Sports Industry Salary Guide: What Sports Jobs Actually Pay
The highest paying sports jobs are in software, legal and analytics, where the typical posted salary runs $134,000 to $167,500. A typical entry-level sports job posts about $65,000, entry-level ticket sales about $47,500 base, and part-time game-day work about $20 an hour.
Every number on this page comes from pay that employers wrote into their own job postings, across the 3,430 sports jobs open on our board on November 8, 2026. No surveys, no estimates. Where too few postings state pay, we say so instead of guessing.
Sports Salary Chart by Department
Each bar shows the middle half of posted salaries in that department: a quarter of postings pay less than the left edge and a quarter pay more than the right edge. The white mark is the typical (median) posting.
All levels combined, yearly salaries only. Guest experience, retail and food and beverage jobs are mostly hourly, so they appear in the hourly table further down.
What each department pays
Typical means the median posting. The range is the middle half of postings. "Postings" is how many open jobs in that department stated a yearly salary.
Software & Product
Most of these postings come from sports betting, prediction-market and sports data companies, which pay close to big-tech rates. Team-side engineering roles exist mainly at large-market clubs and league offices.
See open sports technology jobs →Legal & Compliance
Regulated betting operators need compliance staff in every state they operate in, which is where much of this hiring sits.
See open sports betting jobs →Analytics & Data
Spans team front offices, league offices and betting companies. Entry-level analyst roles at teams sit well below this figure, and senior betting roles well above it.
See open sports analytics jobs →Partnerships & Sponsorship
Corporate partnership sellers and activation managers. Many roles add commission or bonus on top of the posted base.
See open sports sales and partnership jobs →Marketing & Brand
Entry-level marketing postings came in at a typical $70,000, among the highest starting salaries we found.
See open sports marketing jobs →Finance & Accounting
Baseball Operations
Front office and player development roles at MLB clubs. The few that post pay skew toward research and development, so treat the typical figure as generous for scouting and coaching jobs.
See open baseball operations jobs →Sales & Membership
Ticket and membership sales hires more entry-level people than any other department. Entry-level postings showed a typical $47,500 base, and most sales roles add commission on top of the posted figure.
See open sports sales jobs →Events & Game Presentation
Content, Video & Broadcast
Sports Medicine & Performance
Facilities & Grounds
Entry-level sports salaries
Postings our system tags as entry level, yearly salaries only.
| Department | Typical | Middle half | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| All entry-level jobs | $65,000 | $51,500 to $77,500 | 137 |
| Baseball Operations | $80,000 | $55,000 to $90,000 | 11 |
| Marketing & Brand | $70,000 | $67,500 to $77,500 | 13 |
| Finance & Accounting | $65,000 | $60,000 to $72,350 | 8 |
| Content & Creative | $62,500 | $30,000 to $72,390 | 10 |
| Sports Medicine & Performance | $60,000 | $55,500 to $65,000 | 9 |
| Administration & Executive | $56,500 | $44,000 to $85,000 | 12 |
| Sales & Membership (base) | $47,500 | $37,700 to $67,500 | 22 |
Small samples: each row has 8 to 22 postings, so read these as a rough guide, not a promise.
Salary by career level
| Level | Typical | Middle half | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | $65,000 | $51,500 to $77,500 | 137 |
| Mid | $97,500 | $77,500 to $130,500 | 301 |
| Senior | $160,000 | $127,000 to $182,500 | 327 |
| Executive | $222,500 | $200,000 to $267,750 | 28 |
Teams, leagues and betting companies
Where you work matters as much as what you do. Sports betting and prediction-market companies post the highest salaries by a wide margin, mostly because so many of their openings are engineering and product roles.
| Employer group | Typical | Middle half | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports betting & prediction markets | $150,000 | $109,000 to $183,975 | 360 |
| NFL teams and league office | $112,500 | $77,500 to $137,500 | 34 |
| MLB teams and league office | $90,000 | $72,500 to $132,500 | 81 |
| NBA teams and league office | $85,000 | $67,500 to $122,500 | 122 |
| MLS teams and league office | $84,250 | $75,000 to $122,500 | 55 |
| NHL teams and league office | $77,500 | $55,800 to $91,500 | 24 |
| College athletics | $71,250 | $54,000 to $90,000 | 24 |
Hourly sports jobs: game day, part-time and internships
Guest services, retail, food and beverage and most game-day crews are paid by the hour. 491 open jobs stated an hourly rate.
| Type of job | Typical | Middle half | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time and seasonal | $20/hr | $17 to $24 | 235 |
| Guest Experience & Security | $20/hr | $18 to $22 | 71 |
| Food & Beverage | $20/hr | $18 to $24 | 54 |
| Retail & Merchandise | $18/hr | $17 to $19 | 39 |
| Hourly internships | $17/hr | $15 to $20 | 84 |
We track 3,400+ open jobs at MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS teams, college athletics and sports betting companies, updated daily.
How to negotiate a sports job offer
- Use the posted range. If the posting lists a range, you already know what the team budgeted. Ask for the upper half if your experience fits it.
- Don't volunteer your current salary. If asked, give a target range based on the role instead. Many states ban employers from asking for salary history.
- In sales, ask about commission, not only base. The posted figure is usually base pay. Ask what a typical first-year rep actually earned.
- At betting and tech companies, negotiate bonus and equity. Base pay is often fixed by level. Bonus targets and equity usually have more room.
- Ask about the next title. A clear path to promotion in 12 months can be worth more than a slightly higher starting number.
How we got these numbers
We read every job open on SportsCareers on November 8, 2026 (3,430 jobs) and kept the pay the employer wrote into the posting. 803 jobs (23%) stated a yearly salary and 491 (14%) an hourly rate. When a posting gives a range, we use its midpoint. We drop figures that are clearly mislabeled, such as a yearly salary under $20,000, and we only print a figure when at least 8 postings support it.
Two things to keep in mind. Most sports jobs don't post pay at all, so these figures describe the jobs that do. And 360 of the 803 salaries come from sports betting and prediction-market companies, which pull department figures up, especially in software and analytics. We refresh this page as the market changes.
Common questions
What is the highest paying job in sports?
Outside of athletes and coaches, the highest posted salaries are senior engineering, product and executive roles at sports betting and prediction-market companies. The top postings we saw on November 8 ranged from $300,000 to $550,000. On the team side, senior research and development and front office executive roles post the most.
How much do entry-level sports jobs pay?
The typical entry-level sports job with a posted salary pays about $65,000, with half between $51,500 and $77,500. Ticket sales starts lower, at about $47,500 base plus commission. Hourly game-day work pays about $20 an hour.
Do sports jobs pay less than other industries?
Often at the start. Entry-level team jobs, especially in sales, operations and game day, post modest pay because so many people want them. The gap narrows as you move up, and technical roles at betting and data companies pay at or near tech-industry rates.