Jared Klein

Dr. Martens

SPM 150

13 February, 2020

(Interview)

Growing up as a child, I always knew that I wanted to partake in a profession highly

involved with sports. Other than being a professional athlete, I always told myself that I was

going to be either a sports agent, scout, or even coach. However, after researching various

occupations within this field, one career that surprisingly stuck out to me was the Athletic

Director position. With that being said, I quickly reached out to my Athletic Director from my

former High School and began furthering my knowledge towards the occupation. As a result, I

learned more about careers within the sports business industry, job responsibilities entitled to the

athletic director position, and even whether or not it’s the right job for me.

In interviewing my athletic director from my former high school, I learned some very

important information regarding both the occupation itself and the responsibilities involved. Mr.

Schultz, both athletic director and recreation director of the Fall River School District, has been

working at his position for the last seven years. In those years of experience, Mr. Schultz picked

up some very valuable skills in which claims are “required to have” in order to obtain the

position of an athletic director or recreation director. Some of these skills consist of being able to

communicate well, establish solid public relations, schedule and organize, have a proper attitude

when working with athletics or other persons, have good knowledge in computers and

technology, and even be able to financially plan. Using these skills, Mr. Schultz has numerous

responsibilities and tasks that he is required to complete every day. Some of these
responsibilities include scheduling athletic events and recreational activities, preparing and

monitoring athletic spending, speaking with officials and athletes, and collaborating with other

athletic directors and WIAA directors. Because of these responsibilities, athletic directors are

required to work with people every day. Whether it is running a recreation tournament for

multiple age groups or meeting with officials and other coaches, AD’s are constantly

communicating and working with individuals at all times of the day. Athletic directors are also

always engaged in and in control of all of the school’s athletics. From scheduling games or

events to running tournaments and maintain budgets, these professionals are in charge of

overseeing all sporting activities. In conclusion, being an athletic director requires several special

skills and responsibilities in which one will use daily.

When it comes to the scope of the sports industry, I was pleasantly surprised when

hearing about the amount of opportunity open for people wishing to pursue a career as an athletic

director. With the sports industry on the rise, especially within the high school level, career

opportunities of an AD are at an all-time high. Thanks to some additional research done by Mr.

Schultz, he discovered through the Sports Management Degree Guide, that the career outlook for

the job position of an athletic director is expected to see a fifteen percent job growth through

2022 (Management). As a result, many people are pushing for these jobs right out of college

making it a very competitive part of the sports business field. During my interview, I learned that

most people that become AD’s don’t directly become one once they attain a college degree. Like

Mr. Schultz, most athletic directors come from occupations located at colleges or universities

before becoming one at a high school. Typically speaking, most people work as assistant athletic

directors, facility managers, and even recreational managers before adventuring into the head AD
position. Because of the scope and future outlook of the athletic director position, career

opportunities within this specific part of the field are seeing a drastic increase.

After learning more about the athletic director position, I must admit that I am more

interested in this occupation than ever before. Thanks to my interview with my former high

school athletic director, I have learned some very valuable and crucial information concerning

this specific occupation. As far as necessary skills go, I feel that I am both familiar with and

experienced in a few of these select areas. For example, I am one who has always been very

organized and good at keeping a schedule. Being an AD, a big responsibility involved in

everyday life is organizing and scheduling events, games, and even practices. Having grown up

with these skills and being closely connected to sports is a great start through my eyes. Aside

from being well organized, I am also good at working with others; especially athletes. Growing

up playing sports, I have always been able to see things from an athlete’s perspective. As a

result, I feel that I would be able to connect with students and athletes in ways that many other

faculty members could not. As far as responsibilities go, all these tasks and challenges that come

along with the AD position surprisingly amuse me. Being a guy who loves to be around sports in

general, having the capability to be in charge of all the events, purchasing equipment, and

meetings with other coaches and personnel from around the state is something I could see myself

doing in the future. Even with the challenges of dealing with troubled athletes and managing

around a tight budget, I enjoy helping others and problem-solving. With that being said, I do plan

on exploring this career further done the road as I pursue a degree here at WLC. As a student,

one of my main goals in life is to attain a bachelor’s degree in either business or sports

management. In doing so, I look forward to pursuing an internship in a field closely related to

this one and am eager to see where I end up in the future. Because of the responsibilities and
skills required to be an athletic director, I must say that I am excited to see if a career as an AD

the right fit for me is.

Prior to completing this interview, I must admit that I had no prior thoughts about

becoming an athletic director. However, after hearing about the occupation more in-depth, I

cannot stress enough how wrong I was for having negative thoughts about this occupation.

Although an athletic director isn’t my dream job in this field, thanks to Mr. Schultz and some

other research, I feel that there is a strong possibility in which I may pursue this career at some

point in my life. Because of the skills and responsibilities as well as the future outlook, I have

developed a stronger understanding of this career and am excited to see if this career is

Work Cited

Angst, Frank. “Athletic Director Job Description: Salary, Skills, & More.” The Balance Careers,
The Balance Careers, 23 Sept. 2019, www.thebalancecareers.com/athletic-director-job
profile-3113301.