Baseball hiring jumped after the season while football, hockey and basketball slowed
MLB club postings rose 40% from September to October as front offices staffed up for next season. The NFL, NHL and NBA, all in season, posted fewer jobs.
Baseball hiring rose 40% as the season ended
Clubs that hired in both months posted 264 MLB roles in October, up from 188 in September. Minor league clubs rose 24%, and sports medicine and performance roles more than doubled, from 47 to 104: strength coaches, trainers and dietitians for next season.
Postings per month, September against October
Football, hockey and basketball slowed in season
Among the 252 employers that posted in both months, postings rose 5%, from 2,025 to 2,118. The leagues in season went the other way: NFL postings fell 35%, NHL postings fell 25% and NBA postings fell 18%, after their buildings and front offices staffed up for the season.
Change in postings by league, September to October
Internship postings rose 64%
Internship postings rose from 176 to 288 as employers opened next summer's programs. Entry-level and internship roles are 55% of all sports jobs. By department, administration and executive roles rose 68% while community and foundation roles fell 42%.
Change in postings by department, September to October
Sports betting still pays the most
The typical full-time salary at a sports betting company is $141,000. At an NHL club it is $78,000. Across the industry, entry-level roles pay a typical $65,000 and senior roles $158,000.
Typical full-time salary by type of employer
Fanatics posted more jobs than any other employer
Fanatics posted 201 roles in October, and ESPN posted 104. Among teams, the Patriots and Revolution and the Toronto Raptors (MLSE) led with 52 each.
Most jobs posted, October 2026
- SportsCareers reads the public careers pages of 392+ sports employers every day and records each posting the day it appears.
- Month-to-month changes compare only the 252 employers that posted in both months, so adding a new employer to our list cannot look like growth.
- Sports agencies, college athletics and some media employers joined our list in early October, so their September counts cover only part of the month and are left out of the changes above.
- Salaries come only from postings that state one. 36% do.
- Tracking began July 10, 2026, so there is no year-over-year comparison yet.
Source: SportsCareers Hiring Report, October 2026. sports-careers.com/reports/sports-hiring-october-2026
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