Sports Publicists
Overview
Introduction
There are two types of public relations specialists who work as sports publicists: those who work for professional and amateur teams and those who work for individual professional athletes. Sports team publicists handle the daily press operations for the organization. They handle the media relations, set up interviews with players, ensure that the correct information is distributed to the press, and write press releases and social media posts. Individual sports publicists, who work for individual players, try to en...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Sports publicists can earn anywhere from $20,000 to more than $250,000 per year. People just starting out might make less, while those with proven track records command higher salaries. Publicists who work for individual athletes can earn more money.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in May 2019 public relations specialists overall had median annual earnings of $61,150. The lowe...
Work Environment
During the season, sports publicists may work 12- to 20-hour days, seven days a week. Since most sporting events take place in the evening or on weekends, and half are played on the road, sports publicists spend a lot of time on the job. Some publicists travel with their teams, while others do not. Either way, this job is time consuming.
Outlook
The field of sports publicity is very competitive, and even though it is expanding as more teams and leagues form, it is still difficult to land a job. Most recently, the coronavirus pandemic has altered the sports industry overall, with many games and competitions postponed or cancelled. Those sports that have resumed are being conducted in limited capacity, with few if any fans in attendance,...