Deborah 

Rosario  

When I was young, the only sport I was aware of was cricket, which captivated the entire country. Eventually, I began watching Wimbledon and Formula One on television, though I don’t recall if many others shared this interest. Since then, the sports scene in India has broadened to include a range of sports that athletes play and fans follow. Today, Indian fans embrace football, tennis, hockey, kabaddi, table tennis, and many other sports in addition to cricket.

Globally, the sports industry has proliferated through professional sports organisations tournaments, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and non-profit organisations. This growth has created a demand for skills in various roles, including sales and ticketing, venue management, event management, public relations and marketing, leadership and administration, sponsorships, sports medicine, and more. To meet this demand, robust sports programmes have been established at US universities, building capacity throughout the global sports ecosystem.

Sports programmes in the United States can be broadly classified into several categories, including sports management, training or coaching, sports pedagogy, and fields like sports medicine, injury prevention, kinesiology, and exercise science. These programmes are offered at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Furthermore, sports programmes have expanded to include interdisciplinary areas, leading to fields like sports humanities and sports law. For instance, the University of Texas at Austin offers an undergraduate major in Physical Culture and Sports, which "includes coursework in philosophy and ethics, sport law, sport history, the history of physical culture, and race and gender issues in sport.". This programme covers courses such as historical trends in sports culture, health promotion, and behavioural science. Similarly, Arizona State University researches sports through its Humanities Institute and offers programmes like the Master's in Sports Law and Business.

In addition, US universities offer hands-on training and networking opportunities as part of their sports programmes. Study abroad programmes enable students to explore sports in other countries. Honours programmes and research opportunities may be available in US universities for advanced studies, along with opportunities for experiential learning. The University of Tulane hosts an international baseball arbitration competition, and other universities offer similar competitions in the field of sports law. Additionally, US universities often have student societies and clubs related to sports.

The University of Michigan, for instance, hosts student groups that focus on consultancy, gender, analytics, and other areas related to sports. Professional organisations like the Society of Health and Physical Educators, or (SHAPE America, and the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) allow students to network with peers and professionals in the field. Universities also sometimes facilitate student participation in sports industry and career conferences.

As with other programmes at US universities, it is helpful to look at the curricular structure, including the institution housing the programme, whether that be the School of Kinesiology, Education, or Business, and to determine whether the associated emphasis in the program aligns with the student's interests and career goals.

Finally, students should consider the organisations where students typically do internships and the career trajectory of the programme’s alumni. For instance, Ohio State University lists student outcomes from its Bachelor's major in Sports Industry to include professional roles such as account executive, player services, marketing associate, events manager, youth camp coordinator, and coach. Students should examine these trajectories and consider whether these pathways align with their own career aspirations.

We can conclude with the story of Lavanya Sirsikar, who completed a Bachelor's of Education in Health Promotion, Nutrition, and Exercise Science from Ohio State University in 2014, followed by a Master's of Science in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology in 2016. Beyond the classroom, Sirsikar says, "I interned with the Strength and Conditioning Departments at both universities, and their athletic programs were a big motivation for me to apply there." Following her education, Sirsikar has had a stellar career. She served as a performance coach for the Chinese Olympic Committee’s National Rowing Team. In India, she worked with the Indian National Rowing Team in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Reflecting on her experience, Sirsikar wrote, "It was the first time they ever had a strength and conditioning coach as part of their programme. The boat that qualified ended up being the highest-ever ranking (11th rank) Indian boat at the Olympics." Subsequently, Sirsikar worked with the Sports Authority of India, coaching Olympic para-archers, para-javelin throwers, and wrestlers. She was part of the Indian contingent at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Since then, Sirsikar has joined a private academy in Ahmedabad called the Vijayi Bharat Foundation, where she became the Head of Strength and Conditioning in 2022. There, she works with state and national-level athletes in sports such as fencing and judo.

Sirsikar defines her US educational experience as one of "opportunities." Reflecting on how she found her path during her undergraduate experience at Ohio State University, she says, "Ohio State provided so many opportunities for me to find my niche. I knew I always wanted to be in athletics, but college athletics is huge. There were some professions we had never heard of in India or didn't have specialists for here, but I had opportunities to go out and learn from them. I interned with nutrition and physiology researchers, the Sport Nutrition department, the Athletic Training Department, and finally found my calling in strength and conditioning." She also highlights the network that she developed through her education. Summing up her educational journey, she writes, “My education is my foundation. If it wasn't for that, I don't think so many doors would have opened the way they did.”

For more information about studying in the United States, please visit theEducationUSA India website https://educationusa.in and for individual queries or direct counsellingcounseling with an EducationUSA adviser, please write to USEducationQueries@state.gov.

The author is currently an EducationUSA Adviser at USIEF Mumbai