http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbe...-day-college-athletics-director/#d13dbe200282
So you want to be a college athletics director?
Over the last several decades, the role of the college athletics administrator has changed dramatically. What once was seen as a job for retired coaches, has now transformed into a role that attracts some of the top executives both in and outside the sports industry. Catalyzed by the explosive rise in popularity of college sports and the seemingly exponential growth of spending by universities to bolster their athletic programs, there has never been a greater need for professionals who bring both a dynamic and robust set of skills to manage these complex, multifaceted business operations.
What makes a great athletics director? The reality is that there is no single correct answer to the question because the skill-sets of successful college athletic administrators are as varied as the role itself. From small Division III universities that offer no athletic scholarships and operate on modest budgets, to large Division I institutions that employee hundreds and generate revenues well into the nine figures, the characteristics of their leaders are equally varied.
Yet for all the differences that the various levels of the job bring, athletic departments and those who lead them do not operate in a vacuum – there are many skills and experiences that are transferable from one area of college athletics to another. That being said, it is important to understand the key challenges that administrators face at each level of the industry in order to better position themselves to be successful as they move up and down the college athletics ladder.
Division I – Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) – Power 5 Conferences
The highest level of college athletics also comes with the biggest stakes when it comes to leadership. With many athletics budgets reaching into the hundreds of millions, managing the athletics department of a major university in one of the large conferences requires all the same skills of running a major corporation, while simultaneously maintaining a blend of finesse and professional will necessary to navigate a unique operating environment with any number of opinionated constituents. Qualifications necessary for athletic administrators on the Power 5 level include:
So you want to be a college athletics director?
Over the last several decades, the role of the college athletics administrator has changed dramatically. What once was seen as a job for retired coaches, has now transformed into a role that attracts some of the top executives both in and outside the sports industry. Catalyzed by the explosive rise in popularity of college sports and the seemingly exponential growth of spending by universities to bolster their athletic programs, there has never been a greater need for professionals who bring both a dynamic and robust set of skills to manage these complex, multifaceted business operations.
What makes a great athletics director? The reality is that there is no single correct answer to the question because the skill-sets of successful college athletic administrators are as varied as the role itself. From small Division III universities that offer no athletic scholarships and operate on modest budgets, to large Division I institutions that employee hundreds and generate revenues well into the nine figures, the characteristics of their leaders are equally varied.
Yet for all the differences that the various levels of the job bring, athletic departments and those who lead them do not operate in a vacuum – there are many skills and experiences that are transferable from one area of college athletics to another. That being said, it is important to understand the key challenges that administrators face at each level of the industry in order to better position themselves to be successful as they move up and down the college athletics ladder.
Division I – Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) – Power 5 Conferences
The highest level of college athletics also comes with the biggest stakes when it comes to leadership. With many athletics budgets reaching into the hundreds of millions, managing the athletics department of a major university in one of the large conferences requires all the same skills of running a major corporation, while simultaneously maintaining a blend of finesse and professional will necessary to navigate a unique operating environment with any number of opinionated constituents. Qualifications necessary for athletic administrators on the Power 5 level include:
- Evaluation and negotiation of multi-million (if not billion) dollar media rights deals, as well as navigation of conference network distribution and third tier rights. This includes comprehensive knowledge of revenue distributions, as well as a full understanding of what role an individual athletic department plays in the creation of content for the conference and the commitments required to meet quotas for media rights partners.
- Ability to manage powerful head coaches who are often the highest paid employee(s) in the state. It is the responsibility of the athletics director to create an environment where flagship football and basketball programs can thrive while under the always scrutinizing eye of university administration, alumni and the general public at large. This pressure has led to expectations of total program turnarounds in just 2 or 3 year, with failure now leading to both the head coach being fired and the athletics director being put on notice.
- Advanced knowledge of strategic, operational & financial business planning, including most significantly capital and investment budgeting. With the continuous escalation of the facilities arm race, Big 5 athletic directors are often responsible for the planning, fundraising and oversight of substantial capital projects that often reach similar investment levels to those seen in professional sports. Balancing an athletics budget is one thing, insuring that one can do so while simultaneously investing hundreds of millions more into facilities requires a far more advanced ability to manage cash flow.
