2025 Sports Entry-level Jobs in Illinois

If sports are your passion, you’ll be happy to know that there are many entry-level jobs in sports. Because there is such a wide variety of jobs in sports, it’s easiest to look at them under a few broad categorizations: athletic department jobs, health and fitness jobs, sports reporting or sports news jobs, and sports education jobs. Some sports entry-level jobs that fall under the athletic department heading include athletic trainer, sports coach or assistant coach, athletics director, and more. You could potentially be employed in any one of these positions for a school or community athletic program. When it comes to health and fitness jobs, you could find yourself employed at a variety of organizations, including public and private gyms or hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Depending on your training, you could become a physical or sports therapist or assistant, a sports masseuse, a personal trainer, or an exercise instructor to name a few. If you’d rather work behind the scenes, reporting on sports news and sports-related events, you could become a sports writer or photographer or even a sports broadcaster with the right break. And, of course, there are always opportunities to become a high school sports team coach or a physical education or health teacher. If you’re wondering about those glamorous sports jobs, the ones that involve coaching professional or college teams or working with celebrity athletes, know that those positions are typically reserved for individuals with years of experience. While such positions are certainly not impossible to obtain, you generally have to spend years working your way up to them. If you’re willing to do that, anything can happen!

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