Negotiating Your Salary in the Sports Industry

When looking for a job, especially your first one in the sports industry, salary negotiation can take a back seat to getting a foot in the door and beginning your career. However, starting at a lower salary leads to lost earning potential that you have to make up for later. A pair of WorkInSports Podcast listeners are dealing with the nuances of negotiating salary in the sports industry and are looking for guidance:

“Hey Brian, I’m a recent college grad who just got my first job offer! I’m stoked! The salary is a little lower than I had hoped. Should I negotiate or just accept and get cracking? I’m worried if I push too hard, they’ll move on to someone else and withdraw the offer.”

-Janice in Massachusetts

“Hey Brian, I’m a 33-year-old dude who has been working in the sports industry for the last 12 years. I had been at one team this entire time. Now, I’m making the jump to a sports marketing agency. I’m excited, the salary is good, not great, and I really want to negotiate...what is your take on negotiating? I’ve never done it before, but I want to push this time around as I feel I have more leverage than I did as a recent grad last time I was in the market.”

-Bill in Pennsylvania

Salary Negotiation in Sports

According to Fidelity Investments, 58% of Americans accepted their initial job offer without negotiating salary or benefits. However, 85% of candidates who countered an offer got at least some of what they asked for. Additionally, a 2021 XpertHR survey found that 89% of companies are open to negotiating salary for some or all positions once they make a job offer.

Here are a few keys to successfully negotiating salary in the sports industry:

•    Mind Your Tone: Don’t come off as entitled, demanding, or adversarial, or the employer may reject your counteroffer.
•    Be Timely: Don’t ask for more than 48 hours to review an offer because hiring managers must move quickly to hire.
•    Do Research: Make sure you know what you can expect to earn in your profession in the sports industry so you can make an informed counteroffer.

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Catch the full episode for more salary negotiation tips, and subscribe to the WorkInSports Podcast for more sports career advice. You can also catch additional content on our YouTube channel!