry without a formal credential. Main tradeoff: This is a small national occupation (22,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median…

Before choosing, compare:Craft Artists Musicians and Singers Photographers

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Athletes and Sports Competitors with another field Explore rankings in Arts, Design, Media, and Sports Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$66,710

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

5.5%employment growth2,200openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

No formal educational credential; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

22,900

A small national occupation; local availability may be uneven.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Athletes and sports competitors (27-2021).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Assess performance following athletic competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses and making adjustments to improve future performance.
Maintain equipment used in a particular sport.
Attend scheduled practice or training sessions.
Maintain optimum physical fitness levels by training regularly, following nutrition plans, or consulting with health professionals.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

This is a small national occupation (22,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Getting Information4.2
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.1
Analyzing Data or Information4.0
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.9
Performing General Physical Activities3.9

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Realistic5.2
Enterprising4.5
Social4.3
Conventional3.0
Artistic2.1
Investigative1.4

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Personnel and Human Resources Communications and Media Sales and Marketing Mathematics

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Complete a creative brief for someone else, meet the deadline, invite blunt criticism, and revise the work once.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Athletes and sports competitors nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Craft Artists, Musicians and Singers, Photographers, Coaches and Scouts.