Hello Everyone,
I would love to get some advice on my current situation.
I am currently a UW-Madison Political Science graduate who is in the second year of a dual J.D. / M.B.A. program at Marquette University.
My dream is to get a job as an associate athletic director.
Do you think my qualifications as a bar approved attorney and M.B.A holder could make me competitive at lower D1 schools as a low level associate athletic director.
I am extremely knowledgeable in the areas of football recruiting and marketing and have interned extensively in employment and sports law.
I would also be willing to accept any high school athletic director positions that I could qualify for.
Any input is appreciated.
Thank you.
I know a couple of college coaches in a popular college sport, though not football. They and their staffers were all accomplished college players on good college teams. A couple played professionally after graduation and coached on a low level internationally before getting their positions with US college teams . One spent three years essentially working for free at an Ivy before he got a paying job on the coaching staff. So these are really, really hard jobs to get. I think your law and marketing experience would be of interest, but the real McCoy is actual playing and college-level coaching experience. If you read bios of AAD types (available online for most teams) you’ll see the kind of athletic experience they bring to the table.
Although there are AD’s who have prior athletic experience, it is not a prerequisite to the job. DH is a former college and professional athlete whose college roommate was a long time associate AD at a very competitive D1 school. He was not an athlete. He was a practicing attorney for a government agency working with the college before he took the Associate AD job. He had several years of private practice experience prior to that. His primary responsibility as and AAD was dealing with contracts (media, sponsorship etc.), therefore his law degree was essential. Having a JD and MBA is a great start for your chosen career path. A job in athletic administration in a university would be a step in the right direction. Good Luck!
High School athletic director positions around here (New England) are stipend positions, and frankly don’t pay enough to support even one person. But the good news for you is that they don’t require experience in sports, although that was preferred where I worked. They require the ability to organize, and change things around on a dime (think rescheduling things because of weather).
We know the assistant athletic director at a private school. He both teachers there, and coaches a college basketball team. There were 250 applicants for the job.
In terms of college AD, no requirement for sports experience, but again…strong need for demonstrated organizational and management skills.
Good luck to you.
You may want to read more about what Athletic Director staff does. They are responsible for the business side of the program. Things like communications, compliance, marketing and facilities management. You are more likely to be auditing the recruiting process than participating in it. Here is a link to the Wisconsin AADs. https://uwbadgers.com/sports/2015/8/21/GEN_2014010144.aspx
OP: Based on your interests, Michigan State University School of Law might have been a good law school due to its Sports Law / Sorts Management programs & journal.
OP: Did you participate on Marquette’s entertainment / sports law journal ?
Your internships in employment & sports law should give you access to relevant information & contacts.
The only attorney whom I know well who practices in this area is a partner in a NYC based Vault 10 law firm. Primarily contracts & negotions.
The University of Miami law school offers an LLM degree in this area (sports & entertainment law).
Just reviewed Marquette law school offerings in Sports Law–which are substantial in number.
Assuming that you earn the Sports Law Certificate & belong to the Sports Law Journal, you should be well educated in matters which are the focus of many assistant athletic directors.
Still remains as a tough field for entry in addition to modest or low pay.
Consider the practice of law in this area.
In some school districts/cities/states, the HS athletic Director is appointed by the principal and must be a licensed pedagogue.
In Texas almost all of the high school athletic directors started out as coaches. The vast majority of them were head coaches and the campus athletic director at there respective schools. I’m not sure how it works at the college level.